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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

ID this small bird please (1 Viewer)

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Josh Jones said:
Right ok fair enough - the light is dull. It does prove that colours and plumage are not typical of a female Wheatear.

Where is the supercilium? Where is the greyish blue back, and the buffy wash to the breast?

http://www.bwifingal.ie/images/Female%20Wheatear.jpg

http://avesphoto.com/website/pictures/WHTNTH-2.jpg
Equally, where is the tail colour? This would surely show, whatever the shot quality..?
Wing contrast looks too strong for B Redstart, and I'm sure I can see white undertail coverts.
Do you have any more shots Tav?
 
Stephen Patmore said:
My vote would be on a Dunnock...

Hi Stephen,
Heard about your Finland trip, sounds like a good'un. Azure tit photos look great and having siberian tit feeding in the hand must have been a new one, even for you!
Am now on a different and poorer quality monitor and agree the bird lacks shades that I saw on the super one I have at work. (Also had it blown up on interactive whiteboard) Genuine grey mantle with orangey chest present previously so I was heading for male wheatear. Now however, I get little more than silhouette which could be many birds, all of which have been stated on this thread.
So: stick my head on the block and plump for male wheatear: colours visible, general shape, posture in habitat. Also time of year reasonably decent, more so than females which arrive later as far as I am aware.
Jono
 
This bird is NOT a Black Redstart. From this 'orrible photo I can only see Northern Wheatear, almost certainly a female.

Colin
 
Jyothi Ray said:
Equally, where is the tail colour? This would surely show, whatever the shot quality..?
Wing contrast looks too strong for B Redstart, and I'm sure I can see white undertail coverts.
Do you have any more shots Tav?

No not equally at all. This is a blurry shot and the tail appears to be blurred. The red tail wouldn't show well on it, especially in such dull conditions and I find it not too surprising that it isn't visible.

White undertail coverts doesn't mean its a Wheatear either. There is no contrast whatsoever on this bird. It is entirely sooty grey. This rules out Wheatear - surely you realise that?
 
When I first looked at this (before reading the other comments) I thought Black Redstart. The picture is very dark, so I can see how people are going for Wheatear too but if I had to go either way it would be with my first instinct...Black Redstart.
 
Colin Key said:
This bird is NOT a Black Redstart. From this 'orrible photo I can only see Northern Wheatear, almost certainly a female.

Colin

Fair enough Colin but do you have any reasoning for why this is a female Wheatear?

Do you see any features that suggest one other than perhaps shape?
 
Ive had another look at the original pic, and I think that the conditions make this really hard to say for sure whether certain plumage features are present or not.

Minus plumage, this is a Wheatear
 
Josh Jones said:
. There is no contrast whatsoever on this bird. It is entirely sooty grey.
That could be put down again to picture quality, but again you've probably got a far more valid point than me. It may be my moniter, or I may have different eyesight, but I'm sure there's a contrast as I mentioned.
Wheatear for me.
 
Jyothi Ray said:
That could be put down again to picture quality, but again you've probably got a far more valid point than me. It may be my moniter, or I may have different eyesight, but I'm sure there's a contrast as I mentioned.
Wheatear for me.


Fair enough Jyothi - you fail to mention where this contrast is? My monitor must be seriously buggered up because I see a concolourous bird (grey) with virtually no plumage features to go on. Wheatears to me aren't like this, or have I been getting it all wrong?
 
To my eyes, and on my monitor, the general shape is that of a Robin, the general colouration suggests Black Redstart and the dark wing is good for Wheatear. If I was gonna risk a quid on it I'd probably plump for female Wheatear. Nothing against Tav94 but it is a pretty grim shot...

James
 
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