WESTERN ISLES

Wheatear - Isle of Harris
Ref 80011

This lovely wheatear perched so prettily on the moorland. The wheatear belongs to the chats and thrushes family. They can be seen in Britain from March to October

A wheatear seen - Is;e of Harris.. Wheatears can occur on passage almost anywhere but breeding occurs largely in the north and west,

The wheatears song is an almost lark like warble but much shorter and can be a little creaky and wheezy. This little bird occurs on all islands as well as some of the mainland.

Female Wheatear - Huisinis Road
Apr 2009 - Ref:2008

Wheatear - Tolsta
May 2010- Ref:2008c

Northern Wheatears spend the winter in Africa south of the Sahara in dry, open grassy places, and when they return to the British Isles, they prefer to breed in open areas with very sparse vegetation, such as moorland, downland and mountainsides. .

Wheatears are a bit bigger than a robin - the female wheatear is duller, brownish above and paler below, with a buffish wash on the breast. Outside of the breeding season the male loses his distinctive markings and looks more like the female.

The male wheatear has a crown and back pale grey, pale stripe over eye, sides of head black , underparts, throat and breast creamy coloured, rump and base of tail white - female and youngish brownish cream.

A Wheatear at Garry - Isle of Lewis - Western Isles Birds Sightings. Wheatear is a corruption of the words 'white' and 'rear'

This lovely female wheatear is so pretty. A hole nester it frequents open ground with short vegetation and scatter stones or rocks.bIt is one of the earliest summer visiting birds to arrive.

There is only one species of wheatear that breeds in Britain and Ireland. When the wheatear flies you will see that it has a white rump which gives this bird its name.

Once in flight both the male and female wheatear reveal the bright white rump from which the bird gets its name (not actually to do with crops of wheat as you would suspect) but derived from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'white-arse'!

This lovely little wheatear just stood there waiting for me to photograph the wheatear is an attractive member of the thrush family. Wheatears chiefly nest in holes in the ground but prefer rabbit nurseries, but will also nest in holes in walls, under rocks and in mountain screes.

Another wheatear - seen after crossing "The Bridge to Nowhere" at Garry - June 2009

A lovely wheatear chick see at Huisinis - Isle of Harris July 2009.

This lovely little wheatear chick was spotted on the cliff tops moorland at the top of Garry Beach - Isle of Lewis - July 2009.

This lovely wheatear perched so prettily on this rock made quite a picture. The wheatear belongs to the chats and thrushes family. They can be seen in Britain from March to October

Wheatears
Ref 8001

A Wheatear is a small mainly ground-dwelling bird. It hops or runs on the ground. It is blue-grey above with black wings and white below with an orange flush to the breast and has a black cheek. Seen April 28th 2009

This picture of a wheatear shows the lovely markings on its rear. Wheatears can occur on passage almost anywhere but breeding occurs largely in the north and west,

A Juvenile wheatear at Mangersta beach - Western Isles - July 2009

Wheatears
Ref 8001

A wheatear seen near Vhaltos. . Wheatears can occur on passage almost anywhere but breeding occurs largely in the north and west,

The wheatears song is an almost lark like warble but much shorter and can be a little creaky and wheezy. This little bird occurs on all islands as well as some of the mainland.

The juvenile wheatears look so different from the adult birds.