Mistle or Song thrush (1 Viewer)

[Derbyfella]

Was watching an individual thrush on the field opposite - or so i thought...

Please could you take a look - sorry its a bit blurry


Is the slightly rufous cast above the legs an indicative feature - making these song thrushes?

also any pointers to get better shots is a bonus! hand held Lumix dcfz82at full zoom (x60) but on the auto setting

 

[dwatsonbirder]

The pale edges on the remiges giving the wing a contrasting appearance confirms Mistle thrush - other clues are the very erect posture and the paler ear coverts.

 

[delia todd]

any pointers to get better shots

It's the messy background that causes difficulty for the camera to find a sharp outline on the birds, so is unable to lock the focus. It actually seems to have focused on the darker lines beyond the birds.

I don't know your camera at all, but as you use Automode, is there a Landscape setting? My camera has one which is easily gettable (a quick turn of the dial). This sometimes works, especially if you don't zoom in too much (but then you need a lot of pixels in order to crop the image afterwards).

 

[Derbyfella]

thank you, i watched the BTO video and still not really any the wiser

 

[01101001]

Also, greyish back and lots of tiny, irregular dots, plus jizz (example below). I've also had the problem of my camera focusing on the wrong parts--you can sometimes adjust the focus by hand using Manual setting (that's its name, I think): it won't be supersharp but can well be better than Auto. Or, if you feel you're really bad at it, why don't you switch to bins only, taking field notes or sound recording. Not everybody has to take photos the likes of which we can see in the Gallery.

The below was taken with a DMC-FZ50 (if you really want to know ). My current profile picture of a(n unusually cooperative) Blackbird is much better because it was phonescoped using the bins.

 

[KenM]

All Mistles.👍

 

[Butty]

greyish back

Hoorah - at last somebody (other than me) notes this key (and obvious) feature 🏅

 

[Derbyfella]

I generally always use bins and scope…., but I do want to catch phoTos of things especially when I can, ie when at home..

 

[Stonefaction]

Hoorah - at last somebody (other than me) notes this key (and obvious) feature 🏅

Which isn't actually visible in the original photo....(so unsurprisingly wouldn't be mentioned when discussing the birds in the photo)

 

[01101001]

I generally always use bins and scope…., but I do want to catch phoTos of things especially when I can, ie when at home..

No need to worry--after all, they're noticeably better than some other photos in this thread.

EDIT: When it comes to features, my favourite one is that Song Thrush seems to lack spotting between its legs, whereas Mistle Thrush is marked all over its belly (also the shape and distribution of the spots when seen up close).

 

[Butty]

Which isn't actually visible in the original photo....(so unsurprisingly wouldn't be mentioned when discussing the birds in the photo)

...isn't visible to you - apparently. It is to me and (presumably) to 011etc. Which is why we mentioned it in discussing the birds in the photo.

 

[Stonefaction]

...isn't visible to you - apparently. It is to me and (presumably) to 011etc. Which is why we mentioned it in discussing the birds in the photo.

Similar colour to (some of) the earth in the field on my PC screen - though there is hardly any of the 'actual' back visible in the photos, given the angle of the birds in the photo. While Mistle Thrushes can have grey backs, not all of them do - most of those around here tend to be more brown than grey - so it will only be a 'key' feature for those greyish backed birds and not every single Mistle Thrush (I've included both brown and grey backed birds in photos below). Granted, Song Thrushes tend not to have greyish backs, so if the bird does have a grey-ish back then it is more likely to be a Mistle Thrush.

 

[Butty]

That field is rather sandy and yellowish.
I find the upperparts are visible.
None of your photos conflict with 'my' feature.
Consider incorrect coloured balance in photos.

 

[Stonefaction]

That field is rather sandy and yellowish.
I find the upperparts are visible.
None of your photos conflict with 'my' feature.
Consider incorrect coloured balance in photos.

Not seeing anything 'yellowish' about the field. You obviously can, but what one person (whether that be you, or me) perceives as yellow-ish may differ from everyone else's perception of 'yellow-ish'.

Upperparts - yes, mostly the rather brown looking wings. 'Back' not so much.

I didn't say they did. They are posted to show that there can be variation in tones on Mistle Thrush backs from more of a brown to more of a grey. Overall I actually agree with you that Mistle Thrush will tend to look greyer than Song Thrush (almost) ever will, as I've also pointed out previously - Mistle Thrush or Song Thrush? Seen on Walthamstow Marshes, London, UK).

Considered. They look as I'd expect photos of Mistle Thrush, photographed in a variety of lighting conditions, to look.

Enjoy your evening.

 

[Bewick]

Similar colour to (some of) the earth in the field on my PC screen - though there is hardly any of the 'actual' back visible in the photos, given the angle of the birds in the photo. While Mistle Thrushes can have grey backs, not all of them do - most of those around here tend to be more brown than grey - so it will only be a 'key' feature for those greyish backed birds and not every single Mistle Thrush (I've included both brown and grey backed birds in photos below). Granted, Song Thrushes tend not to have greyish backs, so if the bird does have a grey-ish back then it is more likely to be a Mistle Thrush.

Third pic looks better for a song thrush.

 

[Stonefaction]

Third pic looks better for a song thrush.

You're not wrong. User error, on my part. I saved a few photos from my Flickr Mistle Thrush album into my downloads album (where there were already countless other photos including that one) and then selected from the small thumbnail view what I thought were the same photos to upload here.....and never noticed that one shouldn't have been there. D'oh!

EDIT: Just double-checked and it is in my Song Thrush album on Flickr and on the blog-post linked from there as a Song Thrush, so I did actually know it was a Song Thrush.

 

[Harrybongo]

Third pic looks better for a song thrush.

Hi. Yes, chevron shaped spots, and I can just make out lightish rusty brown tips to the med/great coverts.

 

[Butty]

Third pic looks better for a song thrush.

Certainly - and distressingly greyish! 🤷🏻

 

[dantheman]

Continental Song Thrushes are greyer than British residents??

 

[Bewick]

Continental Song Thrushes are greyer than British residents??

(Song thrush - Wikipedia) Appears so.