Let me know when that tide's coming in won't you

Let me know when that tide's coming in won't you

Thursday 12 May 2016

Wheatear - Woodford

I kept checking and I kept checking, but there had been no sign of the returning Wheatears on my patch on all of my visits in April. I visited Old Hall Lane and its surrounding areas most evenings and at weekends hoping to catch up with them. No such luck. Lots has changed in the area that they used to visit (Woodford aerodrome). 950 houses are on their way and so there is a lot of disturbance with vehicles moving about and noise etc. A lot of the land still remains wild (for now), but I do have horrid thoughts that these may be the last times I will see these birds here. So I was desperate to keep up my search. If they were there I wanted to see them.

April came and went, and it wasn't until the 2nd of May that I finally managed to find one. A couple of weeks later than usual. It was on the golf course, looking superb. It was still there on the 5th and a little closer to the road. I do hope these aren't the last few pictures that I get of them on my patch, but I fear that this habitats days are numbered and that will probably mean fewer and fewer visits, if any, by these stunning Summer migrants in the years to come.

Insect picking on Old Hall Farm.


Perched on the fence between the airfield and the golf course.


11 comments:

  1. Great photos. Near my home are nesting 3 pairs of Wheatear. They are lively, little birds.

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  2. Hi Adam, so great to see these beautiful images of the Northern Wheatear. I saw my first (and only) Northern Wheatear in Kenya, East Africa! Have a great day. Jo

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  3. Marvellous little bird and shots. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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  4. Hello, it is great to see the birds returning to your patch! The Wheatear is a pretty bird. Great series of photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy weekend!

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  5. Hi Y'all!

    Beautiful bird.

    Y'all come on by,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

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  6. I'm glad they finally showed up, Adam. Such prettily marked bird!

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  7. Hello Adam!:) Great shots of one of my favourite birds. Their muted tones and upright stance is an attractive characteristic of these super little birds, and I hope you get to see more this year.:)

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  8. Beautiful photos, thank you for sharing them with us and for keeping up the search! : )

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  9. Lovely.
    Thank you for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2016/05/getting-ready-to-play.html

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  10. The lose of habitat is a huge problem for birds and other wildlife....sigh...Michelle

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