jim_R_allen
Jim Allen
I have just seen a red grouse in Oxfordshire, do they usually venture this far south?
thanks - Jim
thanks - Jim
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Red Grouse in Oxfordshire (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jim_R_allen
- Start date
Welcome to BirdForum Jim. I think Red Grouse would be more-or-less unheard of Oxfordshire, at least in recent times. Do you have a photograph or a description you could give?
jim_R_allen
Jim Allen
Thank you for the welcome. I wish I had been able to take a photo but was driving at the time. I am pretty sure it was one, I recognised it instantly and have checked photos online. Right size, shape, colour and had the little red flash on top of its head. I was only only 2-3 meters away so it was a good view. I was rather surprised to see it, hence registering here to ask.
It does sound promising, but I'd echo the idea that this is an escaped bird rather than a wild one. Although Red Grouse breed widely in the British uplands they're more or less unknown elsewhere. They're not at all migratory or dispersive, so even appearing a few miles 'out of range' is very unusual.
You say you're "pretty sure" which implies some doubt. If you were driving and caught only a quick glimpse I would assume that it wasn't one. In these situations I always find it best to assume that I've seen it wrong or that it was an unusual individual of a common species. Loads of pheasants and partridges in Oxfordshire. Statistically it is far more likely to have been an unusually marked one of these than a red grouse.
jim_R_allen
Jim Allen
Amarillo totally agree statistically something else is much more likely but I got a good view. The "pretty sure" comes from I couldn't quite believe that is what it was. I was so surprised to see it that I double checked and kept looking at it as it really shouldn't have been there.
Sounds like if it really was a Red Grouse it was an escaped one. I was just wondering if there was anything else that was similar. Definitely wasn't a pheasant and the red flash on the top of the head is quite distinctive but I am not sure if that is unique to the Red Grouse.
Sounds like if it really was a Red Grouse it was an escaped one. I was just wondering if there was anything else that was similar. Definitely wasn't a pheasant and the red flash on the top of the head is quite distinctive but I am not sure if that is unique to the Red Grouse.
Allen S. Moore
Well-known member
A long way from Oxfordshire, England, 'tis true, but about 2 months ago I was driving along in the far north of the Isle of Man, an area away from the range of red grouse here, when I noticed something red grouse coloured by the roadside. As it walked away I realised that it was an atypically coloured cock pheasant. Admittedly, I didn't notice a little red flash on the top of the head such as what Jim saw, but for a split second I was wondering what a red grouse was doing there!
I can't think of anything else it could have been then. I also can't think where a red grouse would escape from? where are they kept in captivity?
Again weighing up probability, unless there are places that keep them in captivity maybe more likely a lost wild one!
As it's a popular gamebird, it wouldn't totally surprise me if shooting estates occasionally experiment with breeding and releasing the odd one. I think that would still be substantially more likely than a lost wild one. The latter would be close to unheard of such a long distance from breeding areas.
jim_R_allen
Jim Allen
It had just come through a hedge onto the verge, mainly farm land and crops around the area I saw it.
We had some heavy thunderstorms recently but they come in from the west so wouldn't have thought they would have brought it our way.
One of life's mysteries; made my day anyway.
We had some heavy thunderstorms recently but they come in from the west so wouldn't have thought they would have brought it our way.
One of life's mysteries; made my day anyway.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Going back to the ID, there are three areas that even quite experienced birders occasionally get wrong on a brief view (and Joe Public does all the time):
1. Size. Often miles out. Kestrel for Buzzard, Pied Wagtail fro Magpie, you name it I've heard it.
2. Shape. As this is often affected by posture/behaviour, some excuse here, but still frequently wrong. In this particular case one very useful question to ask yourself would be: was the tail pointing up or down?
3. Position of patches of colour. Ever tried to draw a Blue Tit and colour it from memory? Now try to exactly locate the red patch on a bird's head at 40 mph. I see no reason why a Pheasant's red cheek wattle wouldn't be translocated to the top of its head on a glimpse view and certainly no fault found.
Just a few issues to consider.
John
1. Size. Often miles out. Kestrel for Buzzard, Pied Wagtail fro Magpie, you name it I've heard it.
2. Shape. As this is often affected by posture/behaviour, some excuse here, but still frequently wrong. In this particular case one very useful question to ask yourself would be: was the tail pointing up or down?
3. Position of patches of colour. Ever tried to draw a Blue Tit and colour it from memory? Now try to exactly locate the red patch on a bird's head at 40 mph. I see no reason why a Pheasant's red cheek wattle wouldn't be translocated to the top of its head on a glimpse view and certainly no fault found.
Just a few issues to consider.
John
MJB
Well-known member
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Earnest lad
Well-known member
red grouse
The red grouse, not being a bird of arable farmland: rather a bird of heather moor, is not likely there. Therefore out of range and out of habitat.
If you had a brief view only perhaps you didnt see its long tail. It was a cock pheasant you saw.
The red grouse, not being a bird of arable farmland: rather a bird of heather moor, is not likely there. Therefore out of range and out of habitat.
If you had a brief view only perhaps you didnt see its long tail. It was a cock pheasant you saw.
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