Isabelline Wheatear......

5 Oct - An afternoon visit to South Wales, after a couple of excellent talks at the Cheltenham Literature festival in the morning (David Starkey on the Monarchy was very entertaining). An Isabelline Wheatear has been very obliging for several days at Martin's Haven, beyond the end of the M4, an absolutely stunning location on a sunny evening. The Izzy Wheatear performed extremely well (4-11) with several Northern Wheatears for comparison, being slightly larger, more uniformly sandy in colouration, with a blacker tail, a black alula on the wing and a more upright posture. It also has a very white underwing in flight. 3-4 Choughs (12) were flying around calling noisily as a backup cast. It took me well over a decade to get to see an Isabelline Wheatear in the UK - I've now seen 3 since 2011, but I particularly wanted to photograph one and I was not disappointed. A memorable experience as the bird was so confiding and the location so stunning with Skomer as a backdrop! And a maximum of 6 people watching the bird at any one time. Photos JM.