Worcestershire 2010

John Clarke: The breeding biology of Spotted Flycatchers Muscicapa striata in South Worcestershire
Worcestershire Record 29 (November 2010) 34-47

This is the formal write-up of John Clarke’s eight years of research on Flycatchers breeding in village gardens. Clarke coordinated a quite extraordinary example of citizen science, with an enthusiastic band of helpers (the Flycatcher Gang) making hundreds of site visits a year across nine villages.

The fuller story, packed with careful science and amusing anecdotes, is told in Clarke’s enchanting little book:

The Spotted What?
Plum Tree Publishing 2005

Out of print, but second-hand copies can often be inexpensively found on Amazon.