Pictures: Teus Luijendijk

31 October 2004, Eemshaven, Eemsmond Gr

31 October 2004, Eemshaven, Eemsmond Gr

Females of the two (sub-)species (Western and Eastern) of Black-eared Wheatear can be hard to distinguish. Terms like "more sandy above" or "tends to be a tinge greyer brown" are not rare when browsing through literature on this subject. The bird shown here, however, must have been more or less an exemplary female Western, as its colouration actually more resembled a Desert Wheatear O. deserti than Black-eared.
This bird was actually a long-stayer, allowing photographers to make pictures at close range. Much better digital work can therefore be viewed on the Dutch Birding website.