Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
With respect, not sure it would be so easy on a fleeting view but I've admittedly never seen Eleonora's?
A
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Eleonora's Falcon Arles Camargue France in December (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter SteveAtkinson
- Start date
With respect, not sure it would be so easy on a fleeting view but I've admittedly never seen Eleonora's?
A
RafaelMatias
Unknown member
If we're talking about a dark morph it's difficult to make any confusion with Hobby...
However I think if you got an impression of a small falcon is not very good for Eleonora's. In my experience they (females probably) can be larger than male Peregrines.
In the very late migrants theme, I found a Pallid Swift over Lisbon last monday (4th Dec), to my best knowledge the second December record for Portugal (first was also mine, about 15 years ago). So who knows what might still be around...
dantheman
Bah humbug
Don't forget it was a dark p***e bird (
), so a dark chocolate brown as opposed to a Hobby which doesn't generally have a dark side there ...But presumably many dark falconers's birds/hybrids can't really be excluded ...
SteveClifton
Well-known member
It used to be the standard term in use before 'morph' became more popular (and I largely agree with the change, because phase is arguably a less precise term).
It was used widely to refer to the permanent variations/colour forms in a wide variety of species including egrets, some raptors, skuas, cuckoos, owls (including Scops and Tawny) and probably many more.
Lars Jonsson used it widely in his publications, including in his 'Birds of Europe' as did Vinicombe, Harris & Tucker in the original Macmillan guide (not sure about the more recent re-print though?). It appears to have also been widely used in North America, and probably around the World too?
There was a BF thread on it here: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=281969 in which it is stated that the origin of morph appears to have been J S Huxley (see post #4).
We birders don't generally accept new changes and developments without a bit of resistance, and for that reason I think phase will still be used widely and interchangeably with morph by many of us for a few more years to come...
So not so much wrong, but just falling out of fashion. How many of us still call them Bearded Tits for example...? I certainly do
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Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Here you are Steve, for the PACA region (roughly from the Camargue right across to the Italian border after Nice), it's this one:
http://www.faune-paca.org/index.php?m_id=1
Going the other way (past Montpellier,Carcasonne as far as Perpignan/Spanish border) use this one:
http://www.faune-lr.org/index.php?m_id=1
Even without registering (it's free by the way) you are able to look through all the sightings (for up to the past 15 days) at different levels (common through to very rare etc) for the whole of each region or by département. Have a play with them and let me know if you get stuck or need a hand navigating around them.
Cheers,
Richard
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Don't forget it was a dark p***e bird (
But presumably many dark falconers's birds/hybrids can't really be excluded ...
What's that Dan 'phorme'....Americanised?
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
It used to be the standard term in use before 'morph' became more popular (and I largely agree with the change, because phase is arguably a less precise term).
We birders don't generally accept new changes and developments without a bit of resistance, and for that reason I think phase will still be used widely and interchangeably with morph by many of us for a few more years to come...
So not so much wrong, but just falling out of fashion. How many of us still call them Bearded Tits for example...? I certainly do
Agree, there is nothing wrong with changing something if it's for the better but the use of 'phase' IMHO is inaccurate and plain wrong.
I actually prefer the term 'form' over 'morph' as well as the latter isn't quite accurate either. Meaning change or transformation 'morph' also implies a non permanent state, but I have the impression that it is more commonly used by Americans?
I still use Bearded Tit as well and Lapland Bunting, Loon will most certainly NEVER be heard in my house......:t:
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Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Hmmm, I bet your wife uses the word from time to time Andy
I nearly included a similar line myself but thought I'd leave the door open.......:t:
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SteveAtkinson
Well-known member
occasional
Well-known member
I believe there is a report somewhere of Eleanoras wintering in inland Spain.
As far as I know there are not such wintering reports, but I maybe wrong.
Instead, there are many reports of Eleonora's falcons staying for a month or two at several places in inland Spain prior the mating season (reproduction is known only from small islands in the mediterranean, not from the main Spanish coast or from inland). This fact was not known (at least widely) lets say thirty or forty years ago.
Regarding seeing them in the wires I won't put my hand on the fire for that right now, but I've seen them for sure perched on the (wooden) poles of telephone lines (and something says inside my head that a ocassional one was in the wires). In my local patch there is a group of around twenty, so I'm familiar with them. I will play attention next season and try to get a photograph just in case.
Instead, there are many reports of Eleonora's falcons staying for a month or two at several places in inland Spain prior the mating season (reproduction is known only from small islands in the mediterranean, not from the main Spanish coast or from inland). This fact was not known (at least widely) lets say thirty or forty years ago.
Regarding seeing them in the wires I won't put my hand on the fire for that right now, but I've seen them for sure perched on the (wooden) poles of telephone lines (and something says inside my head that a ocassional one was in the wires). In my local patch there is a group of around twenty, so I'm familiar with them. I will play attention next season and try to get a photograph just in case.
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