25 August β 10 October
the coastal calendar, shifted 10 days later for this region
Low maquis and garrigue; the rattling alarm call gives it away before the red eye-ring does.
The most numerous small bird in Dalmatian scrub and one of the earliest breeders β eggs in the first half of April, with two or three broods before the summer drought shuts insect supply down.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| courting | 20 March β 3 April | 15 days | Song, display, fighting, scent-marking β pairs forming or reaffirming. |
| building | 4 April β 19 April | 16 days | Nest, burrow or den under construction, or being lined out. |
| on eggs | 20 April β 4 May | 15 days | Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun. |
| raising young | 5 May β 24 May | 20 days | Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed. |
| young have left | 25 May β 24 August | 92 days | Young out of the nest or den, but still fed and followed by the adults. |
| moulting | 25 August β 10 October | 47 days | Feathers or coat replaced. Many birds go quiet and hide while it happens. |
| going about the year | 11 October β 19 March | 160 days | Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out. |