A tale of two Flycatchers

After another dose of car woe, I was eager to get out and test drive the bleeder on Friday afternoon.

I opted for a blast down the ’55 to Northop and then for a little tootle to a lovely little SSSI at Maes y Grug via Soughton Hall.

The grounds of Soughton Hall have been grabbing my attention of late, especially as a Little Owl was seen in the area recently.

As my local one has done a vanishing act, I am keen to catch-up with a Flintshire resident this year, plus the area also looks good for another scarce bird locally: Green Woodpecker.

Things seldom go to plan, and I saw neither, but was compensated with stunning views of a Spotted Flycatcher at the horse paddocks.

Sadly, most of the area has been given over to the incalculably pointless artisan pursuit of golf (you now I’m right KD!), but there are pockets of tall mature trees surrounded by rough grassland that do offer potential.

Equally pleasing was the small Maey y Grug nature reserve north of Alltami. There is some excellent habitat hear and I enjoyed a not too common spectacle nowadays – Swifts, Swallows and both Martins hawking insects from the surface of the pool.

Whilst idling away the late afternoon I also noticed that I was sitting slap bang next to a spider’s nest containing hundreds of the tiny women-worriers.

Until later.