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?Whinchat Today in Gloucestershire (1 Viewer)

Jane Turner said:
An alternative method would be for people to respond to threads in something approximating the manner they would like to be responded to themselves. Just a thought.... just for a grounding experience, anyone who feels confident with this bird, have a crack at one of the next African or South American ID threads using only a field guide.
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I find this a bizarre analogy considering there are somewhere in the region of 250 'regular' species in Britain at and between 2 and 5 times as many in South American or African Countries. Even then people would still get the correct genus...or at least family!
 
Simon M said:
I find this a bizarre analogy considering there are somewhere in the region of 250 'regular' species in Britain at and between 2 and 5 times as many in South American or African Countries. Even then people would still get the correct genus...or at least family!
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So what?? Just respond to people in a manner in which you would be happy to be spoken to yourself or don't respond at all. It's not difficult.
 
Coigach said:
So what?? Just respond to people in a manner in which you would be happy to be spoken to yourself or don't respond at all. It's not difficult.
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We are !!! thats the whole point, If I made a big mistake such as that, I would have the Michael taken out of me for weeks, and i would expect others to accept it from me also.

Your not from St Helens by any chance ?
 
birdieboy123 said:
I can't wait till I know everything about birds like you then I'll be able to take the micky out of everyone else
Nice one
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I know , its great (!) How far away from greatness are you ???

Ah Dude baiting , its the way forward ;) Don't knock it til you have tried it ;)

Si
 
Jane Turner said:
An alternative method would be for people to respond to threads in something approximating the manner they would like to be responded to themselves. Just a thought.... just for a grounding experience, anyone who feels confident with this bird, have a crack at one of the next African or South American ID threads using only a field guide.
Click to expand...

Hi Jane , you know I love you , BUT !!!!!!

This is a rubbish analogy (!) I wouldn't even begin to comment on a country , let alone continent that I have had no knowledge of or have ever been to , now if i lived in the Sudan and birded there , seen the various species and then posted a picture of a relatively easy Sudanese species , i would expect a Sudanese expert to reply , not some bloke from Bromley who has a field guide to birds of the Sub continent (!) or better still , i would have looked it up in my Sudanese field guide that i own as I LIVE THERE. If you have a relatively easy bird in your OWN country and you have access to 3, 4 or even 5 bird Books , then your first attempt must be to try and identify that bird to the best of your ability , if you can only photograph a bird and then plonk it on here , you are neither learning nor bothering about the bird you wanted to identify , I have lost count the amount of comments around " I was so busy photographing the bird that I didn't actually look at it , can you tell me what it is please " and I absolutely believe that there is a forum or Sub-forum for that , but not necessarily this one ;)

And I will always have a go at a gull ...... Normally cos its nicked me chips ;)

Si
 
Mark Payne said:
We are !!! thats the whole point, If I made a big mistake such as that, I would have the Michael taken out of me for weeks, and i would expect others to accept it from me also.
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Among your mates, maybe, but do you make a habit of taking the mick out of total strangers who stumble innocently and hopefully into your life hoping to share your expertise? Doesn't a courteous enquiry deserve a courteous reply?

When a lost tourist, map in hand, asks you for directions do you take the mick out of their map-reading? It's a good job you don't run a garage, or an electrical shop, because with an attitude like that you'd be out of business.

When I'm out birding I meet lots of people less expert them me. I really, really enjoy sharing my growing expertise with them - they really appreciate my help - it makes me feel good - it brightens all our days. There's two approaches here - one makes you feel big at the expense of someone else and the other which makes everyone feel good. Which approach someone takes strikes me as an excellent overall indicator of personality, whereby people can be roughly divided into two camps. For convenience, I tend to label these two camps, or personality types, "decent fellow humans", and "selfish tw@ts".

Graham
 
Jane Turner said:
Other things like tail length/shape (forked rounded etc) can help too.
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Indeed.

So perhaps those who have shown they are 'experienced' enough to 'mentor' those less experience in separating Reed from Whinchat know what this is - choice is female Reed or Stonechat both in immediate area. Seen Oct on gorse near reed beds on South Coast. Sorry 'bout the bad pic, it was failing light and a long way away (and i was too busy looking at the bird to photograph it ;))

Wonder how many can separate on gizz? (this is not for you Jane, I know you can!)
 

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bitterntwisted said:
Among your mates, maybe, but do you make a habit of taking the mick out of total strangers who stumble innocently and hopefully into your life hoping to share your expertise? Doesn't a courteous enquiry deserve a courteous reply?

When a lost tourist, map in hand, asks you for directions do you take the mick out of their map-reading? It's a good job you don't run a garage, or an electrical shop, because with an attitude like that you'd be out of business.

When I'm out birding I meet lots of people less expert them me. I really, really enjoy sharing my growing expertise with them - they really appreciate my help - it makes me feel good - it brightens all our days. There's two approaches here - one makes you feel big at the expense of someone else and the other which makes everyone feel good. Which approach someone takes strikes me as an excellent overall indicator of personality, whereby people can be roughly divided into two camps. For convenience, I tend to label these two camps, or personality types, "decent fellow humans", and "selfish tw@ts".

Graham
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I've helped many a person with Id in the past, and yes I also get that warm tingling feeling in my pants. There's a limit between pure bone idolness and a good punt at an Id. Whinchat and Reed Bunting comeone Folks, think about this......a bit of light hearted mickey taking never hurt anyone, even you grumpy old sods.
 
deborah4 said:
so are you going to ID my bird for me Mark?
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your missing the point, these photos show a black blob on a gorse bush, the first photos clearly showed a reed bunting.

ps that looks more like Blackthorn or Hawthorn to me, from the high quality photo !!
 
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deborah4 said:
Indeed.

So perhaps those who have shown they are 'experienced' enough to 'mentor' those less experience in separating Reed from Whinchat know what this is - choice is female Reed or Stonechat both in immediate area. Seen Oct on gorse near reed beds on South Coast. Sorry 'bout the bad pic, it was failing light and a long way away (and i was too busy looking at the bird to photograph it ;))

Wonder how many can separate on gizz? (this is not for you Jane, I know you can!)
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It's a Reed on tail length alone. Also I've never seen a Stonechat sit like that.
 
Coigach said:
It's a Reed on tail length alone. Also I've never seen a Stonechat sit like that.
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Spot on IMO - views weren't much better in the field (pic has been radically enlarged, it was poor light, brief views and far away and no call) so that's about all I had to go on too and came to same conclusion - Id'd on Gizz (shape and posture)

Sorry for the 'gorse' gaff - wasn't really looking at that in pic, but there's a mixture where bird was seen (and regularly are on gorse!)



I guess the point was Mark, that even experienced birders are still learning, OK it's a sh1te photo but I do believe that was possible to ID on gizz shape and posture, given there was only a choice of two birds. ;) I only had this short rear view in the field btw. Am ready to be corrected by anyone more experienced of course!
 
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deborah4 said:
Spot on IMO - views weren't much better in the field (pic has been radically enlarged, it was poor light, brief views and far away and no call) so that's about all I had to go on too and came to same conclusion - Id'd on Gizz (shape and posture)

Sorry for the 'gorse' gaff - wasn't really looking at that in pic, but there's a mixture where bird was seen (and regularly are on gorse!)



I guess the point was Mark, that even experienced birders are still learning, OK it's a sh1te photo but I do believe that was possible to ID on gizz shape and posture, given there was only a choice of two birds. ;) Am ready to be corrected by anyone more experienced of course!
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Gizz - something a p**n star does in a film ?
or did you mean Jizz ?
 
Mark Payne said:
Gizz - something a p**n star does in a film ?
or did you mean Jizz ?
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I mean either - in the context of birding, Mark, the spelling is interchangeable and different spellings are in common usage in the birding community - thought to derive from US military use: General Impression of Shape and Size, or from German 'Gestalt'

http://10000birds.com/pete-dunnes-essential-field-guide-companion.htm

''Dunne, one of the nation’s most prominent and accomplished birders, is a pioneer of the innovative “Cape May School of Birding.” This approach to avian identification concerns itself less with specific field marks and more with what is known as GISS. GISS (giss, gizz, jizz, etc.) can be considered the holistic impression of a species, one informed by the bird’s structure, shape, size, and manner. These factors and others are, the Cape May School asserts, more reliable than mere visual evidence.''
 
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