Whilst birdwatching the Jubail area I came
across a very smart looking male Black-headed Wagtail feeding along a dirt
track. It was not at all afraid of the car and allowed very close approach as
it busily feed on insects. Mid-February is the start of the spring passage for
this species and Black-headed Wagtail feldegg is often the first
subspecies to occur. The Black-headed Wagtail is part of the Yellow Wagtail
complex a group of birds that are common spring and autumn passage migrants,
sometimes in hundreds. Thy pass from mid-February to May and again from early
August to mid-November with many races identifiable in the field including feldegg,
melanogrisia, lutea, flava, thunbergi and bema. In spring the
black-headed yellow wagtail feldegg (considered by some as a separate
species) is often the first subspecies to occur with bema, flava and thunbergi
following. By April, flocks of more than a hundred birds are regularly recorded
in cultivated areas. During the autumn peak passage, in October, numbers are higher
with flocks occasionally exceeding 500 birds. Occasionally they are also recorded
during summer and winter.
