[Jane Turner]

Keeping off the gulls and raptors for now.

[Jane Turner]

One in the garden, another vrey locally the third in the UK and one in the US.

[chris23565]

1. ??????????
2. Willet
3. Leach's Petrel
4. Chiffchaff (East Euro) ?

[Harry Hussey]

1)Woodchat Shrike
2)Willet
3)Leach's Petrel
4)Chiffchaff(tristis or abietinus)
Harry H

[Michael Frankis]

I reckon Harry's got them all right - can't fault any of those dets.

Michael

[Michael Frankis]

The Chiff is in a hawthorn (Crataegus sp.), and there's heather (Calluna vulgaris) + assorted grasses behind the shrike

[Jane Turner]

Blimey that was quick. The Woodchat was supposed to hold you up

Right...time to pull out some hard ones!

Obviously the Willet was in the garden..... no it was the petrel

The Chiff called like an abientinus.

Harry in the lead there.

[Joern Lehmhus]

Well, I was late. I would have got the Leachs and the Chiffchaff, but the other two...no.

[Steve G]

Snowba's chance in hell of beating you lot. 2,3 & 4 as per Harry but I wouldn't have got the Woodchat shrike in number 1 despite kind of seeing it once suggested. I was initially thinking along the lines of a first winter Ficedula (?pied).

[Jane Turner]

Supplementaries on the way.... to keep the thread alive

[Jane Turner]

here you are

[Jane Turner]

No more clues.... I only have two more in hand, I need daylight to get pics off the slides!

Two in my garden..that's a clue. Herbage too please

[Jane Turner]

I have reasons for adding this too. Two species.

[marek_walford]

First lot:

1. Bunting sp. Female Cirl? (have no faith in this answer)
2. Garden Warbler
3. Spotless Starling
4. Female Lady A Pheasant

Second lot:
Left hand bird - Pied-billed Grebe
Right hand bird - Long-tailed Duck

Must bring some field guides into work.

[Harry Hussey]

1)Little Bunting?
2)Garden Warbler
3)Either very odd-looking Starlings or a non-WP species?
4)Lady Amherst's Pheasant?
Harry H

[Harry Hussey]

Hadn't seen last photo.Def.Long-tailed Duck on the right,and Marek may well be right with Pied-billed Grebe:that head and bill look good for one,BUT can Little be ruled out on this photo?
Harry H

[Jane Turner]

I added that pic because I gave myself a fright with that bird on the left. My estranged hubby took it and I had never blown it up before. The pic was taken in November I think... I found the LTD on a private site. Its a brick pit that's easy to view, being only 20 ft from a road but you climb a gate and often have outrun the guard dogs.

Not sure there has been A PBG in Cheshire. The bill head and hape look a bit good to me. This could be a one that got away!

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I'm going for:

1) Cirl Bunting
2) Garden warbler
3) Spotless Starling
4) Silver Pheasant
5 + 6) Little Grebe and Long-tailed Duck

[Jane Turner]

ok 2 is clearly too easy. Yes its a garden warbler

On orignal slide of the grebe, which I now have under a microscope (literally) the bill and head shape still look pretty good for PBG.

Any views on the sex of the LTD? I was trying for size, since I make the grebe 2/3 the length of the duck!

[Steve G]

1. female Cirl B.
2. Garden Warbler
3. Spotless Starling
4. female Golden pheasant (convinced myself the belly is barred)
5. Dabchick
6. Long tailed duck

[Steve G]

Coal & candlelight a female?

[Bluetail]

1. Cirl Bunting
2. Garden Warbler
3. Starling
4. Golden Pheasant
5. Little Grebe (?)
6. Long-tailed Duck

[Jane Turner]

Hmm. oor er

Wish I'd got out of the car to look at the duck now!

[CJW]

1. Pine Bunting.
2. Garden Warbler
3. Spotless Starling
4. Lady 'A'
5. Dabchick - nothing suggests PBG at all to me.
6. Long tailed duck

[Jane Turner]

1. is a female cirl
2. GW
3. Indeed are spltless starling - don't they look a little spiky-billed and pin-headed

4..is a mess
5...is excluded
6. LTD

The Pheasant looked like a Lady A....sounded like a Golden. I caught it in the end it was in the company of a male Lady A.....which got away....actually it punched a hole through a mistnet! I gave the bird to a friend who keeps birds while I tried to find out who had lost them.

It grew up to be a male Golden x Lady A....but showing mostly Lady A features..... I was cheating!