Bird Watching or Twitching in Andalucia Southern Spain
November 2004, Grey Wagtail, Motacilla cinerea
The grey wagtail is a resident of Andalucia but confined to certain areas because of its preferred habitat of being near running, fresh, water. The one seen here, near Genalgaucil, was heard before it was seen.
The cry is a distinctive 'stit' or 'ztee-tit', which is usually followed by a torpedo shaped object hurtling past. It flies elegantly and powerfully in a series of swoops like a roller coaster. There is a flash of yellow towards the tail when the bird is in torpedo mode and yellow on the breast when it is at the bottom of its swoop and is rapidly flapping its wings.
On the ground it can be differentiated from the yellow wagtail (which is only a summer visitor) by the grey on the lower part of the breast. Even on the ground it is in constant motion, turning stones to find the insects on which it feeds.