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Redpoll ID Thread, Winter 06/07 (1 Viewer)

I'm really impressed by the redpoll pics you've been posting on this and other threads recently. I've seen a lot of redpolls in the last few weeks but find it difficult to get even a half decent shot. / Quote/ Mc Swede

Try and get to a site where the birds are coming to laid out food like at Landsort. Årstafältet is good too at the moment, birds feeding in the sunflower beds there, good views and photo opportunities with patience. There is at least one male Arctic there too, I suspect there are actually two males and a 1st winter there in actual fact, but need better views...
 
Decent pics at last

buzzard12 said:
Try and get to a site where the birds are coming to laid out food like at Landsort. Årstafältet is good too at the moment, birds feeding in the sunflower beds there, good views and photo opportunities with patience. There is at least one male Arctic there too, I suspect there are actually two males and a 1st winter there in actual fact, but need better views...
Click to expand...

Finally saw some Arctic Redpolls on Saturday with a group from the Stockholm Ornithological Association and the Täby Nature Protection Society.
Our final stop was at Kungsängen. We went for a walk along the side of the meadow. On one side of the path was a tree-lined stream and on the other a meadow. There were lots Redpolls in the trees and 3 birds were identified as certainties. Unfortunately I was concentrating too hard on spotting the right birds to take any pictures and it was getting dark anyway.

The following day the other half of my ambition - to take some decent Redpoll pictures - was realized when they started visiting our balcony - definite flammea but beautiful birds anyway.

Your suggestion of Årstafältet is very welcome, especially as it's very near to where we live. We'll definitely take a look. Who knows - I may get even some pictures of an Arctic Redpoll...

http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/124635/sort/1/cat/500/page/1
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/124636/sort/1/cat/500/page/1
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/124637/sort/1/cat/500/page/1

It's the same bird in all 3 pictures by the way. Is it an adult female or a first winter male?

Graham
 
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Hi Graham,

Nice Mealy photos! Congrats on the Atrctic Redpolls too, now that you have a few in the bag, so to speak, you will probably come across a few more over the next few weeks..

Hard to age this bird for sure from the pictures. The tail feathers are the key. In adults and second winter birds the tips ot the tail feathers are nice and rounded, while 1st winter bird have much more worn tail feathers which appear pointed and have very thin pale fringes as a result. This is due to a different moult strategy in first year birds. There is one of your photos which seems to show rounded tips to the tail feathers with nice, well marked buffish fringes and I would cautiously say this is probably a second winter or adult female bird. The tail is fairly easy to see in the field through a scope, given a good view like this it is easy enough to age birds.

Just to let you know, the Redpolls at Årstafältet seem to have dispersed due to the snowfall, they were feeding on the groung in the sunflower beds and the seed has probably been buried under ice and become unavailable to the birds.

Good birding!
 
buzzard12 said:
Just to let you know, the Redpolls at Årstafältet seem to have dispersed due to the snowfall, they were feeding on the groung in the sunflower beds and the seed has probably been buried under ice and become unavailable to the birds.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on aging Redpolls. I'll try to test it in the field.

Should have realized the Redpolls might leave Årstafältet now the snow has covered the sunflowers. My wife knows that area better than I do and was curious about whether the sunfowers were nearer the allotments or the industrial area (just in case the snow disappears. I hope it doesn't).

Sadly we have one less Redpoll to feed as the neighbour's cat took one eating spill seed under the balcony. Not sure what we can do about that as we have a lot of "traffic" just now. My wife took the bird from the cat but it was very dead. As she said if it had to catch a bird it could have chosen a Great Tit. I can see that young, inexperienced Redpolls might make easy targets though, especially if they get separated from the flock. They don't seem very afraid of anything much, not even the Blackbirds which are very territorial about the bird house.

Good birding to you too!

Graham
 
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Macswede said:
Thanks for the info on aging Redpolls. I'll try to test it in the field.

Should have realized the Redpolls might leave Årstafältet now the snow has covered the sunflowers. My wife knows that area better than I do and was curious about whether the sunfowers were nearer the allotments or the industrial area (just in case the snow disappears. I hope it doesn't).

The sunflower beds are at the back, so to speak, just before the rugby pitch. Two main beds of sunflower, birds move between the two. Excellent area in general, great site for bluethroat in august, as well as other passage birds.
Click to expand...
 
buzzard12 said:
The sunflower beds are at the back, so to speak, just before the rugby pitch. Two main beds of sunflower, birds move between the two. Excellent area in general, great site for bluethroat in august, as well as other passage birds.
Click to expand...

Sounds very interesting. We'll definitely check it out.
Graham
 
And a Lesser Redpoll for comparison, picture also taken in Norway (19 January 2007)
 

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Julian Bell said:
And a Lesser Redpoll for comparison, picture also taken in Norway (19 January 2007)
Click to expand...

Have found that Lesser reminds me very much of Twite in comparison to Mealy, warm tones in the face and less bulk....
...thanks for posting, hope birding is good up your way....
 
Redpoll ID

Hi
wondering if anyone could help ID these redpoll please. Been getting 20+ in my garden feeding on thistle seed. Had 1 last year among goldfinch flock (thats who the seed is for). This year redpoll numbers statrted at 4 six weeks ago now quite a few.

Many thanks
John
 

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Hi John, the 2nd pic is a lesser, buffish wingbars, to0 warm brown especially on the flanks.

There's nothing in the 2nd pic to suggest anything other than lesser, more pics of the rear of the bird would be helpful.
 
Thanks Steven

I managed to get a shot of the back of one of the birds on the ground. Birds have been a variety of colour shades. Some quite dark others light some have a lot of pink on front find it quite confusing. Around 20 mealy redpoll were recorded in garden outside Edinburgh last month, about 50 miles from me.

John
 

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border reiver said:
Hi
wondering if anyone could help ID these redpoll please.
John
Click to expand...

The first bird appears to be a fairly typical Common (Mealy) Redpoll. It's not a Lesser at any rate and I'd say there's too much pink on the breast for an Arctic.
Graham
 
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Macswede said:
The first bird appears to be a fairly typical Common (Mealy) Redpoll. It's not a Lesser at any rate and I'd say there's too much pink on the breast for an Arctic.
Graham
Click to expand...

It's also fairly typical of many male lessers aswell. You would need a rear view to be able to attempt to ID it positively.
 
Many thanks Graham, Steven.
Having checked the Rutland link I see that the two species can be seen together which helps explain why there are so many colour variations in the flock visiting. I think there are one or two mealy among them. (hopefully)

John
 
Steven Astley said:
It's also fairly typical of many male lessers aswell. You would need a rear view to be able to attempt to ID it positively.
Click to expand...

Yes, on second thoughts I'd accept that. It's definitely not a good angle for IDing the bird.
Graham
 
buzzard12 said:
Keep an eye on them. Recently froze up here in scandinavia, would expect Mealy Redpoll to be moving at the moment.
Click to expand...

Been quite a few more Mealies in the British Isles in the last week or two..
 
Help please.
What I know!
Redpoll
Female, probably first winter.

Think its probably a Lesser?.

Unfortunatley, didn't see it from any other angle. So no sight of breast nor undertail coverts. Unfortunatley my version of collins shows only " Redpoll" and "Arctic Redpoll", Not Mealy/Common, Lesser, and Arctic.

Taken today at my local reserve feeding station, Lavells Lake, Berkshire, England.
 

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