The bird’s nest wasn’t a Robin after all but a spotted fly catcher’s. Here she is sitting on her eggs. However she leaves periodically presumably to find food and water so it seems she is on her own and that her partner has been injured or worse. So it is unlikely her eggs will hatch as they aren’t being adequately incubated. If they do we’ve been advised to put up a short curtain of chicken wire or similar to impede the flight of a predator like the sparrow hawk that is a regular visitor to our garden, but I’m not sure it will deter the woodpecker. 😑 No wonder this species is on the amber list.
I’ll let you know what happens.
Hoping you are all keeping as well as can be expected. 🙏🏻🤗😘xx
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Spotty-ewe
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I haven’t seen one before either Cecily. Why they chose to build a nest with such an open aspect is beyond me. They must have done it while we were away for a couple of days to Strathpeffer and Aviemore and back via Pitlochry where I found the funny sign. But we have never seen a second bird so we assume she is on her own and having to fend for herself as well as incubate her eggs. She so deserves to succeed 🙏🏻, she’s trying her very best. We are only visiting the shed twice per day to take out all the tools etc we think we need and open the windows wide in this heat, and then at night to return them again. She’s getting used to us and allows us to get quite close before she flies off and she returns very quickly once we’ve done what we have to do. But I’m not weeding borders near to the shed in case it bothers her. Any excuse!!😂😂
You are so caring, she has the best chance with you on her side. I will be awaiting more news and hoping that it is positive. So lovely for us all to be able to share it with you. Thank you xxx
Thank you for your very kind words Cecily. We will try our very best for her and pray she has all the luck in the world because she so deserves it! So I’ll keep you posted on how things go. Hoping it has cooled a little down your way Cecily. Still wall to wall sunshine here but a cool stiff breeze today so more bearable. 👍🏻👍🏻 xxx
Lovely spotty that it's a flycatchers nest but sorry she's a single mum or dad. I don't know the bird either but do so hope they successfully fledge!. Wonderful news and looking forward to next instalment of the nest!. Will keep 👌🏻for them . Xx
Yes, it is a huge undertaking for the poor soul to try to incubate the eggs without support from her partner. My heart goes out to her and I wish there was something I could do to help her. If the eggs hatch we’ll put up the short curtain of chicken wire or weighted netting to deter predators and hope for the best. Thanks for keeping your fingers crossed for her Misty, she’ll need all the luck she can get. Love and hugs. 🤗😘xx
Its wonderful spotty how you are helping her so much and working so hard to give her the right conditions to successfully fledge her young. Its so very special.
🤞 you all make it and i look forward to the next installment of Nestwatch. Keep safe. Luckily its cooler and cloudier here , i hope it is for you. Xx
Aww, thank you Misty. It is the least we can do when the wildlife we have in the garden brings us so much pleasure and joy. They can cause a bit of worry mind you, like the dunnocks and the wrens last year and now this wee lady who hasn’t chosen the best site for her nest. But we can only hope and pray for a successful outcome and help in any way we can. Haha, Nestwatch! I love it. I’ll definitely keep you posted.
Still wall to wall sunshine here and very warm out of the cool breeze. But that breeze has made it much more pleasant.
Any sign of your hedgehogs recently? I hope they are thriving. Take care Misty. 🤗😘xx
Wow, what a treat! A really charismatic bird. I used to see them a lot when I was a lad, but like so many species, their numbers have crashed in recent years, and they are on the Red List now. Good luck, Spottie x
This is my first known encounter with a spotted flycatcher but she is lovely. 😍 We try not to disturb her but when we really have to go to the shed she now allows us to get quite close before flying off. I am so sorry to hear they are now on the red list. ☹️ I’ll pray all the harder that she is successful but she’s running out of time as I understand they migrate in August/September. Where did you see them when growing up Whisperit? It must have been wonderful to see them regularly. 🥰 I hope they don’t become a fond memory alone and that their numbers begin to rise again. 🙏🏻 Hoping you are keeping ok. 🤗
How wonderful, I had wondered about the eggs that were laid in there - I’ve never seen or heard of one of these birds before - fingers crossed that they will hatch out, poor mummy bird to have lost her hubby xx
Yes, poor Mummy has an uphill struggle on her own. I pray she succeeds too as she really deserves to but she is running out of time as this visitor leaves us again in August/September to return to Africa. I’m also praying the woodpecker doesn’t discover her eggs when she’s away feeding herself. 🙏🏻Lovely to hear from you SV. You are still in my prayers.🙏🏻 Hugs 🤗😘xx
They are quiet birds that folk can have in their gardens and not know. I have never seen one so would love to catch a sighting. All I know is they sit bolt upright and have a favorite post they return to. They also return the same nest site year after year...Bless - a wonderful picture. .
Aww, what a lovely thought that she might return next year to nest SC. I hope she chooses a better site in our garden though as this ornamental bird feeder is a little vulnerable. Woodpeckers trashed a wasps nest in one of the coconuts right next to this wee bird feeder last year (not that I was too upset about that) and the sparrow hawk flies through regularly. I have heard they sit bolt upright too when keeping an eye open for insects flying by but of course I haven’t witnessed that either. I feel privileged that she has chosen our garden to nest in and I’m praying for a positive outcome. So pleased you liked the photo SC. Take care. Xx
Your ornamental bird feeder is wonderful. I think your flycatcher has very good taste, and is probably feeling very proud to have found such a lovely nest site... I would if I was a flycatcher nesting there🙂
Haha, she does look very attractive and snug in that bird feeder doesn’t she. 😍 I’m just worried she or her eggs/chicks might come to harm in such a vulnerable position. Thanks for the compliment SC I’m sure she would be very proud if she knew what you’ve said. 👍🏻👍🏻😁 xx
Great photo & bird...so sad to think this bird has no partner & under threat of attack 😕 Our sparrowhawk/pregrine were terrible around our feeders & their so fast...we tried to steak out willow to see if we could slow them down, but they are so manoeuvrable.... Thanks for sharing, didn't realise woodpecker could be problematic...ml
Sorry to hear you have a sparrowhawk and peregrine terrorising the birds at the feeders too. We have shrubs very close to our feeders so luckily the little birds fly into them at the first sign of the sparrowhawk doing the rounds. It did manage to grab our male woodpecker however and hubby threw open our kitchen window and yelled at it so it dropped the woodpecker which fled into the undergrowth at the side of our wee burn. I didn’t know woodpeckers were predators either until I saw a programme showing them eating the young of birds that nest in crevices of old trees. That put me off them a bit, but not entirely. They are still beautiful birds. But I think I’d go right off them if they messed with Mrs Flycatcher’s nest especially as she’s an endangered species. We’ll see if the eggs hatch first 🙏🏻 and then we’ll hatch a plan to help her. 😉😁 Take care Maggie. 🤗😘xx
Hi SC, Lovely to hear from you. Yes the nest is dry and we didn’t get the bad weather the southern end of the country seems to have had. It hasn’t even rained heavily, infact not at all here (near Dumfries) until this afternoon when a wee spit has started and it is very overcast. Mrs Flycatcher is still sitting tight and I hope I am right in that I saw a bird fly down from the direction of the nest yesterday and assumed it was her, but when I walked towards the shed to get something out of it she was still there. So does she have a partner after all? If so, I don’t know why she was leaving her nest for short periods during the hot weather - maybe too hot? Luckily our shed has an overhanging roof above the door and the ornamental bird feeder is tucked nicely under that. Even when the wind got up a couple of days ago it didn’t swing or move a millimetre as far as we could make out. So there’s still a chance of a family appearing, but if it isn’t very soon it will be too late for their migration at the end of August. Thanks for asking SC. I hope you are keeping ok? I’m going to knuckle down to reading over my application form for PIP shortly and reading any supporting notes from Lupus UK. Enjoy your day SC.
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