Wednesday 8 May 2013

A first for Northumberland

Teatime and a quick check on the computer set the pulses racing,a 1st summer Collared Flycatcher had been reported at Low Newton near the Tin Church.Optics were thrown in the car and off we set hoping to get there before the crowds.When we arrived we found a group of about 20 people.The bird was soon located,in fact it was hard to miss it,as it flitted around catching insects on the ground and in the air.Eventually it settled down and began to preen,this gave us the chance to look at its plumage in detail,a smart black and white bird with a large white patch above the bill,a greyish white rump,brownish tinge to the primaries and the most important feature,a complete white collar.
What a superb little bird and a first for Northumberland.  

1 comment:

  1. Enjoyed an early morning visit today to see this superb little visitor darting back and forth from the gorse bushes. Fantastic!

    ReplyDelete