Wagtails

The first two images are a male Yellow Wagtail of the Spanish race. They are nothing like the common Yellow Wagtail species here in Britain which are pure yellow, as you can see from the third photo, the Spanish ones more resemble our Grey Wagtail which is the final image. Identification of the Yellows can be very confusing especially on spring migration here as we get lots of variations that are quite similar.

Spanish Yellow Wagtail

 

British Yellow Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

 

Bright and Beautiful

The male Yellow Wagtail is one of the most, if not the most, vivid and colourful birds in the UK, the female is also a very striking bird but lacks the yellow head.  I always enjoy my annual Spring visits to try and photograph them, even though they are quite elusive. You can hear them calling from the fields but the vegetation keeps them well hidden.  After several trips and many hours I  managed to get some reasonable shots: