Wheatear

I’m flushing Wheaters with every walk and drive on Westray. There isn’t a path or a road which doesn’t have a wary bird on it, ready to fly just far enough away so that it will have to repeat the whole rigmarole again in a few seconds time.

They are so tricky to get close to:

Wheatears – nothing to do with wheat, ears or even ears of wheat

I’ve had fun watching an adult feeding its chick in a nest in a 5,000 year old house here. I didn’t want to get close to it though. Hungry chicks shouldn’t have their dinner delayed.

Wheatears in the new stone age

I tried getting close to one last year, and almost succeeded with a fluffy juvenile:

And a little bit closer:

And closer still:

This year? Still as far away as ever.

Maybe next year?