I'm glad my information has proven to be incorrect. Unfortunately there are a lot of people these days with cameras who think of the 'shot' more than the birds welfare. With the advent of digital cameras and large lenses at reasonable prices this is becoming more prevalent. I have a digital DSLR but consider myself a birder first and foremost rather than a photographer.
A cracking bird and a British 'sex' tick for me as previous ones have been autumn juvenile / female types.
Just to say that there will be an article in the Manchester Evg News about the Desert Wheatear tomorrow (Tuesday) with phots. Incidentally in BWP it says - when flushed, the bird flies off a considerable distance, landing behind a stone or a plant! So maybe we should have looked a bit further afield on Friday! As Graham says, it is a nocturnal migrant, but Friday evg was fine so it probably went then.
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Judith Smith
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Lightshaw hall Flash is sacrosanct - NO paths please!
I was watching the Wheatear when it flew off and I can confirm that the bird was not flushed. It was feeding very well right up to 10.45 when it then took flight, gained height and headed off south.
Two people with cameras did enter the ditch next to field at around 11.00 (which they shouldn't have done), but the Wheatear had disappeared 15 minutes before these guys did this.
Admittedly I was surprised that a passerine which would generally migrate at night would decide to move off in such a way especially when it was obvious that it was feeding up very well in the newly ploughed field. But nobody flushed the bird, nobody entered the field, and quite simply the bird went of its own accord.
Ian McKerchar wrote: It appears that nobody was anywhere near the Wheatear when it flew off (and wasn't seen again), it just decided to go, as they sometimes do
Hi all. The quote above was from Steve Young who was at the Desert Wheatear site after I left. It was in response to my request on Surfbirds that the perpetraters be named and shamed. Steve posted a picture captioned and addressed to me stating the bird hadn't been flushed but had just decided to fly off.mI had a phone call at 11.00ish from an irate Welsh birder who'd got to the site and spent 10 minutes watching the bird before two photographers entered the field. It flew off immediately. I have also been told this by at least two other people present on site.
I'm afraid I bleive the version of events I was told.
I'm also told Steve wasn't the photographer in question just to put the record straight.
Ian and I think it's well worth having a look for this wheatear tomorrow. Both times it disappeared (today and yesterday late afternoon) coincided with an increase in the wind and drop in temperature. We think they are night migrants so, if it stays tonight, may be active early morning, before the wind gets up. I'm going to look along New Moss Rd at Cadishead as it appeared to fly in that direction - plenty of habitat there - but Roscoe Rd and Astley Rd worth a visit. And there's always the Short-eared Owls at Ringing Pits!
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Judith Smith
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Lightshaw hall Flash is sacrosanct - NO paths please!
"Some excellent photos were obtained by a number of photographers and hopefully the best of these will be on the cover of the 2007 county bird report!"
Unless someone finds something rarer that's as photogenic of course
The Desert Wheatear was last seen about 1045hrs when it flew high out of the field where it had been feeding and was lost to view. As far as I am aware (1500hrs) it hasn't been relocated since? Some excellent photos were obtained by a number of photographers and hopefully the best of these will be on the cover of the 2007 county bird report!
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Judith Smith
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Lightshaw hall Flash is sacrosanct - NO paths please!
got to site 6.15 this morning and it was showing well just on the road up to the farm house .. indeed great find by the farmer makes up for dipping great spotted cuckoo yesterday and on local turf ..
btw .. nice to meet tom mckinney and 2 very old friends from 25 years ago pete & adam (cwp days) great morning
A male Desert Wheatear was found on Irlam Moss today
The bird is in fields along Roscoe Road, Irlam and has ranged quite widely either side of the road, SJ 713941.
The bird was found in the morning by the farmer who rather commendibly identified it as a Black-eared Wheatear. Fortunately he contacted local birder Dave Steele who corrected the identification and contacted afew local birders. I arrived there just after 3 o'clock and at one point (along with Paul Heaton) even watched the bird running along the road and also catching insects on the farmers house roof!
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT BIRDERS VISITING THE SITE PARK VERY SENSIBLY AND DO NOT IN ANY WAY BLOCK THE ROAD, EVEN IF THAT MEANS PARKING SOME WAY OFF AND WALKING.
Some of my photos of the bird have been uploaded to the galleries on the main website.
Quite a few birdwatchers looking for it though.
indeed. Top find by the farmer!