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ID from paint sketch - Titchwell, Norfolk, UK (2 Viewers)

Mother_of_birds

Well-known member
United Kingdom
I saw this bird today with a flock of goldfinches and chaffinches. It was of a similar size/build to the goldfinch but from what I saw it had a smaller bill. I mainly only saw its back but it did turn its head briefly and I didn't notice any obvious facial markings. Its head and top of wings were plain light brown except on the back of its head there were these two stripes running parallel which were a darker brown. The lower part of the wings were these bars of alternating dark brown and very dark brown and they were very sharp as in the colours didn't bleed into each other it (I didn't count how many bars there were so sketch is just a rough representation) and between its closed wings was white.

I've looked through several bird field guides, including my WILDGUIDES Britains birds which has every bird ever seen in Britain, and I can't find anything that matches what I saw. I'm sorry about the poor 'sketch', I didn't think I would need one since its markings were so striking, I know if I see a photo of this bird from behind I would recognise it straight away!
 

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Female Brambling was my immediate thought, hope you see it again MoB!
A very “odd” Brambling?
I had dismissed brambling because the bird I saw had completely plain brown upper back and its wing bars seemed to carry on all the way to the tips and were so crisp and perfect. However I can see some pictures of brambling with the head stripes and it does have the white rump, and the wing bars are still similar in their orientation and colouring.... if it was a brambling then it was a very very odd one KenM! And if it was a brambling then it would be a first for me!
 
I saw this bird today with a flock of goldfinches and chaffinches. It was of a similar size/build to the goldfinch but from what I saw it had a smaller bill. I mainly only saw its back but it did turn its head briefly and I didn't notice any obvious facial markings. Its head and top of wings were plain light brown except on the back of its head there were these two stripes running parallel which were a darker brown. The lower part of the wings were these bars of alternating dark brown and very dark brown and they were very sharp as in the colours didn't bleed into each other it (I didn't count how many bars there were so sketch is just a rough representation) and between its closed wings was white.

I've looked through several bird field guides, including my WILDGUIDES Britains birds which has every bird ever seen in Britain, and I can't find anything that matches what I saw. I'm sorry about the poor 'sketch', I didn't think I would need one since its markings were so striking, I know if I see a photo of this bird from behind I would recognise it straight away!
It’s a cockroach… 🤣
 

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