Two Cornish video-grabs: May 2004

[Cuckoo-shrike]

Here are two really awful video-grabs for you to have a shot at. They were both taken in Cornwall on 3rd May this year.

[Andrew]

An escaped Vulture and a Robin?

[tom mckinney]

Com.Buzzard
Willow Warbler

Andy, looks like we share similar ability for videograbs!

Regards,

'Nob'ead :-)

[Andrew]

Ah, that small brown leaf threw me, thought it was a red breast!

[Ghostly Vision]

Looks like Red Kite and Chiffchaff to me, but you're going to tell me it is Iberian, aren't you Andy?

Looks like people are a bit scared to stick their necks out on these...

Sean

[Allen]

Grey Heron and Robin??

[Darrell Clegg]

Hi Andy,

It's not one of those Southern Lapwings is it?

Darrell

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Andy,
Pale Common Buzzard for the first and the second could even be a Wren (or Cetti's Warbler as an outside bet, as why would you video a Wren)?
Harry

[Cuckoo-shrike]

Hi Andy,

It's not one of those Southern Lapwings is it?

Darrell
Hi Darrell
Are you referring to the bird in flight or the bird in the hedge...? ;)
Neither of them is a vulture, Southern Lapwing, Robin, Common Buzzard, Red Kite, Grey Heron, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Wren or Cetti's - I hope (although some may say that one of them is one of them).

[Harry Hussey]

Hen Harrier for No.1 (is that rump actually white?), and was that late Dusky Warbler seen around then...?
Harry

[Darren Oakley-Martin]

The one on the left- Kestrel with tippex applied to rump to put people off the scent.

One on the right- Whitethroat.

Not a clue........but I'll have a go.

[Darren Oakley-Martin]

Hen Harrier for No.1 (is that rump actually white?), and was that late Dusky Warbler seen around then...?
Harry
Thats funny Harry, I was going to suggest that but I think it's a 'trick' question.

[Tim100]

Is number 1 a Rough-Legged Buzzard?

One things worries me is that its feet appear to be visible in flight which might make it an albatross of some sort?

[Tim100]

I'm guessing something exotic for number two so here goes...

Red-eyed vireo

[RecoveringScot]

No 1 Collared Pratincole ? No 2 Haven't got a scooby.

Phil

[Grampy Bustard]

The second is clearly an Iberian Chiff, but you have me jiggered on the first. I'd stick to photographing moths.....

[Jules Sykes]

Dunno for the first, Monty's Harrier (to be different), and maybe a Wood Warbler

[Darrell Clegg]

If it's not Southern Lapwing how about Spur-winged Plover (escaped of course!!) for no.1

I know what no.2 is 'cos you've shown me where it was ;)

Darrell

[Andrew]

Andy,

Is this a way of reminding us of your SWIFTite colours despite your latest twitches. Telling us what you saw but did not publish. ;)

I thought this as Birdguides shows nothing of note for the 3rd! Yes, yes, I cheated!

[robshreeve]

grey heron and a female robin

[KernowBirds]

Lesser Yellowlegs for the first one?

[M Cowming]

Purple Heron for No.1 & Wood Warbler for No.2

They could be anything...doesn't anyone read the instruction manual with Camcorders anymore..? ;)

Regards,

[Jane Turner]

Sociable Plover and Iberian Chiffer

[lou salomon]

Hen Harrier & Chiff (OK, Iberian, because you filmed it)
Lou

[Tim Allwood]

Dusky for second

[Cuckoo-shrike]

OK, the first is a first summer male Hen Harrier and the second Iberian Chiff (in my opinion!). They really were awful pics. Well done Harry, Sean, Jane, Grampy and Lou.
Does anyone know if it's possible to produce wav. files from video footage via Pinnacle Studio? I'd like to make the sound recordings of the Ib Chiff available for you to comment.

[Cuckoo-shrike]

Andy,

Is this a way of reminding us of your SWIFTite colours despite your latest twitches. Telling us what you saw but did not publish. ;)

I thought this as Birdguides shows nothing of note for the 3rd! Yes, yes, I cheated!
Who? Me??? The funny thing is, info about the "probable" Ib Chiff was passed to the locals the morning I found it (30th April), but as far as I know only one came down, a couple of days later. He heard it singing, said he didn't have a clue and promptly departed!

[Andrew]

Who? Me??? The funny thing is, info about the "probable" Ib Chiff was passed to the locals the morning I found it (30th April), but as far as I know only one came down, a couple of days later. He heard it singing, said he didn't have a clue and promptly departed!
And to think quite a few went to see the Kingswear bird last year!

I didn't, damn!

[Jane Turner]

That really looks like a Spaniard.... and better grabs of it?

[Cuckoo-shrike]

That really looks like a Spaniard.... and better grabs of it?
Sadly not. I didn't rate my chances of getting any decent footage and was just videoing to capture the song and calls, which I did very successfully. Most of the footage consists of close-up hedge from a variety of angles!

As a matter of interest Jane, what do you think it is that looks like brehmii? I've just submitted it to BBRC as follows:

"Iberian Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus brehmii)

Windmill Farm, The Lizard, Cornwall

30th April - 3rd May 2004

Finder: A.R. Pay
Other observers: C.Boyd, S.C.Hutchings. D.Eva

Back in 1987, the last time I went to Spain, I heard an unfamiliar song coming from some mature trees. There was something about the jerky, stuttering delivery reminded me of a Reed Bunting. I tracked it down to a Phylloscopus warbler and realised that it was of course the local race of Chiffchaff (P.collybita).

At about 1000hrs on 30th April 2004, I was birding at Windmill Farm Nature Reserve on the Lizard, Cornwall when I heard an unusual song coming from willow scrub at the bottom end of the arable fields. I was immediately taken back to Spain 1987 and I was quite sure I was listening to the same species again. The song was quite loud, with a greater "carry" than Chiffchaff and had that slightly jerky quality I had heard before. I wrote it down as "chiff chiff sweet diddy chiff chiff diddy".

I summoned Colin Boyd and Stuart Hutchings who were nearby and we spent the next hour trying to get decent views of the bird. It was clearly doing circuits of an area about 80 metres squared and singing almost continuously. As it spent much of its time moving about inside the thick cover, we never saw it really well.

We established that the bird was basically very similar to a west European Chiffchaff (P.c.collybita), but appeared to differ structurally in having a very thin, spiky bill and slightly longer tail. The bill was noticeably paler than collybita, being yellowish-horn coloured along most of the lower mandible. The legs appeared dark reddish-brown.

Plumage-wise, the upperparts were noticeably green, more vivid than on a nearby Chiffchaff, and we noticed a yellow throat and upper breast and undertail/ventral area. The yellowish supercilium was well marked in front of the eye, less so behind.

Daniel Eva saw and heard the bird later that morning. He was especially struck by the paleness and thinness of the bill and noticed that the wings appeared rather longer than on collybita.

I was able to pay short visits to the site on the following three days. Each time, I soon heard the bird singing from deep cover. On 2nd May it moved out and along a hedge so, mainly with the intention of recording the song, I took some (rather amusing) video footage, although I could not obtain more than fleeting images of the bird itself. Whilst I was doing this, the bird starting calling a downward "siew", unlike the usual "hweet" calls of adult western collybita. See video enclosed.

On 3rd May, it varied its song to "chiff chiff chiff sweet sweet diddit", before reverting to the original. Unfortunately, other commitments prevented me from spending much time there and I was unable to get any decent further views. On 4th May it had clearly departed and was not heard again.

We all considered this bird to be a good candidate for brehmii and submit this report as such for the Committee's consideration."

So, does anyone want to rate the chances of acceptance? I think the open-ended pended list is favourite!

[Jane Turner]

BBRC are as conservative as a Marks and Spencers sale queue... I bet they pend it.. though you do have a sound recording..which increases your chances of an answer...

Its the green/yellowness that I find compelling!

[Adey Baker]

The May 3rd 'chiff chiff chiff sweet sweet diddit' sounds interesting, Andy.

When I went to see the Great Tew, Oxfordshire, bird (can't remember exact date, but it was accepted by BBRC) I noted the song as: 'Tit, Tit, Tit, Teeeeeeee, Tit, tit' - the first three notes accelerating slightly, the 'teeee' very long and the last two 'tits' quicker than the first three 'tits' - which, apart from the difference in your two 'sweets' and my one long 'teee,' are as near as you could get to one another in a bird with a noted variability in its song.

The bird's song had the exuberance of a Wood Warbler.

It was also very similar to yours in the green/yellow department, but I didn't note the bill colour/structure (presumably, somebody did, to get it accepted!)

For a bird that had recently been 'split' it seemed to be a very low-key twitch - unless everyone had already got it before I pottered along!

[Cuckoo-shrike]

Thanks Adey, that's reassuring. I'm very confident about this bird. As well as the song, that call was like no Chiffchaff I ever heard.
Odd isn't it, that the one time I would have welcomed a load of twitchers rolling up, they didn't bother!!

[Ghostly Vision]

1. White-rumped sand
2. Tricky, but I'll go for either Black-browed albatross or Iberian Chiffy.

Oh - have I missed a page again?????

S


;)

[Cuckoo-shrike]

1. White-rumped sand
2. Tricky, but I'll go for either Black-browed albatross or Iberian Chiffy.

Oh - have I missed a page again?????

S
;)

Whatever it is you're on Sean, can I have some please? :smoke:

[Grampy Bustard]

Haven't a clue about the birds, but definately Windmill Farm.....

[Cuckoo-shrike]

Haven't a clue about the birds, but definately Windmill Farm.....
Where else would I be in May?

[timmyjones]

hen harrier and wood warbler