Northern Wheatear in Stratford, CT

An adult male Northern Wheatear has been observed at Sikorsky Airport in Stratford, Connecticut for the last few days. The bird has been feeding along a barbed wire fence adjacent to one of the runways, flycatching from a perch on the fence or briefly dropping to the ground to feed on insects. During my visit the Wheatear also flew out and perched on various signs along the runway or onto mounds of dirt from a construction project in the parking lot. The bird was in view most of the time I was there.

The Northern Wheatear is a Eurasian species that is only seen occasionally in the eastern US, so this is an opportunity for many interested birders and photographers.

The images below were captured this morning.

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) - Male flycatching from a barbed wire fence (Sikorsky Airport, Stratford, CT)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) (Sikorsky Airport, Stratford, CT)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) (Sikorsky Airport, Stratford, CT)

Click on the photos above for more information or click on the species name to see all images of the species.

Below is a map which may help those who are considering going to see this bird.

View Northern Wheatear at Sikorsky Airport in a larger map

All images © Clarence Holmes