August Wheat

The weekend was very windy with almost northerly gales at times and frequent bouts of rain. So I waited until Monday lunch time before a spot of birding along the sea wall at Pilling, perhaps not the best choice as the tide was out and it was still windy. There are very few birds to report except that I did catch my first two Wheatears of this autumn. 

Buzzards were at Fluke Hall again, two feeding in the potato field where they pick through the recently harvested earth and the remaining crop for earthworms and such like. I’d hardly set foot along the sea wall before the Buzzards saw me coming and headed off out of sight. Later there was another Buzzard at Pilling Water which flew towards Fluke Hall, so possibly number three. 

The Buzzards gave way to a Kestrel which hovered above the sea wall for a while until it too flew to the south of the woodland, and later a definite second Kestrel, this one flying back towards Damside. 

Kestrel

Along Pilling Water, 2 Grey Heron, and out on the marsh 3 Little Egret. Passerines were few and far in the still strong wind with a smattering of Linnets maybe 20 in total, 7 Goldfinch, 1 Pied Wagtail, and 20+ Tree Sparrows at Fluke Hall. 

At Piling Water were 3 Wheatears, an adult and 2 juveniles, the juveniles sticking together but the adult some way off. Of two birds caught one was an adult female still in post-breeding moult, the other was one of the two juveniles. The adult had a wing length of 93mm and a weight of 24.1 grams so a nominate Oenanthe oenanthe. The noticeable bulkier juvenile weighed 28.9 grams with a wing chord of 99mm, and therefore a possible leucorhoa “Greenland“ type. 

Wheatear

Wheatear - adult post-breeding moult

Wheatear - adult female

Wheatear - juvenile

Wheatear - juvenile

Wheatear - juvenile

 There more of August very soon with Another Bird Blog. In the meantime I'm linging to Stewart's World Bird Wednesday.