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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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  1. S

    Unusual visitor?

    There used to be a regular contributor to one of the birding magazines from Northern Ireland. His wife once reported that a friend of his had phoned with news of a "rare wee deer". It sounded strange so he ignored it and never got to see the rare Wheatear.
  2. S

    Hello, new to birdwatching in the garden

    True enough, but I was really addressing the tangle of naming brought up by the OP's book and what the heck an Ultramontane Sparrow is, rather than expressing an opinion on which interpretation is correct. Which I'm not qualified to do. Though at least in this case we're looking at forms which...
  3. S

    Hello, new to birdwatching in the garden

    Yes, more than five if you include birds from outside Europe. Your book classifies Italian Sparrow as a subspecies of Passer domesticus, whereas in other places (including the Opus entry that Delia linked above) it would be regarded as a full species Passer italiae. What your book calls...
  4. S

    Gordano Valley, Bristol today chiffchaff

    Bumping to note I heard a Chiffchaff giving swee-oo type calls (very similar to the ones later in the above recording) on the Marlborough Downs this morning.
  5. S

    Brabant Netherlands - Now more likely a Willow Warbler than a Chiffchaff ?

    The second photo shows 4 emarginated primaries as well (Willow Warbler has 3).
  6. S

    Redpoll in Warwickshire

    Carduelis is a genus that formerly contained most of the familiar European finches, but was split up following genetic research, with Redpolls being moved to the genus Acanthis. The 3rd edition of Collins reflects this change. It also partially reflects the split of Redpoll into separate...
  7. S

    Brabant Netherlands - Common Chiffchaff or ...?

    Was there anything in particular that made you think it might not be a Common Chiffchaff, or just general uncertainty?
  8. S

    merzouga morocco

    And dark loral line dividing the eyering.
  9. S

    Help with warbler ID in El Rocio, Spain

    Could be, but that's a very broad supercilium for a chiffchaff and the undertail coverts appear long compared to the undoubted phyllosc in the picture below. Also it looks like it might be singing which would have been a good guide to id.
  10. S

    German Accipiter Identification

    But check out this article, linked from a recent thread: Northern Goshawk flight identification and ageing in the UK - Revised and updated, particularly what the author refers to as "second plumage". Secondary barring still needs care and may well not be definitive in field observations.
  11. S

    ID please goshawk or sparrowhawk? october 30th north-east Italy

    Don't strongly barred secondaries argue against a Goshawk in adult plumage?
  12. S

    Bird ID clifftop Coast East Sussex Newhaven

    I think the most probable Robin-like bird given location and date is still Stonechat. It also has the virtue in this case of being relatively featureless compared to a Black Redstart (red tail) or Wheatear (white rump), both of whose distinguishing features would very likely be noticed if the...
  13. S

    UK- Wiltshire- Fovant- January- Eurasian or Short-toed Treecreeper

    Apparently it can :)
  14. S

    3 birds in Rouen, France

    Doesn't the second picture show rather a long tail for either warbler? I'm thinking another Redstart but not sure which one.
  15. S

    Kos Greece Sept 2023

    Dunlin. Note the blackish streaking on the breast and belly, also the dark centre of the rump (Curlew Sandpiper has a white rump).
  16. S

    Inmature Redstart?

    I remembered I have an id paper from Species Files – Guia Blasco Zumeta de Aves As far as I can see it doesn't mention 2nd year birds after spring, from which I infer they are indistinguishable after the complete postbreeding moult. OP's bird still looks like a 1cy male to me.
  17. S

    Inmature Redstart?

    The bird shown in the OP's photos corresponds quite well with the description and image of a 1st winter male Common Redstart in Collins (Svensson et al). I don't see many redstarts, but I have seen autumn males with variously obscured head markings and some that are hardly distinguishable to my...
  18. S

    Inmature Redstart?

    Why 2nd year and not 1st, Ken?
  19. S

    Achrocephalus or Sylvia borin?

    Can anyone actually see a graduated tail in the first photo, or is this just a bird regrowing outer tail feathers? Also are the primaries correct for any candidate Acrocephalus? I think we can see the relative lengths and emarginations quite clearly. The bill looks very stubby for an Acro to...
  20. S

    Whitethroat

    If you want to go looking for Lesser Whitethroat near Swindon, they have been reported within the last few days at Lydiard Park and at Blakehill Farm.
  21. S

    ID for Warbler ? UK

    Not bad, but the OP's third picture shows the primaries better than just about any photo I've seen of this species. Even the semi-mythical p1 which I can hardly ever make out on photos of the closed wing. One for the Opus, annotated?
  22. S

    Pied or White?

    There's an id paper for alba wagtails linked from https://www.hos.org.uk/welcome-to-the-hos-website/news-recording/bird-recording/identification-articles/ and another paper at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/208167913_White_Wagtail_and_Pied_Wagtail_a_new_look
  23. S

    Is this (female) whinchat or stonechat? north of Portugal, Europe

    Has the thread title been changed? It refers to Whinchat not Wheatear. The bird is still a Stonechat, but for different reasons - e.g. lack of distinct pale supercilium and primary projection rather short. We might see the white sides to the base of the tail in this view as well if it were a...
  24. S

    Norfolk Pipit ID

    I don't see any hint of a dark loral line or the pale ear covert spot that would support Tree Pipit.
  25. S

    Common Snipe or Jack Snipe

    Longish bill and wings and white trailing edge to wing suggest Common to me. Also the fact that it stayed up long enough for you to take a photo - the only Jack Snipe I've seen flew about thirty yards before disappearing forever, despite our sploshing about after it in a flooded field.
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