Mrs Pied Wagtail.

[JohnP]

A through the window shot, taken where I used to live in January 2010.

 

[NannyFerret]

Lovely clos-up of the bird, but how do you tell that it's a "Mrs"?

[JohnP]

Tina… I wish I could be absolutely sure which sex it is, I pretty sure it’s female. In the summer it’s easy to tell which sex they are, the black on the male is very bold and extends down it’s breast and the upper parts are very black also. It gets more difficult to tell them apart in winter as the black on the male becomes less extensive and both sexes look similar. The thing that makes me think this bird is female is it’s grey back which I think is a feature of the female summer and winter. If anyone knows different I’m happy to be corrected.

[NannyFerret]

We have the two different markings and depth of blacks come in our garden too. I wondered why they were so different.

[JohnP]

We have the two different markings and depth of blacks come in our garden too. I wondered why they were so different.

 

I'm sure this bird was one of a pair that nested no more than 30 feet from my door in the spring of 2009, I lived in a farm conversion at the time and they nested in an old open ended building nearby.