Monday, 29 April 2013

Migrating Wheatear.

During an unplanned visit to Witley Common last week I had faint hopes of catching up with a displaying Tree Pipit .......


.... but instead a female Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) provided a welcome distraction. I initially spotted her feeding on insects about a 100 yards away on open heathland with nowhere for me to gain any cover.


Fortunately the breeze was in my favour and she decided to take a rest on a nearby tree stump ... so the next question was how to get closer. I immediately laid down and adopted a very slow crawl towards the stump ... praying that she wouldn't fly away. 
  
This species of thrush winters in Africa and visits the UK between March and October to breed, usually on upland moorland terrain with grass fields and rock outcrops. Sighting in Surrey are therefore during their Spring and Autumn migration when they stop off to feed and rest during their very lengthy journeys.

Eventually she looked me straight in the eye before turning her back on me ... typical female!

Let's hope she finds her mate and successfully breeds before returning safely back to Africa in the Autumn.  FAB.

Linking to  WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.
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23 comments:

  1. TexWisGirl29 April 2013 at 23:58

    love her soft colors and understated beauty. :)

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  2. Red30 April 2013 at 03:09

    Good to see you post again. Yes, a good shot takes lots of patience and skill.

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  3. Montanagirl30 April 2013 at 05:07

    Beautiful series of photos of her! A great find for you.

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  4. eileeninmd30 April 2013 at 10:03

    Your female Wheatear is a beauty! Lovely photos!

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  5. Karen30 April 2013 at 17:39

    She's a beauty! Excellent shots, well worth the crawl.

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  6. holdingmoments30 April 2013 at 17:51

    Great set Frank.
    Hope you managed to get up OK after lol

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  7. EG CameraGirl30 April 2013 at 18:15

    Congrats! Your crawling worked and you got super photos.

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  8. Sallie (FullTime-Life)30 April 2013 at 18:55

    What a darling bird she is. I probably wouldn't get up after crawling...but maybe one of my neighbors would help. Some of them would worry about me. One old guy has asked me what on earth I'm taking a picture of when I'm aiming at a bird or the sky. When I tell him, he looks at me like he's never heard of either. (I am never going to get old ;>))!

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  9. FOREST SNAPPER30 April 2013 at 20:28

    you have done well creeping up on this bird ..great shots.

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  10. mick30 April 2013 at 20:48

    Great photos of a beautiful bird. I hope the grass was dry for you to crawl over!

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  11. theconstantwalker30 April 2013 at 21:02

    Lovely birds top see Frank... superb images.

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  12. HansHB30 April 2013 at 21:47

    A lovely serie of photos!

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  13. thewovenspoke1 May 2013 at 03:33

    Absolutely wonderful captures of a very pretty little bird.

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  14. Vores have1 May 2013 at 06:46

    Great image series you show. Thanks for the comment on my blog :) Hanne Bente

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  15. Jenny1 May 2013 at 09:38

    Wheatears are so obliging arn't they! (-: Well done for having the patience. Lovely to see you posting again Frank.

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  16. Ana Mínguez Corella1 May 2013 at 09:51

    Hi Frank!!!.. Love these birds.. Beautiful pictures. Cheers!!!..

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  17. Unknown1 May 2013 at 18:08

    She's beautiful!

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  18. Stewart M2 May 2013 at 08:38

    Splendid little bird - use to see lots of these in the Lakes - not any more!

    My wagtails really are very aggressive for their size!

    Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW.

    Stewart M - Melbourne

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  19. Mary Howell Cromer2 May 2013 at 12:28

    Frank, I had my first giggle, trying to imagine that low crawl, but whoosh, these images were certainly worth effort. beautiful images of this gorgeous bird. I always enjoy seeing them in UK images~

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  20. Unknown3 May 2013 at 07:10

    Great set of Wheatear images.

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  21. Wally Jones4 May 2013 at 16:38

    Well, if you can't see a Tree Pipit, a Wheatear is a nice consolation prize! Good job on working close to get these really nice images!

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  22. Chris7 May 2013 at 18:41

    Hi Frank,
    They are just arriving around here and I still did not manage to see one. You got wonderful shots of it. Well done and welcome back ;-)

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  23. FAB7 May 2013 at 23:11

    Thanks for all your appreciative comments. Now if only all the other migrants were so co-operative!

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I hope you enjoyed your visit and I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

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