Spotted flycatchers, Packing Wood - no time to waste!

Choosing a nest site, Spotted Flycatchers at Packing Wood

Yesterday's arrival of warmer and settled weather brought the first of our scarce Spotted flycatchers migrants to Shadoxhurst. I saw 2 birds at Alex Pastures and one make a fleeting visit to the garden.

Today, plodding around Packing Wood, I discovered this pair already paired-up and about to start nest building. Spotted Flycatchers often choose precarious nest sites, and this site is no exception, nothing more than an angled piece of tree bark leaning on a thin branch.

Also in Packing wood, where the timber has been cleared underneath the electricity lines, there is now a mile long swathe of fading blue bells, attracting many insects. Most obvious are the Brimestone butterflies, up to 12  chasing around yesterday. Also present, were Hairy Hawker and Broad Bodied Chaser Dragonfly.