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Eastern Stonechat, Bulgaia (1 Viewer)

Pavel

Pavel

Well-known member
Today, 12 April, 2018, observation of a male Eastern Stonechat (maurus/variegatus) in full breeding plumage, found in the steppes North of Tyulenovo (North Bulgarian Black Sea coast). According to pictures 1, 2 and 3 it is most likely maurus but the photo number 4 shows distinctive tail pattern with the white sides like Wheatear. So, variegatus or maurus, please ID? In another discussion we got the following comment: "Looks like S.m. hemprichii, which is the new name for variegatus."
 

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birdboybowley said:
Agree hemprichii/variegatus 'Caspian'
Click to expand...

Many thanks Douglas!
Meanwhile, I got another comment from a colleague saying that "Confusingly, variegatus now refers to the South Caspian form, which is less distinctive."
So, shell we call it then (North) Caspian Stonechat?
 
Pavel said:
Many thanks Douglas!
Meanwhile, I got another comment from a colleague saying that "Confusingly, variegatus now refers to the South Caspian form, which is less distinctive."
So, shell we call it then (North) Caspian Stonechat?
Click to expand...

Yes Pavel, extent of white in outermost rectrices consistent with ssp hemprichi; in vairiegatus tail shows 30%, exceptionally 50% white, significantly less than your bird.

Grahame
 
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Grahame Walbridge said:
Yes Pavel, extent of white in outermost rectrices consistent with ssp hemprichi; in vairiegatus tail shows 30%, exceptionally 50% white, significantly less than your bird.

Grahame
Click to expand...

Many thanks Grahame for this important clarification. As we don't have experience with this form and it is probably the first spring record of the species, may I post your comment to another forum on FB called "Birding Bulgaria"?
 
Pavel said:
Many thanks Grahame for this important clarification. As we don't have experience with this form and it is probably the first spring record of the species, may I post your comment to another forum on FB called "Birding Bulgaria"?
Click to expand...

No problem Pavel. There have multiple records of hemprichii from across Europe in recent years but I am not aware of a single confirmed variegatus, though that is not to say that taxon is not possible.

Grahame
 
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Yesterday, 17 April 2018, Peter Caldwell-Barr, Thee Ballmer and myself observed another male Saxicola maurus (hemprichii/variegatus??) but at Durankulak beach (20 km north from the first reported sight). Same troubles like five days before - the bird stands few seconds in one perch (reed) and then flying 300 to 500 meters away, then disappear completely for long periods. However I got three bad record shots, slightly better than first time but, unfortunately, no under-wing photo and no photo of an opened tail. Comparing with the previous pictures it appears that the bird from yesterday is not the same like the bird from 13th April (less white on lesser, median and greater coverts and lack of two white patches on the tertials). So, subspecies ID please if possible?
 

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Pavel,

If you look closely at the images 1-2 you can see that white appears to extend a long way (c80%?) along the outer edge of the outermost retrix t6 at least which should exclude both maurus and variegatus so I strongly suspect its another hemprichii but would not state that with certainty in the absence of better, more revealing images. Its definitely an Eastern Stonchat ssp?

Grahame
 
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with such a little amount of white in tail and no view of the underwing i'd be hesitant to call it an eastern stonechat at all. some rubicola in spring are this contrasting and have a largely white rump - at least the ones seen in eastern europe.
 
lou salomon said:
with such a little amount of white in tail and no view of the underwing i'd be hesitant to call it an eastern stonechat at all. some rubicola in spring are this contrasting and have a largely white rump - at least the ones seen in eastern europe.
Click to expand...

The extent of the unmarked white rump and white visible in outer tail excludes rubicola IMHO-in any case rubicola has no white in the tail. I am not saying the bird can be positively ID'd to taxon but have no doubt its an Eastern.

Grahame
 
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The extent of the unmarked white rump and white visible in outer tail excludes rubicola IMHO-in any case rubicola has no white in the tail. I am not saying the bird can be positively ID'd to taxon but have no doubt its an Eastern.

Yes, I agree Grahame!
Thanks again for your clarification.
Greetings from Durankulak,
 
Saxicola maurus?

Sorry to bother you with those Stonechats but it seems to be a third one, also from Durankulak. On 21 April, one of our guests Andrew Grieve found and photographed another maurus (most likely from the semprichi form), also showing a lot of white undertail and on the rump but visibly it seems to be more rusty and dark on the breast.
Any comments?
 

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