Natural Selection

If I’ve dropped Jane at the college and I’m heading to my office in town there are a few options for a stop for potential spring migrants en route. Over the years my standout favourite has become Gynn Gardens just off the Promenade by the famous Airfix roundabout. It probably isn’t the most popular with the birds, but the small scattered trees mean if something is there you’re generally likely to see it.

The Airfix roundabout from the Airfix website

I didn’t have much expectation on Monday morning, there was no news emanating from anywhere else in these parts and other visits hadn’t been productive. It was a surprise therefore to immediately pick up a Spotted Flycatcher. You can get these in Stanley Park with persistence at this time of year, it’s a better find in a smaller urban site. The picture above is one I took on Out Skerries, as I was camera-less on this occasion.

A Willow Warbler started singing adjacent to the Spot Fly. When it appeared in full view I was astonished how devoid of green and yellow its plumage was. I was aware that birds from further north and east of the acredula race could look like this. I was also aware that birds closer to home can also look like this. Either way it was easily the best candidate I have ever seen.

Yesterday Paul Ellis contacted me about a bird he had seen at Pilling Lane Ends. This was not a bird that had been there previously to Paul’s knowledge, another singing male he was struck by the grey head. Here is one of Paul’s shots from the Fylde Bird Club Flickr site.

And here, courtesy of Steve Garvie used with permission from Wikimedia Commons, is a more typical spring bird in these parts. Note the paler legs of the bird below as well as the brighter face and upperparts, the Gynn bird also had darker legs.

Whilst I fully accept that it’s not possible to be conclusive the fact that Paul and I have both seen these pale and clearly migrant birds independently so late in the season is a pointer to being from more northerly breeding grounds. They may not be acredula but either way it is interesting.

To complete the clear migrants in the gardens there was a Whitethroat. A couple of Swifts flew over, an increasingly precious sight. There were also the resident Greenfinches and Goldfinches to enjoy. I don’t like the term ‘grotspots’ for places like this because they aren’t grotty, but it does highlight that good birding can be had where you might not expect it.