A very late departing Northern Wheatear or something else.
On a cold windy beach in North Wales the finder of this bird certainly made the right choice when he questioned weather it should actualy be here at this time of year or weather it should actually be here.... at all.
Anyway A Desert Wheatear it is!
The Desert Wheatear would normally be migrating from somewhere in western Asia or the Middle East to Saudi Arabia or Africa. How she ended up here could be due to a number of factors: Some say Global warming is having an effect on birds moving even further northwards and out of their normal locations as it slowly gets warmer, some 50 plus birds are seen on our shores each year which is 10 times more than 20 years ago. The probable factor for this individual is that she may have been blown off course in the recent bad storms that have enveloped large parts of the world and ended up 3000 miles away here on a sandy beach.
with a very inquisitive bird like this I am glad I made the effort to record my
221st UK bird and 776th world bird
She was certainly Lively and was happy to feed close by. Dog walkers and loose dogs didnt even disturb her as she kept returning to the same stretch of beach give stunning poses like these.
Cameras at the ready...... A happy band of Twitchers!
She may try to get back a little nearer home, possibly southern spain, whatever happens I hope our winter is kind to her if she doesnt move on soon.
28 comments:
What a sweet little bird. She does look a little chilly. I hope she survives the winter.
What a beauty and kind of sad. Too bad someone could not take her in for the winter, but guess that would never work...I feel that she is going to have a dreadful harsh life this winter, if she decides to stay...maybe she can gather strength from those that fill and use bird feeders~
Hopefully the bird will be okay, but either way...nice find!
Nice bird (and nice pictures) - I would have thought the number of people out there looking for birds must have an impact on the number of rarities spotted as well.
Stewart M - Melbourne
thanks all.
Yes Stewart you have a point, also add the media coverage supporting birds and wildlife, the communications that pass this info around quickly, the competative edge of the listers that are activly out looking for rarities etc
Nice bird. I chased after and errant Northern Wheatear in Everglades National Park. I got much poorer views!
That Rhyl shoreline looks a bit like the desert Dave. Pity about the temperatures at the moment. You got some great shots.
Great shots of this little beauty, Dave.
gorgeous shots of this little beauty. I did see this species in Moroccan desert last week. But not this close of course. I hope she make it back home.
such an adorable little bird! :)
Great shots!
Nice bird.
How exciting to add such a pretty little bird to your list. It is strange to find birds far away from their normal range.
Lovely bird!! Wonderful captures!
Great close ups Dave. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Great serie of photos, - I appreciate your post!
My compliments for your splendid photos! I hope this little one will manage the Winter up here in the north.
Thanks for your comment! :)
Greetings Pia
A beautiful little bird and great to add to your records.
Cute birds and great shots!
A new one for me. Never seen this here. Great shots.
Nice pictures showing a cute little bird.
Thanks for the comment on my blog :)
Hanne Bente
What a gorgeous little bird, Dave!! And congratulations on another bird to add to your impressive list!
Beautiful shots of the bird.
So glad I enlarged these images. Such a lovely little bird! Sad to think she might be all alone without others of her kind. I hope she finds her way.
You have quite the list of bird sightings - awesome!
Thanks for your comment about my header. Home really is just Round The Bend on that road. :)
What a lovely little bird! Subtle but beautiful colouring. Congrats on your new bird
Love the photos of this little guy! Congrats on you growing list of sightings :)
I scrolled down the page and, as usual, I am really impressed with all your shots, Dave.
Really nice images of the Wheatear! Good work on your lists!
he's a cutie, great shots!
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