Pied Flycatchers nest in our temperate rainforests: the oak woodlands typically found on the western side of England, Scotland and Wales. As well as birds that have bred or fledged in the UK this summer making their way south, we also see Pied Flycatchers migrating from Scandinavia to spend our winter in Africa.
Adult males are unmistakable in their black and white colours, but in autumn you are most likely to see birds in their first-winter plumage. These resemble adult females and are brown with black and white wings and tails. When the UK breeding Pied Flycatchers arrive in spring it’ll be around two weeks sooner than it would have been in the 1950s. They need to adapt to our changing climate as the caterpillars and other insects that they and their chicks depend on are emerging earlier in the spring.
This topic was chosen by Jo Hutchinson, member since 2014. “I have many fond memories of watching nesting pairs of Pied Flycatchers in Fingle Wood. They’re so hypnotic to watch as they loop back and forth in the forest canopy.”
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