After a wonderful day's birding here at Filey yesterday (see here), today reverted to recent type, with dark skies, moderate north-easterlies and showers. With the opportunity to nip through to Flamborough and a certain black and white Ficedula having hung around, we arrived at South Landing around midday and found the bird performing admirably along the eastern side of the gulley (in exactly the same area favoured by the Taiga Flycatcher a few years back).
A blaze of gleaming white and deep, velvet black, it proved to be one of those birds which is so good to watch it almost didn't matter what it is or isn't as it hawked insects from hawthorns and low sycamores. With DNA results awaited within the week and speculation rife, it seemed surprising to find only a couple of dozen admirers at any given time lining the track. Still, it made for a more pleasant and relaxed experience all round, especially on the top path, where just a few of us enjoyed a stake out with excellent close-up results.
A quality bird, and big thanks (yet again) to Rich - Flamborough really is such a better place for birds and birders these days.
