Goldcliff in October - the sea wall.

Don't go birdwatching if I am there, I am so unlucky. Never see anything on the shore or the seawall when I go there.

You will tomorrow David - guaranteed!

Great pics JL, your first scenic shot shows what a lovely area this is, wish I was nearer!

Good luck David!

I really don't get down to Goldcliffe as much as I would like. Definitely need a telescope down their to identify many of the waders. Great photos of the Wheatears. I'm not sure that they are in the same family as Flycatchers though. They are definitely related to the Chats as I found out when looking at the BTO identification videos. Always a pleasure to read your posts and admire the photos you get.

Thanks both!

Colin I had no idea and certainly assumed they were chat/thrush-like in stance and habit until i saw this entry in Wikipedia. "The wheatears /ˈhwiːtɪər/ are passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe. They were formerly considered to be members of the thrush family Turdidae, but are now more commonly placed in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae".

Thanks John. It's peculiar that these things are open to discussion or change over time. I thought that analysis of the skeleton or something was definitive. It's obviously not that simple. I had a quick look and it says that new world flycatchers are in a different family. Quite confusing.

Actually Colin the Wikipedia entry seems to be at odds with this book so maybe the subject is still in flux. www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/.../book_review_robins_and_chats.aspx Looks like a lovely book but what a price!

I think a lot of modern taxonomic changes are due to the use of DNA evidence which is the best method we have ever had, It was even used to discover that the Dodo was a giant pigeon. The origin of the Wheatear's name is interesting, coming from the Old Norse for "White A rse"