NORTHERN WHEATEAR
The northern wheatear winters South of the Sahara Desert in Africa and so has a bit of a flight to Kefalonia in early Spring. The plumage of the male is quite striking, with a slate grey back which extends to the crown. The underparts are buff coloured from the throat to the chest, and a paler creamy white belly in winter which is white in the Summer. The head has the black "Zoro" mask bordered with white. The wings are black. The female has a brown/black back and crown, dark brown wings and a buff throat and chest with a white belly. Both sexes have a white rump which extends to the tail. The tail has a thick black end band, in a "T" pattern.
Here on Kefalonia I mostly see these beautiful birds on open stoney ground with little cover. They can be found on open farmland where there are stone walls and occasionally on scrubland near the coast, but I see lots of them on the slopes of Mt Ainos. They are insect lovers and can be found perched on a stone wall or rock looking for the next meal. They nest in rock crevices and old rabbit holes. The female builds the nest alone with the male watching from a nearby rock. He will sing and do occasional song flights to encourage her (very helpful, I'm sure). The clutch of eggs can be from 4 to 7 and are incubated by the female. They hatch after 2 weeks and fledge after a further 2 weeks. The male does help to feed!
