[boznia]

This is my first post and I am seeking help on a bird I saw at Fowlmere Nature Reserve on a cold Saturday morning.

I saw lots of Redwings and Fieldfares and a ridiculous number of blackbirds, but one bird has got me stumped. I am new to birding so it may be be simple.

It looked about the size of a sparrow, had a yellow breast fading down to white at the bottom, there was also a small patch of darker feathers in the middle of the yellow bit of breast. It had a blueish grey head with possibly a small dark area around its eyes. I keep thinking it may be a fledgling fieldfare judging by the number of these birds around, but it did seem smaller.

Hope you can offer me some suggestions.

P.s. there was a pair of them, nowhere near the flocks of fieldfares.

Thanks for reading,

boznia

[Colin]

A difficult one and I need to do some more thinking but it is definitely not a young Fieldfare because of the size. These birds are quite big, really a fraction bigger than a Blackbird and not the size of a sparrow and would have had to fly in from northern Europe. So it's not one of them....I'm still thinking.

and I almost forgot in the effort of thinking.....welcome to the forum. You will find a whole bunch of very helpful people here from all over the world with a whole lot of knowledge on all things ornithological. I think you will enjoy the conversations and I look forward to more posts.


Colin of slight help

[IanF]

Welcome to the site Boznia

You've got me thinking too, not that I'm very expert at making identifications. I'll have a look through my bird book and see if I can come up with anything.
Have you compared it to a Northern Wheatear ? Size and habitat fit, but the colouring is a bit out and they have a distinctive black eye stripe. Was the dark around the eye a stripe or eye ring ?

[jeff]

I'd have gone for Siskin Carduelis spinus until you said blue/grey head, certainly sparrow size, yellow breast fading to white.

Probably completely wrong, but it was worth me having a guess, I'll never learn if I don't, I'm fairly new to birding too.

I'm sure Colin will come up with the goods eventually.

[monkeyman]

Welcome to the forum, Boznia!

It sounds a bit like our old friend the dunnock (grey head). I find that light conditions can make identifying birds a bit hazardous at times!

Only this morning I was watching our resident dunnock, and it certainly doesn't look like any picture in the books! It's head is more brown than grey and it's underparts are quite light. No doubt the colours will intensify in the spring.

What shade of yellow? How streaky? What was its bill like . . . stout or slim? If it was stout, it's probably a finch or bunting. Actually, come to think of it, it's probably a female reed bunting. A lot depends on its jizz, ie how it was behaving. Female reed buntings have caught me out before, and usually because of the light conditions!

If you could post a sketch, that would be helpful!

Good luck!

[avifauna]

How about a Brambling in winter clothes.
Just take a look at the banner on top of these pages,
that one which says 'click here to view the gallery' !!!
The bird in the middle ?

[boznia]

Thanks for all your help, I have started looking up photos of the suggested birds on the internet and will get back to you if I do identify it.

In answer to the questions posed - it was very light in colouration on its front, but probably not its back, I didn't really get a good look at its back, i can't definitely say it was not a dark eye stripe, but would be more confident in saying colouration being just around the eye. There were a pair of them, close together, quite like the finches i see around. Its beak was not quite as stubby as a finch.

In comparison to the winter brambling, it is not a bad likeness, but not at all orange, definitely yellow. Imagine the colour of grey wagtail but brighter and less pronounced. It was not a wagtail though, as it didn't have the tail and was more finch/bunting shape.

Please let me know if anyone gets any more ideas,

Thanks,

boznia

[monkeyman]

Yellowhammer?

Corn Bunting?

[Reader]

Welcome to the forum boznia.

I'm probably a million miles away from it but without actually seeing the bird it is relativly hard to pick out the right species.

I will just throw my two pence worth in. Has any one considered female Yellowhammers?

[monkeyman]

Errrm?

[jeff]

Boznia,

Did you ever find out what bird it was?

[matt4scfc]

Grey Wagtail?

(let us know its doin me head in!)

[villager]

"It looked about the size of a sparrow, had a yellow breast fading down to white at the bottom, there was also a small patch of darker feathers in the middle of the yellow bit of breast. It had a blueish grey head"

Surely it's a blue tit?

[Reuven_M]

Originally Posted by matt4scfc

Grey Wagtail?

(let us know its doin me head in!)

Um, this hasn't been updated since 2002...

[Steve Arlow]

How about Greenfinch; they are greenish-yellow on the breast fading paler lowe down and can show dark patch at the breast due to displaced, damp or wind blown feathers whilst they are also greyish headed with darker markings around the eye and it wouldn't be unusual for two of them to be together as they are often flock birds?