'Greenland' Wheatear

Above: Male, QE2 Reservoir, Surrey (02 May 2005)

Above: Putative female accompanying the above male, QE2 Reservoir, Surrey (02 May 2005)

Above: Putative female, QE2 Reservoir, Surrey (30 April 2005)

In the field, this bird was strikingly orange on the underparts and around the head. First impressions were of a big and bulky bird, with an apparently large bill. At least five Northern Wheatears, males and females, were present on the reservoirs this morning; though not side-by-side for comparison, these provided a useful benchmark to gauge impressions of this bird.