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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: Stonechat

Avian juveniles

02 Tuesday Sep 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Chiffchaff, Collared dove, fledglings, juvenile birds, long-tailed tit, robin, Stonechat, young birds

I feel like we haven’t had enough birds on here lately so let’s take a look at some of this year’s juveniles …

There are quite a lot of young Chiffchaffs flitting around the trees and bushes now, in the throes of making their first migration flights south for the winter, though, with the warming climate, many Chiffchiffs also now over-winter in southern parts of Britain.

This was the first juvenile Collared dove I’d ever seen and it was probably the fact that it was a juvenile that made it much less wary of this photographer’s lens than its parents would’ve been.

Though it hardly seems possible to be more adorable than an adult Long-tailed tit, I think the offspring outdo their parents in the cuteness department.

Likewise young Robins, which are even more endearing and much less feisty than the adult versions. And I do think their juvenile plumage is very attractive too.

This little one was my first juvenile Stonechat of the year, spotted last week at the local country park with an adult male. These birds will also be in the process of moving from their more northerly breeding grounds to warmer winter climes.

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A Stonechat surprise

05 Saturday Jul 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, juvenile Stonechat, Stonechat, young Stonechat

I’m just home from another mini break away, this time based in Cheltenham, but branching out from there to other places in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, so expect a few blogs in the coming week about my finds. My trip was inspired by a desire to see one particular butterfly species but, of course, I appreciate all the wildlife I see around me, and this young Stonechat that I spotted sitting on a tree in Stroud on Thursday was a wonderful surprise and was definitely the birding highlight of this little adventure.

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The fence-sitters

21 Saturday Sep 2024

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds

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Tags

autumn migration, bird migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Stonechat, Whinchat

With its all-star lineup of migrating birds – three Stonechats and two Whinchats, this simply has to be my favourite kind of fence!

240921 whinchats stonechats

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Image

My twig broke!

23 Thursday Nov 2023

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Stonechat

231123 stonechat

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Posted by sconzani | Filed under birds

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Two little chats

02 Wednesday Aug 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

autumn migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Stonechat, Whinchat

We humans may be hoping for a bit more warm weather now that August is here but the birds seem to have decided that summer is over. First up last Wednesday, 26 July, our local expert birder found the first migrating bird of the season, a juvenile Redstart, at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park. And when I went for a look (found it but my photo was poor), I also found a juvenile Stonechat in the same area.

230802 stonechat

And then on Friday, 28 July, I made my own first discovery of the migration season, also at Cosmeston, of a juvenile Whinchat that had begun its journey south. (Later in the day, the same local expert birder who found the Redstart found a second Whinchat, an adult this time.) Enjoy the last of the summer while you can because autumn is definitely in the wind.

230802 whinchat

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Juvenile Stonechats

13 Thursday Jul 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, juvenile Stonechat, Stonechat

230713 juvenile stonechat (1)

It’s been rather bird-quiet for the last few weeks so it was wonderful first to hear their chatting and then to see these two juvenile Stonechats in one of the outer fields at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park on Monday.

230713 juvenile stonechat (2)

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The stanechackers

08 Saturday Oct 2022

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Saxicola rubicola, Stonechat

I have developed something of an obsession with Stonechats this year. They are such feisty, entertaining, active, handsome, delightful little birds.

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Lighting up the wetlands

26 Wednesday Jan 2022

Posted by sconzani in birds, winter

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve, male Stonechat, Stonechat

A male Stonechat is overwintering at Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve. With his orange breast, dark head and streaky brown wings, all crisply edged in white, he’s a dapper-looking little chap, and he’s rarely still. Eyes peeled for the next tasty titbit, he prefers a lofty perch from which to survey his surroundings, and flits quickly down for the catch, then back up to the nearest best vantage point. He’s like a bright spark on a cold winter’s day.

220127 stonechat (1)
220127 stonechat (2)
220127 stonechat (3)

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The entertainer

23 Saturday Oct 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Stonechat

A Black redstart was reported from Cardiff Bay barrage so off I stomped to try to find it. Despite much searching, scanning with my bins, and walking back and forth, I failed to find it (I was somewhat gratified to learn later that more experienced birders had also not found it). But there was a small bonus, in the form of this delightful Stonechat.

211023 stonechat (1)

It was very active, flitting frequently between shrubs and rocks and back again, quarrelling with one of the resident Rock pipits, and being told off by a stroppy Robin. Luckily for me, in the middle of this flurry of activity it came to rest quite close to where I was standing and I managed to get a few nice photos. It was very entertaining!

211023 stonechat (2)

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Grazing

18 Monday Jan 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds, winter

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birds, Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve, Meadow pipit, Pied wagtail, Stonechat

Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve is not just about wetlands; there’s also a large swathe of grass where, during spring and summer, Bee orchids thrive (when the council operatives don’t cut them!) and where wildflowers bloom in abundance (ditto!). At the moment many hungry small birds can be seen in this area (when they’re not disturbed by dogs that should be on their leads in a nature reserve), searching for much needed insects and seeds. During my recent walks along the adjacent footpath, I’ve enjoyed seeing a pair of Meadow pipits, a male Stonechat, and several Pied wagtails grazing contentedly together.

210118 meadow pipit (1)
210118 meadow pipit (2)

210118 stonechat

210118 pied wagtail (1)
210118 pied wagtail (2)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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