Can anybody age this Wheatear? (1 Viewer)

[PaulCountyDurham]

Most importantly, what is it that lends towards ageing this bird?

When I was taking the pictures, I had assumed this was a young bird. Upon getting home and having a look 'round the internet I'm now not so sure.

What didn't help matters is that there were a good few of them scurrying around and they seemed to be in different stages of development, with a female quite possibly moulting and that female looked noticeably larger than the bird in this photograph.

Any help appreciated!

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Paul,

assuming you took the picture recently, its an adult female.
Your bird carries an insect in its bill. Yes ..., but its very much easier to photograph an adult that feed its young (no offense)
(fresh plumaged) juvenile Wheatear is a different coloured bird with

• black-centered wing coverts with warm brown fringes and in many a pale wing bar on the greater coverts
• juvenile thrush spotting on the breast in variable extent. Your bird has none at all

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

Hello Paul,

assuming you took the picture recently, its an adult female.
Your bird carries an insect in its bill. Yes ..., but its very much easier to photograph an adult that feed its young (no offense)
(fresh plumaged) juvenile Wheatear is a different coloured bird with

• black-centered wing coverts with warm brown fringes and in many a pale wing bar on the greater coverts
• juvenile thrush spotting on the breast in variable extent. Your bird has none at all

Thanks Alexander.

I'm pretty confident this bird wasn't feeding its young. As I say, there were quite a few Wheatear in a short space of distance and none of them looked to be juveniles and they all appeared to be fending for themselves. Wheatear are actually very easy birds to photograph, providing you're lying down and wait for them to come closer. This bird wasn't flying off anywhere to feed any young, it was occupying a bank and not moving very far at all.

What I'm most interested in, is this bird noticeably a first summer Wheatear?

And, yes the picture was taken over the last couple of days.

 

[tconzemi]

This may help http://blascozumeta.com/wp-content/uploads/aragon-birds/passeriformes/336.wheatear-ooenanthe.pdf
I honnestly do not know how 2nd summer should look in July
As to the bumble bee in the bill, if he was not feeding it to the youngsters, maybe you were lying on the nest or very close to it ;-) (just joking)

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

This may help http://blascozumeta.com/wp-content/uploads/aragon-birds/passeriformes/336.wheatear-ooenanthe.pdf
I honnestly do not know how 2nd summer should look in July
As to the bumble bee in the bill, if he was not feeding it to the youngsters, maybe you were lying on the nest or very close to it ;-) (just joking)

Cheers. Judging by the eye-stripe alone, 'looks like an adult female.