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Motacilla cinerea
The beautiful Grey ( and Yellow) Wagtails arrived from their migrating journey to Africa back in their breeding area in central Germany. The first I spotted arrived on April, 13 just before another cold wave hit Germany. I feared them dead but one couple stayed near our house, which is located 4 km outside the next village at the border of forest and vinyards, at a little creek, with plenty of bushes and scrubs, and plenty of artificial nesting boxes hung up on our grounds. They very soon started to build a nest in a nesting box just outside my door, then it was quiet for some time and I only saw the tip of the tail peering out of the box, slightly wagging, of the one that was breeding the eggs for days. Now (since around the 9 May) they are both collecting insects and feeding, once having left the food to their offspring, they take the poo with them to wash in the creek. Very busy parents. Can´t wait to see the young ones once they do their first steps... Sorry, most photos are blurred because the wagtails move so very fast, wagging non-stop.
Migrating species. Migrates mid August to Central Africa (Tschad lake and elsewhere) Migrates back to Europe March-April to their breeding grounds. Starts breeding earliest Mid April, 1-2 breeds per season. Locate near running water, small rivers etc, feed on water insects and their larves, small worms etc, love the approximaty of agriculture, animals, horse paddocks. Feed on insects only! Are very shy to humans. As soon as they sense a human being they stop visiting their nest. Normally they build their nest on the ground close to the water.
I would love to know more about their migrating and where exactly they fly to when they leave our house. Can they not take me with them? :-))
Thank you Malcolm, have already seen wiki and here is one in German :-))) ;
http://www.natur-lexikon.com/Texte/HWG/0...
Saludos a España!
In Germany the Grey Wagtail is called Gebirgsstelze, and this means Mountain Wagtail, sorry.
Have now renamed the wagtail.
Not sure where you get Mountain Wagtail, that is strictly a bird of Southern Africa, south of the Sahara. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Wa...
Hi Malcolm, uff, you are maybe right. I actually di not know there were "Mountain Wagtails" here and that they were yellow! I have now found a site which shows photos and they look exactly like mine, but the voice is not right. Our Wagtails sound exactly the same as the normal Wagtails. /Alba) I am still researching and then will update this accordingly.
Hi Saskia, these are not Yellow Wagtails, which all have yellow or white throats and chins when breeding, and shorter tails. The dark throat, whitish flanks, pale belly and long tail are all suggestive of Grey Wagtail, breeding male in the first 2 pictures and female (white throat) in pictures three to five. Yellow Wagtails also have Olive green mantles when breeding while the Greys stay grey.
Spotted on Apr 13, 2013
Submitted on May 16, 2013
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