Lizard- Red-breasted Flycatcher and more!

My friend Calum and I decided to get up early and head down the Lizard. We arrived shortly after sunrise, but things started slow with very unsuccessful look around Kynance Cove. Driving back along Kynance Road a Merlin shot pass, a little better perhaps? We parked in the village, watched a Wheatear on the village green, then proceeded on foot. First a short walk up the Kynance Road bridleway. From here a Peregrine flew over the village, 5 Siskin flew south west and also a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the telegraph pole, with the latter being quite difficult to catch up with, this south on the Lizard. We then carried on and got to Church Cove. Covering the Churchyard I couldn't see a lot, apart from the odd Chiffchaff, so we tried the lane to Bass Point. Shortly after walking through the farmyard, Calum got onto a warbler in the brambles. He was pretty sure it was a garden but views were brief. Oddly, whilst Calum was following his Garden Warbler, I looked into another bramble bush and out popped another Garden Warbler, 2 together on quite a late date! Elsewhere things went quite again with a Goldcrest and a few Chiffchaffs in the tamarisks around the youth hostel being the only birds of note. Back in the village we bumped into George and Ilya. We stopped for a while in the café for a slice of cake whilst all manner of thunder, hail and heavy rain raged on outside. Luckily a break in the clouds soon came and we were able to get out again. Ilya and George went off the have a look at Church Cove, whilst Calum and I tried the Old Lizard head and Caerthillian Cove. For us things were really quite with only a few Meadow Pipits and about 10 Skylarks moving overhead. To make matters worse another heavy shower came storming through and soaked us to the skin! We walked back to the car to get some shelter and we were ready to call it a day, but I couldn't resist another look at Church Cove, just in case Ilya and George had found something good. Not wanting to walk, I drove down instead. Pulling up in the car park I saw George watching something. Hoping it was a Yellow-browed, which would be a new for Calum, we made our way over. However, I had a feeling what ever they were looking at was little better than just a Yellow-browed. Whilst discussing the possibilities with Calum, Ilya met us and said he found a Red-breasted Flycatcher!! We ran over to meet George and soon got the fantastic RB Flycatcher in view. Having just got signal and I could see a text from George saying, "RB Fly in Church Cove". It was purely luck that we decided to go back to Church Cove, and I'm so glad we did. A new bird for both me and Calum. Back to the bird. the pale fringes to the tertials, a faint wingbar and a buffish breast point to it being a 1st winter. It showed really well in the plantation and would sit happily on a bare branch for up to 30 seconds at a time, offering great views. It called a few times too, a repeated ticking, similar to that of a Wren. As the day went on it became more mobile, seemingly doing circuits of the plantation and would go missing for quite a while. Spurred on by the flycatcher, we had another look around the village, but with little success, just a female Blackcap. A frustrating short view of what looked like a Yellow-browed in Church Cove marked the end of another fantastic day on the Lizard.

Red-breasted Flycatcher