Wheatear question.

[Chris Hammond]

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone could confirm a piece of bird behaviour? I think I saw a hen Wheatear earlier today. Would a Wheatear be likely to bob like a wagtail? Possibly if agitated or in warning mode?

Flying away from me this bird had a prominent white wedge on it's lower back quarters, and was a sort of plum/chestnut colour on it's upper back quarters. In profile it had a similar build and shape to that of a Yellow Wagtail, but from memory, around it's head and neck, was a fairly pale brown with a faint striation or eyebrow.

I originally spotted it on a pile of building rubble beside a country track and adjacent to open fields and stubble beteen stretches of low, sparce, mature hedgerow.

Regards Chris

[aeshna5]

Wheatears do habitually bob as you describe, especially if agitated by a person or potential predator. With raptors they tend to freeze on the ground.

[Chris Hammond]

Thanks Aeshna,

I've seen the same bird this morning about two miles from where I saw it/the last one before. It definitely appears to have many of the characteristics of a Wheatear, but it had a thin white bar on the outer edge of it's folded wing, which doesn't appear in any of my bird books.

I'm still a little uncertain to be honest, even though I watched it through bins today, and only from a distance of ten metres or so. The white on it's lower back is shown in the books as a 'T' shaped patch on it's actual tail. I cant be absolutely certain, but I got the impression it was more a case of it's lower back, or rump, rather than it's tail, that had the white on it. Unfortunately this white is only really visible as it flys away from me, and I've been unable to establish if it has the characterstic 'T' shape that the wheatear does.

One cast iron observation that I did make today was in it's flight style. It flew quite a distance over the heathland keeping about four feet from the ground and moving in a series of short undulating hops. Similar to a goldfinch, only with much more frequent and briefer undulations.

I'm going to have another look tommorrow morning and see if I can get an ID snap. It should be easy to tog, as the bird seems to be unusually human tolerant, and allows me to get quite close before flying off a short distance.

Regards Chris

[Kev-B]

Hi Chris ..

If its of any help the prominent white rump is from where the bird derives its name .. originally (in Anglo Saxon) .. Hwitars or Hwitears .. "White A**e" ... which would indicate the rump, as opposed to the tail ..

Bye for now ..

Kev ..

[galanthus]

Originally Posted by Kev-B

Hi Chris ..

If its of any help the prominent white rump is from where the bird derives its name .. originally (in Anglo Saxon) .. Hwitars or Hwitears .. "White A**e" ... which would indicate the rump, as opposed to the tail ..

Bye for now ..

Kev ..

Wow, how facinating is that

[Kittiwake]

Originally Posted by Chris Hammond

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone could confirm a piece of bird behaviour? I think I saw a hen Wheatear earlier today. Would a Wheatear be likely to bob like a wagtail? Possibly if agitated or in warning mode?

Flying away from me this bird had a prominent white wedge on it's lower back quarters, and was a sort of plum/chestnut colour on it's upper back quarters. In profile it had a similar build and shape to that of a Yellow Wagtail, but from memory, around it's head and neck, was a fairly pale brown with a faint striation or eyebrow.

I originally spotted it on a pile of building rubble beside a country track and adjacent to open fields and stubble beteen stretches of low, sparce, mature hedgerow.

Regards Chris

I had a very similar question yesterday - see here.

[Chris Hammond]

Thanks everyone for the help. I feel pretty confident that they were wheatears now. Would the male have lost that blue head at this time of year? Only both birds were brown around the head, and it seems unusual to only see the females.

I have seen a male in a small flock pointed out to me by the warden whilst I was working at Wicken Fen many years ago, but only with my bare eyes, so these are a quite new experience.

Regards Chris