72 : Isabelline Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear - Oenanthe isabellina

This is the fourth Wheatear species to appear on my site. Probably a function of my being on a flyway for several different species as well as having some habitat attractive to certain specialists. This bird seems to me a male Isabelline from the quite dark feathers from the lores (just in front of front corner of the eye) extending behind the eye in the eye stripe.  There could be confusion with a femail Northern Wheatear in Winter Plumage but this bird was "different" in my view from a Northern Wheatear. Paler, perhaps bigger....and also someone with me told me it was an Isabelline and not a female Northern.

This birds over Winters in the Gulf and Egypt and migrates up to Turkey, the Stans, that type of area. It is a common  bird of the treeless steppe, high plateaux and grassy slopes. A  Mongol bird !

Much better views obtained on March 4th below from original views and the picture at the top added from a sneaking trip to Warsan its on March 10th.

Isabelline Wheatear - Oenanthe isabellina

Pivot Fields Dubai

First seen February 25 2012