Pied Wagtail

-
Pied wagtails (Motacilla alba) are small black and white or grey and white birds. They have long tails with white edges and a fine, black bill. They measure 18 cm. Juveniles are more brown with less distinctive marks and a dark patch on their breast.


A twitter is their song of choice. Pied wagtails are an adaptable species found near rivers, canals, lakes and often in towns away from water. A defining characteristic of the wagtail is their constantly bouncing tail. They can be seen flying or running around in an effort to catch insects.


They can be found across the UK. They are resident birds but may leave highland and northern areas of Scotland in winter. They gather in roosts in winter as well.
Wagtails will build their nests in a hole or crevice. According to the RSPB, there are 470,000 breeding pairs in the UK. This is where they will lay 5 or 6 eggs. The eggs hatch after 12 days and the chicks can fly after 13 days but the parents will continue to feed them for a few more days.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eurasian Coot

-
Image
Eurasian coots or common coots have all black plumage with a white shield above a white bill. They are 36-38 cm in length with a wingspan of 70-80 cm. Juveniles can be brown or grey with a pale face and neck. They have brown-green legs which have lobed flaps of skin on the toes which function like webbed feet when swimming. When they fly, their feet patter across the water's surface to take off and their legs trail behind. http://keywordteam.net/428928-european-coot.html Coots feed by making shallow dives in the water and grazing by the waterside. Their diet consists of vegetation, seeds and small animals like insect larvae. The distinctive sound of this bird is a loud ' kwock ' call. They are year-round residents in Britain but the winter population is boosted by an influx of migrating birds from north and east Europe that join in the south and west of Britain. Their estimated wintering population is 190,000 birds. A coot's nest is a mound of plants bu...
Read more

Winterton Wonders: Marram and More!

-
Image
The second field trip of the Autumn led us to the dunes of Winterton-on-Sea. They hold the grand title of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) however, the wind-chill factor there is one to rival Chicago's. The site demonstrates good coastal succession with open sand which then binds into embryo dunes, grey dunes and acidic heathland, making a varied habitat ideal for many species. One species that you could not miss on the dunes was marram grass ( Ammophila arenaria ). This hardy, resilient plant is native to the coastlines of Europe and North America. It is a perennial grass that grows up to 1.2 metres in height with grey-green, rolled leaves. When marram colonises, the network of roots stabilise the sand to allow dunes to form. They like windy conditions to disperse their seeds and dry, free-draining sand. The development of dunes creates habitats for larger plants and animals, for example, terns. Although it can wi...
Read more

Fun with Fungus: Hoof Fungus

-
Image
Hoof fungus ( Fomes fomentarius ) is constructed of layers of tubes that grow annually to form the shape of a hoof. The fruitbodies can live for years so there shape will form over time. The upper side is pale grey with darker concentric bands and ridged with furrows.The underside has pores and is a mix of pale grey-brown and darker brown. Each 'hoof' is 5-20 cm wide and 7-20 cm deep. Its' prior use was to light fires, giving it its other name of tinder fungus. Hoof fungus grows on dead or dying birch and beech trees and can be observed all year round. It infects through broken bark and causes rot. This fungus is commonly found in the north, particularly the Scottish Highlands, but it has been increasing in frequency in southern counties of England. The spores produced are white. In spring, a fruiting body can produce up to 887 million spores in an hour. A random fact about hoof fungus is that a 5,000 year old preserved iceman, Otzi, was found with three piec...
Read more