Before I start my usual stuff have a look at this. No Great White Egrets, Cranes or Harriers for me, oh no. My migrants are straight off the Christmas card.
This morning along the rocky beach at Howick Burn mouth there were at least two of these chaps...
Continental Robins.
Erithacus rubecula rubecula
Very blue grey above, lacking the brownish olive tones we are more familiar with. These were more bluethroat-coloured, very cold looking.
From the front, the breast is paler, more golden with yellowish flecks. Not as ruddy red as our birds. The belly is whiter as are the flanks. The area behind the eye is very blue grey extending to the nape.
Whilst
rubecula is nigh on impossible to seperate from British
melophilus most of the time, in times when there has been a good fall of Robins, mixed with more usual foreign stuff , like Black Redstarts, some birds are very distinctive in the field. There were at least 5 Robins in a 50 yard stretch this morning and these two could be easily picked out even in flight.
According to 'The Handbook' and 'Bannerman' even the habitat and behaviour was correct today, with birds hiding in cavernous overhangs then flitting out onto the rocks to feed briefly. You wouldn't find these on your spade! 'BWP' and 'Svensson' state that the races are clinal and slight, but if given a good sample, the scandinavian visitors can be picked out...
Next time you find yourself knee deep in Robins on the east coast, give them a good look...
Anyway where was I?
The day was bright most of the time with odd cloudy and showery spells.
Of the rest of the morning, my first
Wheatear, a male, avoided photography by only showing for 10 seconds before flying back to the Sahel, a nice male
Blackcap was sunning with two Chiffchaffs in the dene, 25
Whooper Swans flew N, while a lone Canada Goose swam south at sea.
Moth statistics for last night -
March Moth 1
Pale Brindled Beauty 1
Common Quaker 12
Clouded Drab 1
Hebrew Character 17
Chestnut 1
33 moths of 6 species.
OFFH List
111
