Tuesday, August 23, 2011

We’ll Wheat Again

OK I know it's a corny old post title and rather gives the game away that I am older than I look, but you try thinking of new post headers several times a week.

It’s been a week or two since more than ones and twos of Wheatears hung about in the usual Pilling location but this afternoon there were eight of them. Torn between photography or ringing I decided to have a shot at both, results below of catching an adult male and photographs of a bird I took to be an adult female. The immaculate, just moulted male had a wing length of 102mm, top of the range for the nominate race.

Wheatear

Wheatear

In total I spent an hour or two with the Wheatears in between sunny-day grockles chasing the birds back and forth along the sea wall, until eventually the birds came back to where I waited at their favoured spot. It was late afternoon and the sun was strong from the wrong direction making “noise” in the background of the images.

Wheatear

Birding wise I totted up 70 Teal, 1 Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 1 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron and 1 Peregrine. The warm day had brought in numbers of Swallows and I estimated 300+ over the fields and the shore. After a quiet couple of weeks for the finches their numbers had built up today with at least 70 Goldfinch and 45 Linnet.

Peregrine

Linnet

Let's hope for more news, a longer post and a better title from tomorrow's Another Bird Blog

4 comments:

grammie g said...

Hey Phil...yes I am still alive ...just barely though...if what ya got don't kill ya the side affects of the medications will : }}

Coming up with post names..I hear ya!!
Yours is a little corny,: }} but I have seem some strange ones that pails yours in comparison!!

So you had some sun..and I see a little complaint?? Be happy it is not liquid!!
Your first photo of the Wheateater
is very nice...seems more colorful then others I have seen posted!!

I'll try to get some suggestion on title for your post for you..."not"
I have a hard enough time with mine!!
Grace your USA friend : }}

Kay L. Davies said...

I like the blog title, Phil. Fret not. :o)
The wheatears are lovely but I've fallen in love again (I do that a lot with your birds) with that little linnet. What a precious face!
— K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Phil, I know what you mean about thinking up titles...but they always seem to work...The Wheatear images are divine!

I wonder...as I often do...could you sometime post images of the sea wall that you speak of as well as some of the other lovely places that you mention in your daily posts... I would love to see what your area where you do so much birding looks like, and I would imagine that others would enjoy it as well~ Thank you:)

Stuart Price said...

I used to love it when the Wheatears passed through Penwortham, I saw one a few years ago here in Japan (where it is very very rare), it wasn't the same......

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