It’s not unusual, during Spring migration, not to see many of the bird species that pass through. Unless they need to rest or refuel, there’s no reason for them to stop, and the urge is strong to reach their breeding locations and get the reproduction process underway. I assumed this was why no Spotted flycatchers had been sighted locally this Spring, though it now seems that a lot of birds are late arriving this year, coming in waves depending on when the weather conditions are favourable for long-distance flights. Then, one evening, I got lucky.

I was sitting at my table/desk, deliberately positioned next to a window with views of the adjacent woodland and out to the Bristol Channel, when I noticed a bird chase a small butterfly along the tree line. My birding skills must be improving because I was immediately on the alert – the bird, the way it moved, its jizz didn’t look like one of the usual birds – definitely not a Robin or a Dunnock, nor, I didn’t think, a Chiffchaff. I kept my eyes on the place where the bird appeared to have landed and reached behind me for the binoculars that live, when I’m home, in a handily positioned bookcase. And there it was, a striking little Spotted flycatcher!

For perhaps 30 minutes I watched it flitting in and out from the trees, attempting to catch small flying insects, sometimes pausing and settling as if preparing to roost for the night but then getting tempted into flight once more by the sight of a succulent titbit. Eventually, it flew further along the woodland and was lost to sight. I can’t imagine a nicer way to spend my evening!