As well as being one of the most photogenic of British bird species, Stonechats can be one of the most tame and entertaining, as proved by this family on the Filey cliff path last week....
In admirably close attendance with two errant just-out-of-the-nest juveniles, a particularly sharp-dressed adult male shephered his unruly young away from passing dogs and humans with great skill, and soon started to ignore me after I sat down in the grass nearby.
Until the last few years Stonechats have been a rare breeder in the northern coastal area at Filey, but have done well of late, with two families successfully fledging young there this spring.
