Which bird? (1 Viewer)

Hi,
Yesterday I was filling the water butt and it overflowed. Immediately a bird flew down and started bathing. I failed to get a proper photo. It was like a long sparrow, with a light bib and chest. I would say the feathers were a bit more golden than sparrows. Can anyone guess what it was? I've never seen it before. I live in East Dorset.

Camerart.

Long-tailed tit?

Even an "improper" photo might help here...

Sounds a bit like a reed bunting ... but then it sounds a bit like a lot of things

Water butt suggests a garden setting. Possibly an allotment? Of course, we don't know, nor is it easy to assume, much about the OP's garden even if that is where the bird was seen. For example, how much water is around in general.

It started bathing. I'm no garden bird expert but I've never seen a Reed Bunting bathe. But then I've never seen a Reed Bunting in my garden. Local parks with ponds & wetland areas - yes, but not garden. A big garden with a pond, however...

The reported light bib is putting me off Reed Bunting, male at least.

A long sparrow - suggests a similar size and vaguely similar appearance to a sparrow. But a bit more golden. Hmmm. Throwing a few more options out there:

House Sparrow (female) - a bit more golden than a male, perhaps...
Goldfinch - popular garden bird, a slightly longer look to them than a sparrow and have yellow in the wings which could be seen as golden, light chested too
Greenfinch - don't laugh, it could be! Bigger than a sparrow, yellow flashes and a more olive colour than a sparrow

Now I'm struggling. I'm assuming we're not talking Dunnock, Robin etc. And not as big as Blackbird (female, not male given the description) or Starling, which bathe quite happily and regularly.

Hi,
Definitely not a long tailed tit. I doubt it was a reed bunting. Not a finch.
The photos were lost in the transfer, my fault.
It was in my victorian terraced house garden, the water butt is an old dustbin I use.
It landed immediately, the bin overflowed, and it must have seen me. None of 'my' sparrows would do that.
My memory is fading now, but I've added a photo, of a bunting. I think the throat and chest was lighter than this though.
Let's hope it appears again next time, I overflow my bin.
C.

Try a Whitethroat.

MTem said:

Try a Whitethroat.

Click to expand...

Hi M,

That's it!
I've no idea where they went to, but the photos (For what they are) turned up, and I can now see a slight blueish head. 'Attached'
Thanks.