Microbirdology

The Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, is a small migratory bird found in the UK during the summer, with an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 breeding pairs. This translates to around 70,000 to 80,000 individual birds. They migrate to the UK from sub-Saharan Africa in late spring and return in the early autumn. These birds favor woodlands, parks, and gardens for breeding, where they catch flying insects. There have been a pair of Spotted Flycatchers in our local churchyard for the last few years.  It took me a few tries to find them this year, but I was pleased to eventually catch up with them. They were busiest in the Church environs in the afternoon. Updated with pictures from August.

We visited Poole to take Harbour trip with BOPH and visit the viewing platform for CJ7 and O22's nest at Carey's Secret Garden. On the boat, we had a distant but clear view of O22 catching a fish on his first dive and had, very, very distant views of the two White Tailed Eagles (463 and 466) sitting in the shade of a tree. There were no fish deliveries in our session on the Carey's platform but there was some nest tweaking and both O22 and CJ7 put on a flying display for us.

We stopped off at WWT Arundel on our way to Poole for the BOPH Osprey visit.  I always enjoy visits to a WWT centre. You can get closer to UK birds without a lot of work, and you see fantastic birds from regions that you are unlikely to be lucky enough to ever visit.

We stayed locally to RSPB Minsmere on our journey back from RSPB Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire. It was our first time at Minsmere but we were delighted by the eight Bittern flights we witnessed during our two visits.  It lived up to its reputation as an excellent reserve. Bitterns The Eurasian Bittern, known by its scientific name Botaurus stellaris , is a large, stocky wading bird belonging to the heron family. Bitterns are renowned for their elusive nature and distinctive booming call, which can be heard during the breeding season. These birds prefer reed beds and wetlands, where their streaked brown plumage provides excellent camouflage among the reeds. In the UK, Bitterns were once on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss but have made a significant recovery thanks to extensive conservation efforts. As of recent estimates, there are approximately 200 booming males in the UK, suggesting a stable and growing population. 

We spent two half days at RSPB Bempton.  The cliffs were a fantastic spectacle of  courting and nesting birds, including Gannet, Guillemot, Razerbill, Puffin, Kittiwake, Herring Gull, Fulmar and Rock Doves. Locally they estimated over 300,000 birds were using the cliffs, with perhaps 3,000 Puffins. Gannet Gannets, specifically the Northern Gannet ( Morus bassanus ), are large seabirds found along the coasts of the UK. Known for their striking appearance, Gannets have a distinctive white plumage with black wingtips and a yellowish head. They possess long, pointed wings and a robust, streamlined body, adapted for high-speed diving to catch fish. Gannets are colonial breeders, forming large, noisy colonies on cliffs and rocky islands. The UK is home to several significant gannet colonies, notably on the islands of Bass Rock, St Kilda, and Ailsa Craig. As of the latest estimates, the total Gannet population in the UK is approximately 300,000 breeding pairs. This makes the UK one of t