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Birds - Wagtails Page 1

Image Taken on 17 Dec 2013 at 12:21    Image of day on 29 Jan 2014

Bye-bye says the Grey Wagtail


Ref: 20140129_df1_20131217_1221_136 grey wagtail diving down from roof ridge (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 15 Nov 2013 at 11:29    Image of day on 08 Jan 2014

This beautiful little bird is a Grey Wagtail - for us an altogether too colourful bird for its name. Over the winter sunny days bring several species of Wagtail to our slate roof to capture insects drawn out from under the slates by their warming in the sun even on cold days.


Ref: 20140108_p02_20131115_1129_961 grey wagtail juvenile on slates above utility room (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Dec 2013 at 10:21    Image of day on 03 Feb 2014

We just LOVE Grey wagtails!
Enjoy the bird, it's shadow, and the lichen on the slates. All Wagtails wag their tales (doh) but Grey wagtails just never seem to stop.


Ref: 20140203_a77_20131214_1021_085 grey wagtail on slate roof (crop 2)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 06 Nov 2010 at 08:43    Image of day on 05 Jan 2011

An irregular visitor seen briefly only some years is a Grey Wagtail (what else do you call the most coloured wagtail!). This one has been hunting on the roof and you can see the legs of the insect 'going down the hatch'.


Ref: 20110105_df1_20101106_0843_015 grey wagtail swallowing insect 3 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 17 Dec 2013 at 11:20    Image of day on 29 Jan 2014

Just a little jump over the crevasse!
The second image from the left is about half the birds body height higher than accuracy requires in order to avoid smothering the bird on the left, but the up-down-up pattern is real.


Ref: 20140129_df1_20131217_1120_055-58 grey wagtail wing assisted jump over roof gulley 1-4 of 4 (acc montage @7fps 2nd image raised slightly)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 06 Feb 2009 at 10:07    Image of day on 28 Feb 2009

Through the study window this wagtail spent an hour picking up peanut fragments dropping from the tit feeders. Here it is by a snow hidden block of vegetable fat that he has been pecking at, and we can't help thinking he is watching that snowflake above.


Ref: 20090228_dc1_20090206_1007_077 pied wagtail appearing to look up at snowflake(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 07 Apr 2013 at 09:13    Image of day on 15 May 2013

The now warm slates have brought out the insects from underneath and this pied Wagtail catches some sort of fly for the camera. The 2 images at the right are only about one fifth of a second apart, the last about 1 second later


Ref: 20130515_df1_20130407_0913_281+282+288 pied wagtail catching insect in flight over roof 1+2+8 of 8 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 16 Jul 2020 at 07:20    Image of day on 16 Aug 2020

A couple of Pied Wagtails were catching insects on the freshly mown grass outside our South boundary. Its all too quick to see without the aid of 'slow motion' - here the infinitely slow motion of an accurately montaged set of pics taken at 10 fps.


Ref: 20200816_d73_20200716_0720_150-152 pied wagtail catching tiny insect 1-3 of 3 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 12 Jun 2022 at 05:32    Image of day on 27 Jul 2022

In the early morning (5.30 a.m.) this Wagtail diligently gathers insects to feed the chicks.


Ref: 20220727_df3_20220612_0532_060+064+065 pied wagtail collecting small insects (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 30 Nov 2013 at 10:26    Image of day on 19 Jan 2014

This Pied Wagtail tried to catch the insect you can see near the bottom right of centre (complete with it's own shadow), but missed it!


Ref: 20140119_df1_20131130_1026_036 pied wagtail diving down on insect lower on roof but missed it 7fps 3 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 10 Dec 2012 at 12:36    Image of day on 09 Jan 2013

The strong north wind created the fluffed up bird on the ridge. Unusually the bird took off 'with' the strong wind.


Ref: 20130109_df1_20121210_1236_054-055 pied wagtail feathers fluffed by wind from rear takes off 1+2 of 2 (adjusted montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 11 Apr 2017 at 15:49    Image of day on 30 May 2017

Here one of two Pied Wagtails hunting on the disused concrete track seemed to be finding plenty to eat along the edge of the grass.


Ref: 20170530_df3_20170411_1549_027+1550_031+033+040 pied wagtail feeding at edge of concrete track 1-4 of 4 (impression montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 13 Feb 2009 at 13:27    Image of day on 08 Mar 2009

A less than usually nervous Pied wagtail spent quite a while paddling and pecking the wet ground under the icy melt water.


Ref: 20090308_db1_20090213_1327_151 pied wagtail feeding in snow melt puddles (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 13 Feb 2009 at 13:27    Image of day on 08 Mar 2009

Here it is wading in the inch of so deep 'stream' running along vehicle ruts.


Ref: 20090308_db1_20090213_1327_163 pied wagtail feeding in snow melt puddles (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 10 Jul 2020 at 09:39    Image of day on 16 Aug 2020

This Pied Wagtail is chasing about over the grass area, stopping suddenly every few seconds. Here is what the stops are for - grab a tiny caterpillar (3rd image from the left) and down the hatch with it. These taken at about 7 fps


Ref: 20200816_df3_20200710_0939_076-079 pied wagtail finds insect while foraging through buttercups 1 of 4 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 02 Jan 2010 at 13:04    Image of day on 28 Jan 2010

We see wagtails persuing insects in free flight, often after they have disturbed them trying to catch them on the warm slates or a wall. This is a genuine single frame.


Ref: 20100128_db1_20100102_1304_135 pied wagtail flying vertically about to catch insect (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 19 May 2021 at 10:06    Image of day on 14 Jun 2021

On the sprouting crop this Pied Wagtail is hunting for insects in the mud. His patterning provides surprising good camouflage against this messy ground.


Ref: 20210614_d73_20210519_1006_078 pied wagtail hunting around sprouting crop(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 15 Nov 2007 at 11:43    Image of day on 15 Dec 2007

Montage of 4 images of a pied wagtail. In the first 3 (top left downwards) it just fails to catch an insect (we think a wasp) on the slates ahead of it. The bird on the ridge has in his beak the result of a successful hunt a few seconds later.


Ref: 20071215_d01_20071115_1143_075-077&084 pied wagtail hunting insect on slate roof (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 10 Oct 2016 at 11:11    Image of day on 25 Nov 2016

A Pied Wagtail hurtling down the slates, presumably after an insect we never spotted.


Ref: 20161125_df3_20161010_1111_461 pied wagtail hunting on slate roof(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 07 Nov 2019 at 13:55    Image of day on 18 Dec 2019

Along with the White Wagtail was this Pied Wagtail behaving similarly.
One of our ID books lists White and Pied as separate species, but our more recent books lists the white as a variant of the pied that can interbreed. No wonder we often have trouble differentiating the two!


Ref: 20191218_df3_20191107_1355_105+106 pied wagtail of slate roof (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


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