Fred Začek's Image

Eight-year-old Fred visited this secluded meadow close to his home over three days, to photograph the migratory birds that had arrived to breed. On the third evening, he spotted this yellow wagtail, singing in the soft evening light. Surrounded by stinging nettles and clouds of flying gnats, it took Fred several attempts to capture the beak ‘in a nice open position’.

Perched on a delicate stem of cow parsley, this male yellow wagtail is singing to attract females, but also to deter other males in the area. There are numerous subspecies of yellow wagtail, best distinguished by the colour of the male’s head but also by differences in song. All wagtails earn their name from their tendency to wag their tails up and down.