WATCHING SOME SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS FLEDGE.

Sorry about this but more Spotted Flycatcher shots which I didn't plan on doing having posted so many recently.They are however one of my favourite birds and this Summer have been the only decent bird I've caught up with.So when on Wednesday morning my friend and top photographer Kath Everitt told me she had found a pair nesting in an unusual place on the wall of a village church a few miles south of Nuneaton I was unable to resist driving over. 

Got there mid morning and Kath pointed out where they were nesting.It was in the framework of a very old stone church window.I would never have found the nest I would not have checked that place.There were 4 chicks in the nest.

Didn't take many shots of the adults I was just happy to watch them feeding the chicks.

On Thursday morning I thought I'd nip over there again to see if they were going to fledge.It looked like they were ready on Wednesday.Got there at 9.30 AM and soon noted that all 4 chicks were still in the nest.

I noted that the adults weren't going to the nest with food but stayed in a nearby tree approx. 6m away.When they did go to the nest they did not feed the chicks so I assumed they were trying to lure them out.

At 9.55 AM Nr.1 chick got brave and started wing flapping out of the nest on the ledge.

It chickened out and went back to the nest.At 10.08 AM it tried again and ventured out onto the ledge again with much wing flapping.

It did not fly to the tree where the adults were calling out to it but fluttered to the church wall and hung on there for a few seconds before fluttering up to the tree.You can see it looking up to them.

This left 3 chicks left.

Nr 2 soon got brave and at 10.13 AM fluttered straight off from the nest up to the tree.No messing about here.

This left 2 chicks.They stayed quite a while despite the parents calling to them frequently but at 10.38 AM Nr. 3 took off and fluttered up to the tree.

Only one left now and this one did lots of wing flapping on the ledge all the time looking up to the adults in the tree.It finally flew up to the tree at 10.44 AM

   I was so lucky to have been there when they fledged great to watch.After all the chicks fledged and joined the adults they couldn't be seen although I heard lots of calling but I'm blowed if I could see them.