69 : Northern Wheatear

Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe

I love these birds. They remind me of the passion and excitement of migration. They remind me of sunsets at 11.30 pm in the Western Isles of Scotland. They remind me of a first birding holiday in Cley. Like a Common Sandpiper they are a touchstone bird for me. '

Here a female at the Pivot Fields in Dubai propped up on the pivot itself. They are the earliest migrants to arrive in the UK from mid March on. I guess this bird is on its way up to the grasslands of central Asia.

Below - the male taken 24 March 2012 :

Northern Wheatear -  Oenanthe oenanthe
Pivot Fields, Dubai
February 26 2012