Male Wheatear by Mark Elvin                                                Female Wheatear by Colin Wilson

Bird of Month - Wheatear

This bird breeds mainly in the uplands of Britain as well as much of Northern Europe but at passage times such as September we get a large number passing through. My experience in the Valley has turned these birds up in all sorts of places but the Swallowfield area has been the best, often on fence posts by meadows, following the Valley south.

Short turf is their favoured habitat for feeding and sheep- and rabbit-grazed ground seems much favoured. This species was once quite a common breeder in the south but habitat changes, they often use rabbit burrows for nests, led to the population becoming centred in uplands. Their food is primarily insects but they may supplement using berries. They forage by running on the ground or using low perches, this latter method is more likely in our area where short turf is at a premium.

Wheatears are attractive birds, about the same size as a Great Tit, the male and females are quite distinctive and the males seem to predominate in the spring passage. In autumn the moulting males are more difficult to identify being much more like the females so many more records of Wheatears at this time seem to refer to females and juveniles than males.

The Wheatear is a conspicuous bird, rather like the Stonechat it sits up on a prominent spot, so keep your eyes open while you are walking in the Valley and you have a good chance of seeing one in the more open areas.

Colin Wilson

Bird Report Editor & Records Co-ordinator, Reading Ornithological Club. www.theroc.org.uk

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