sparrowbirder
Well-known member
Cant the local wildfowlers just shoot the bloody thing and put us all out of our misery!!
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Cinnamon Teal on the Western Isles, Friday May 14th (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Lancey
- Start date
sparrowbirder
Well-known member
Anyway I thought Birding world decides what is wild and whats not!!Havent they taken over from the BOU then??
Periwinkle
Tame Valley Birder
Jasonbirder said:
Every spring now there is a run of American birds (particularly ducks). I dont recall this spring being particularly exceptional.
marek_walford
Well-known member
Birdguides today:
11:48 19/05/04 Cinnamon Teal Hants Fleet Pond
drake still late morning off Sandy Point
mmmmmm... clearly an influx!
11:48 19/05/04 Cinnamon Teal Hants Fleet Pond
drake still late morning off Sandy Point
mmmmmm... clearly an influx!
sparrowbirder
Well-known member
That one in Hampshire has been around for ages,nobody bothered with it until the western Isles bird turned up!!Im just amazed any American ducks get accepted,id tar them all with the same brush im afraid!!
edenwatcher
Well-known member
sparrowbirder said:
Glad you're not on BBRC!
Rob
No Regrets
Dear all,
I thought I'd have a look to see if there had been any further debate about the Cinnamon Teal's providence during the past week since it hass been a week to the day that I went to see it. Well, I'm pleased to see that a bird of obviously little consequence in terms of it's place on the British list has stirred up such a debate. Mind you, in my experience, the more unlikely the bird, the more talk there is about it.
Obviously I agree this species is an unlikely genuine vagrant. I didn't leave home without first having read about rejections of this species in the USA on the Internet, so I had my eyes wide open when I filled the car with petrol. However, geographically, the Western Isles are well placed for American vagrants to arrive so it adds more credibility to the bird being there than in Hampshire. As I said in my original post, I have seen three Cinnamon Teals myself, each within 20 miles of my home and most unlikely to be genuine by a long chalk.
The photos are poor admittedly, but following the birding code of conduct precluded me from climbing the fencing surrounding the loch, walking through a field of sheep with lambs and possibly blowing future visitor's chances of seeing it. I know such selflessness is unusual in today's birding environment, but that's just the kind of guy I am. The gale outside didn't help much either.
When did this bird arrive? I doubt it was the day news broke somehow. Whether this loch is well watched or not is anyone's guess but if the number of birds that I saw on it is anything to go by - I rather doubt it. In fact, I did hear it was found during a wader survey, so maybe this loch isn't watched at all regularly. If anyone knows any different I'd be interested to know.
To sum up, I personally made the decision to go based on mere probability and not certainty of a wild origin. I also did the same with such birds as Spur-Winged Plover and Ross's Goose. Waiting for certainty in birding often invites failure to see the bird anyway and since hindsight is the only exact science, I'd rather go to see the bird as soon as I can and live with the prospect of having fate step in to reveal whether the bird is wild or not.
Take the Whistling Swan near Glasgow a few years ago for example. I saw that the evening news broke only to find out later it was feeding from the hand. I had wasted my time - but at the time I had no evidence to prove the bird 'guilty' or 'innocent'. It was just one of those things. So what? Win some, lose some, that's what birding is about surely?
By the way, if that swan had appeared in a flock of wild swans at Welney I presume it would have been acceptable without any problems?
Best wishes,
Lancey
Dear all,
I thought I'd have a look to see if there had been any further debate about the Cinnamon Teal's providence during the past week since it hass been a week to the day that I went to see it. Well, I'm pleased to see that a bird of obviously little consequence in terms of it's place on the British list has stirred up such a debate. Mind you, in my experience, the more unlikely the bird, the more talk there is about it.
Obviously I agree this species is an unlikely genuine vagrant. I didn't leave home without first having read about rejections of this species in the USA on the Internet, so I had my eyes wide open when I filled the car with petrol. However, geographically, the Western Isles are well placed for American vagrants to arrive so it adds more credibility to the bird being there than in Hampshire. As I said in my original post, I have seen three Cinnamon Teals myself, each within 20 miles of my home and most unlikely to be genuine by a long chalk.
The photos are poor admittedly, but following the birding code of conduct precluded me from climbing the fencing surrounding the loch, walking through a field of sheep with lambs and possibly blowing future visitor's chances of seeing it. I know such selflessness is unusual in today's birding environment, but that's just the kind of guy I am. The gale outside didn't help much either.
When did this bird arrive? I doubt it was the day news broke somehow. Whether this loch is well watched or not is anyone's guess but if the number of birds that I saw on it is anything to go by - I rather doubt it. In fact, I did hear it was found during a wader survey, so maybe this loch isn't watched at all regularly. If anyone knows any different I'd be interested to know.
To sum up, I personally made the decision to go based on mere probability and not certainty of a wild origin. I also did the same with such birds as Spur-Winged Plover and Ross's Goose. Waiting for certainty in birding often invites failure to see the bird anyway and since hindsight is the only exact science, I'd rather go to see the bird as soon as I can and live with the prospect of having fate step in to reveal whether the bird is wild or not.
Take the Whistling Swan near Glasgow a few years ago for example. I saw that the evening news broke only to find out later it was feeding from the hand. I had wasted my time - but at the time I had no evidence to prove the bird 'guilty' or 'innocent'. It was just one of those things. So what? Win some, lose some, that's what birding is about surely?
By the way, if that swan had appeared in a flock of wild swans at Welney I presume it would have been acceptable without any problems?
Best wishes,
Lancey
Edward woodwood
Member
the only real 'certainty' for the birds quoted - bar ringed birds - is on the breeding grounds.....
the rest is just conjecture....you will never know.....
go and see it if you want...it's a reason to go to a beautiful place and who knows what else might be there.......every time i read something trying to justify a sighting like this i start yawning.....
birds and beautiful places should not be reduced to levels of 'wasted time' and 'acceptability'
the rest is just conjecture....you will never know.....
go and see it if you want...it's a reason to go to a beautiful place and who knows what else might be there.......every time i read something trying to justify a sighting like this i start yawning.....
birds and beautiful places should not be reduced to levels of 'wasted time' and 'acceptability'
Rob Smallwood
Well-known member
And when you've finished with the Bufflehead can we have it back?! Either that or send it on its way to Finland to join the Hooded Merganser there!!
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Perhaps there was a great escape style break out from Martin Mere.... the Bufflehead went 180 degrees in the wrong direction initially, realised its mistake on finding itself on a peat workings in Manchester and corrected... the Hooded Merg just had a dodgy compass
tony.hetheringt
Well-known member
Hi Jane,
The Bufflehead carried on east for a bit ,because he visited Wakefield before disappearing.As this one has now not been seen in the area am I presumptious in assuming that the northern bird is the same one and is now on its normal south- north migration route, albeit on the wrong side of the Atlantic?
Regards Tony
The Bufflehead carried on east for a bit ,because he visited Wakefield before disappearing.As this one has now not been seen in the area am I presumptious in assuming that the northern bird is the same one and is now on its normal south- north migration route, albeit on the wrong side of the Atlantic?
Regards Tony
Edward woodwood
Member
am I presumptious in assuming that the northern bird is the same one and is now on its normal south- north migration route, albeit on the wrong side of the Atlantic?
yep Tony
that's presumptious alright
who knows where it is........ :h?:
yep Tony
that's presumptious alright
who knows where it is........ :h?:
mountain man
Guest
Tim Allwood said:
Back in its pen at Martin Mere?
Edward woodwood
Member
Easy tiger
Rob Smallwood
Well-known member
I think Jane's directions were from Martin Mere continuing the "Great Escape" theme hence her "wrong" direction comment.
Jane - if there had been a Great Escape wouldn't we have heard the shots from the recaptured birds?!
mountain man
Guest
The Teal isn't there today!
Nor the Bufflehead.
Nor the Harlequin.
Maybe the owners trial period has run out and they've been posted back to Petworld?
Nor the Bufflehead.
Nor the Harlequin.
Maybe the owners trial period has run out and they've been posted back to Petworld?
Birdspotter
Well-known member
We thank all those twitchers who put their hard earned money into the local economy.
Requests please for our next release.
Requests please for our next release.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Did I see there was a Bufflehead back in the midlands..?
