The biggest thrill I had from the 30 bird species seen over 40 years in my north London garden was when I saw a dazzling male pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca).
As with other hole-nesting species, it will use nest boxes and has even been recorded nesting underground in deserted mammalian abodes.
The female's contrasting camouflage plumage makes it 'a very dull little bird' – David Bannerman's description in his magisterial The Birds of the British Isles (1953-63).
Pied flycatchers migrate to Europe in summer from West Africa. The bird's UK stronghold is Wales; it frequents only western pockets in England and Scotland. It is not seen in the Isle of Man or Ireland.
Elsewhere in the UK, it is a bird of passage; hence my sighting in a Camden garden.…
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The Oldie (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025