The Pied Flycatcher, as the name suggests, is a black and white bird. The female, like many female birds is more brown in colour, and hence more difficult to spot. They are found in woodland, usually oaks, and can be quite elusive. They do however have a lovely song, and can be recognised from a distance even if you can't see them. I was lucky on this occasion to both hear and see several at Wallington.
Flycatchers, as their name suggests, catch flies and other insects in flight. They fly out, catch an insect, and then fly back, often to the same branch. Pied Flycatchers also ground feed.
The one below is a female, she is a much paler brown. I found her a few weeks after my initial sighting, along with a male, both catching flies over the river.
