Part 4

THE DESERT WHEATEAR Saxicola deserti, Rüppell

This, as its name implies, is a southern desert species and is found widely distributed throughout North Africa and Egypt, to Persia and Afghanistan. It has been taken in Great Britain on at least three occasions--twice in Scotland and once in Yorkshire. It somewhat resembles the preceding species, but may always be distinguished by its tail, which is black almost to the base. Length 5·6 in.; wing 3·6 in.

THE WHINCHAT Pratincola rubetra (Linnæus)

A merry little fellow is he, arriving in this country with our other summer migrants about the middle of April. His haunts are open fields and pastures, so that he does not often come across his near relation the Stonechat, whom in actions, and to some extent in dress, he clearly resembles.

You will generally first have your attention drawn to him by hearing his well-known note of "u-tick" as you walk across the field, and looking round you will see a small thick-set bird, hanging on to some slender stem which happens to be taller than its fellows; if you approach nearer he will fly a little farther on and settle again. His flight, and the habit of settling on some outstanding stem or spray, is very reminiscent of the Stonechat, but in spring his much paler breast and dark-striped head and buffish face will prevent any confusion. The hens and the young more closely approach in general appearance to the allied species, but the lesser amount of white on the tail and on the head may generally be noted.

Soon after they arrive the nest is begun; this is built on the ground, either under a tussock of grass, or more preferably, if possible, in a sloping bank. It is loosely constructed of grass and bents, and lined with horse hair. The eggs, six or even seven in number, are pale blue, very like those of the Stonechat, but bluer and with less of a greenish hue; as a rule they are absolutely unspotted, but occasionally a few minute rusty specks are present at the larger end. The hen alone sits, but both parents attend to the young. As soon as the first brood is on the wing, generally by the end of May, the parent birds busy themselves with the cares of another family, after which they wander about the open and unenclosed country, till, at the end of August and during the first half of September, they leave our shores for the summer regions of the south.

The male has the upper parts dark brown, mottled with buff. There is a clear, white, superciliary streak; tail feathers dark brown with white bases; wings brown, showing a conspicuous white patch near the body. Under parts bright fawn colour, turning to buff on the belly. The female is similar, but paler and duller; the young resemble the hen, but are slightly spotted on the breast. Length 5·25 in.; wing 3 in.

The species is generally distributed in England, except on the south-west, where it only occurs on migration. In Scotland it is local but widely distributed. In Ireland it breeds in the north, but only occurs in the south on migration.

THE STONECHAT Pratincola rubicola (Linnæus)

On any rough common, where furze or tangles of bramble form almost the only cover, you may see the Stonechat; summer and winter alike he is there, brightening with his deep chestnut breast and jet-black head and back the otherwise comparatively lifeless spot.

You cannot miss him, or rather, he will not miss you, for as you approach he will rise and settle on the topmost spray of some furze bush, or possibly on the tall stem of grass or thistle.

Jerking his tail with the quivering movement characteristic of his tribe, as though it were on a spring, or uttering his little call of "Tick, tick," he will move ahead with dipping flight to some other point of vantage as you approach, and display as he does so the white on his tail and wings. A bright and happy little chap he is! Living in the open country-side the whole year through, finding there plenty of food, which consists chiefly of caterpillars and other insects, even in our inhospitable winters. Early in April he chooses his mate and sets up housekeeping: the nest, which is loosely built of grass and moss and lined with hair, is very well concealed, being placed near the ground in the centre of a clump of furze or bramble. There, protected by the natural chevaux de frise, the six pure blue eggs are laid, and in due course the young are hatched. The male does not sit, but is always to be seen in the vicinity of the nest, and continually brings tit-bits to his mate. Both parents tend the young with great care, and after they have left the nest the family may often be found wandering about together, the male on the approach of danger sitting on the topmost sprays of some bush, while his family remain concealed in the cover, following him singly or two or three at a time as he moves on. A second brood is generally reared in the season, and in autumn, after the moult, a certain amount of wandering takes place, generally in family parties, and at such times we may frequently find them in turnip fields, or on the edge of thick hedgerows, in cultivated country. These wanderings, however, do not generally extend to any great distance from their true home, to which, or to some neighbouring common, they return to spend the winter.

The plumage of the young is brown. The full-grown female resembles the male except that the colouring is less brilliant, and the white markings are not so conspicuous. The male has the head, throat, and back black; a patch on either side of the neck white; tail and wings dark brown with a conspicuous white patch on the wing coverts; breast and under parts bright rufous, lighter on the abdomen. The female has the upper parts striped with brown and the throat spotted with black. The white patches are smaller. The young are mottled and spotted with brown all over. Length 5 in.; wing 2·55 in.

THE SIBERIAN STONECHAT Pratincola maura, Pallas

This is the representative of the preceding species in Northern Europe and Asia. One example only has been shot on our shores, viz. a male, in Norfolk, on September 2, 1904.

It is characterised by the pure white rump, but in other respects closely resembles the Common Stonechat.

THE REDSTART Ruticilla phoenicurus (Linnæus)

Coming with the rush of our spring warblers, the Redstart, by its bright plumage, soon makes his arrival manifest. No one can mistake him, as with black head, white forehead, and red breast he sits on some tree in the garden, or on one of the pollard willows that fringe the stream, his tail vibrating with that curious sideway motion peculiar to his kind. It is in these early April days that he is seen to best advantage, staying in favoured spots till the advent of others of his tribe, a few days later, causes him to select both mate and nesting-site, after which he drives to "fresh fields and pastures new" those of his kind who seem inclined to throw too amorous glances on his chosen mate. A hole in a tree on the outskirts of a wood, along a river, or in a park, is the selected spot for their residence. The nest is loosely constructed of moss lined with hair, and in it are laid five to six eggs of a delicate blue colour much resembling those of the Hedge Sparrow. The hen is a much duller coloured bird than the cock, but with a red tail, which she moves with the same characteristic motion; she undertakes alone the duties of incubation, her lord and master keeping her well fed with insects, flies, and any living creature of suitable size that he is able to capture. In the intervals of catering for her or while listlessly waiting for "a bite," he will trill out his little song, which is, however, very feeble in quality as in quantity, for it consists merely of a disconnected ramble through a few short strains that are repeated again and again.

The male has the crown, nape, and mantle dark slate grey, rump and tail feathers (except the two centre ones, which are brown) chestnut. Forehead white; chin, throat, and cheeks black. Under parts, including the axillaries and under wing coverts, chestnut. The female is brown on the whole of the upper parts except the rump and tail, which are chestnut as in the male but duller. Under parts dull rufous. The young in their first plumage are spotted above and below. In winter both sexes have broad dull margins to their feathers, which conceal, to a great extent, the bright colours of the male. Length 5·4 in.; wing 3·1 in.

This species is fairly common in England except in the south-west, where it becomes very rare. In Scotland it is local but widely distributed. In Ireland, however, it is only known to breed in one or two counties.

THE BLACK REDSTART Ruticilla titys (Scopoli)

The Black Redstart occurs with us as a regular autumn migrant but only in small numbers, frequently remaining till well on in winter. On the Continent south of 52° it is an extremely abundant summer visitor, becoming more numerous in the east. In the southern limits of its range and in North Africa it is resident, though its numbers become augmented each season by individuals that have bred farther north.

The male is extremely dark in appearance and may be easily recognised from the Common Redstart by its uniformly black breast, the white outer margins to the secondaries, and black under wing coverts. The hen is much darker than our bird, especially on the back, which is of a uniform umber brown, but the unfailing characteristic of this species in all plumages and at all seasons is the dark brown or blackish under wing coverts. Length 5·75 in.; wing 3·4 in.

THE BLUETHROAT Cyanecula suecica (Linnæus)

There are two forms of this species, one in which the blue throat exhibits a red spot, and the other in which the blue throat exhibits a white spot. The former form is found breeding in Northern Europe and Siberia, wintering chiefly in South Asia and North-Eastern Africa; while the latter breeds in Central Europe south of the Baltic. The females and young of the two forms are practically indistinguishable. It seems probable that a few examples of this species occur annually on migration along our eastern coasts, but much more numerously in some years than in others. These visitors are for the most part immature, and until recently all the adult males that had been taken belonged to the northern or red-spotted form. During the last five years, however, two examples of the white-spotted form have been obtained on the Sussex coast. There is a variety of the white-spotted form in which the throat is unspotted, but it has not yet been satisfactorily identified in this country.

When on migration they will generally be found skulking in hedges and undergrowth near the coast.

The male has the upper parts of a warm brown. There is a white stripe passing through the eye; the upper tail coverts and bases of the tail feathers bright bay, rest of tail dark brown. Chin, throat, and gorget brilliant ultramarine blue, succeeded by bands of black, white, and bay; rest of under parts whitish. In the female the whole of the under parts are whitish with a brownish band across the chest. The young in first plumage is not unlike a young Redbreast, but has bases of the tail feathers bay. Length 5·3 in.; wing 2·85 in.

The name suecica refers strictly to the red-spotted form, the white-spotted form having been named wolfi by C. L. Brehm in 1822.