Spotted Flycatchers on the Doorstep ! ...6th August

Today I decided to leave the car on the drive and immerse myself in my local patch . Starting at the crack of dawn, well 9am, it was all fairly birdless as I left the house. Eventually a few of the usual suspects began to show as the greener spaces appeared. The north side of my patch is my least favourite, and I check it out less often. This is largely because the farming on this side is much less wildlife friendly and large bits of it can be quite sterile at times compared to the south side. Of note early doors, despite the acres of boring pasture, a Yellowhammer called.
My attention was drawn to a large muck heap. It's amazing how many good birds they can turn up. Straight away a Chiffchaff flitted down from the adjacent trees onto the ground next to the pile, picked a snack and flitted back up.I then clocked another bird that came onto the muck pile..Spotted Flycatcher ! then another Spotted Fly ! This was fantastic, the first seen on my local patch this year, and  2 birds to boot! It was a bugger to get a record shot, as I was restricted as to where I could view them from, and the light was against.Still, there is no better feeling than finding quality birds on your own patch.

Spotted Flycatcher

The rest of the walk was enjoyable but unremarkable by comparison. After lunch I popped back to see if I could get a better image of the Spotted Fly..I couldn't as they were not showing, perhaps they knew it was about to tip it down. Jason K swung by to try and connect too, and as we undertook a short walk, a Hobby swooped over chasing House Martins. This was a local patch lifer for me, what a  memorable patch day  !