Little bird ID?

[Rustyknight]

I'm not too hot on identifying birds, though I'm trying to learn. I wondered if the one below is a Dunnock, or something else.....

[Hotblack]

Looks like a young (ie 1st winter) female Reed Bunting to me. Not 100% sure and certainly willing to be put right but that's my best ident on that shot.

[Rustyknight]

Aha! Thanks for that.

Considering where the photo was taken (Radipole Lake, Weymouth) it could well be.

I think I've mentioned before that my Collins Bird Book isn't a definitive guide, as it only has one photo of each species... usually the more colourful males.

[gray1720]

Yes, the Collins book is good if it looks like the photo - see the Fieldfare page for an example of where it goes all to cock. I can't help with the bird* - it's just an LBJ to me - but it's a good pic.

*ETA - actually, I'm fairly sure it isn't a Dunnock, which I'd expect to be greyer with a sort of hood-cum-scarf grey mark round its neck.

Adrian

[Rustyknight]

Not too long ago, I posted a photo of what the Collins book clearly identified as a Merlin..... only to be told (no doubt rightly so, too) that it was much, much more, likely to be a Kestrel.

Now, in the Collins book, the difference between the two is very clear. However, looking at photos on-line later, the lines become a bit more blurred.....

[Hotblack]

If you want a really good Bird Guide then you can't do better than this





This is the new edition due out at the start of March and available at a good price from Amazon

[OneTen]

I think it could be a first winter male Stonechat. That's based on beak shape, leg colour and chest colour.

[Rustyknight]

The Edition I have is "Collins Nature Guides.... Birds of Britain and Europe". It's a handy size to carry about in the camera bag, along with my guide to the "Southwest Coast Path.... Exmouth to Poole".

I'm hoping my partner will quickly become the ID expert, as she's just bought a spotting scope.

[Roger_Provins]

I'm absolutely certain it's what bird watchers call a LBJ (little-brown-job)

[Rustyknight]

I'm absolutely certain it's what bird watchers call a LBJ (little-brown-job)

Works for me!

[gray1720]

I'm absolutely certain it's what bird watchers call a LBJ (little-brown-job)

OI! I got that in four posts ago! Bloomin' riders-on-coattails... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Adrian

[Hotblack]

I think it could be a first winter male Stonechat. That's based on beak shape, leg colour and chest colour.

I think I agree. I was a bit worried that the beak wasn't the right shape. Could well be a Stonechat.

Edit - The more I look the more I'm conviced by Richard's shout.

[Rustyknight]

I think it could be a first winter male Stonechat. That's based on beak shape, leg colour and chest colour.

I think I agree. I was a bit worried that the beak wasn't the right shape. Could well be a Stonechat.

Edit - The more I look the more I'm conviced by Richard's shout.

A bit of Googling suggests you're correct. Many thanks to all for the help.

[beejaybee]

Hmm. Perhaps HM Govt ought to pass legislation forcing all birds to carry an ID card - that would make the job easier, as well as deterring Islamic terrorist birds from flying into the country with explosives concealed in their plumage.

As for the species - who cares, if a sparrow hawk takes it then it was a sparrow [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]