Two garden visitors Kent UK (1 Viewer)

[thestillpoint]

Hi All,

I'm completely new to birding so please forgive my ignorance. I've had two new birds approach the feeder and I'm not sure what they are.

The still photo is the only picture I have of this bird. Is this a blackcap? This is a shot from an outside camera. I didn't see the bird directly, so don't have any more information than is in the picture.

I also can't identify the bird in the two short video clips. It was about 6am a couple of days ago, and it made two attempts to get the bird seed but presumably couldn't perch. It seems to have a black stripe with a thin white line above across the side of its head and some white and black markings on the top of the wings. I've searched on a couple of sites and the Merlin app but haven't found anything that seems to match. Can anyone help?

 

[thestillpoint]

Oops, this is the second view of the larger bird.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Welcome to BirdForum. The only birds I can see in the photos and videos are House Sparrows, both male and female.

 

[thestillpoint]

The bird that flies in and out very quickly is much larger than the sparrows? Another pic below, a bit blurry because it's captured from the video, but it shows its size relative to the sparrows.

In the still shot, is that a sparrow (coming in on the right hand side) - I didn't realise they could have black capped heads and white ringed eyes?

Thank you for the welcome!

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum. I hope you enjoy your visits.

The speed is too fast for me, and the still is a bit blurry. It could possibly be a male blackcap.

 

[thestillpoint]

Thank you. Yes, I've tried to look at it frame by frame but it's so fast that it's very hard to get a clear image.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

The bird that flies in and out very quickly is much larger than the sparrows? Another pic below, a bit blurry because it's captured from the video, but it shows it's size relative to the sparrows.

In the still shot, is that a sparrow (coming in on the right hand side) - I didn't realise they could have black capped heads and white ringed eyes?

Thank you for the welcome!

I think the apparent size difference is just because of it being quite 'spread out' with its wings and tail. You can see the pale braces on the back, which are typical for a female House Sparrow. As I say, I can only see male and female House Sparrows here.

 

[thestillpoint]

Thank you.

I feel slightly uncomfortable querying the experts, but it really is significantly larger. Do sparrows get this big? Perhaps this clip can give a clearer impression:

 

[thestillpoint]

I do agree the markings look sparrow-like, but it wouldn't have had any trouble perching if it were a sparrow? It made two attempts within a couple of minutes and then seemingly gave up.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Thank you.

I feel slightly uncomfortable querying the experts, but it really is significantly larger. Do sparrows get this big? Perhaps this clip can give a clearer impression:

One of the reasons I mention the pale braces on the back is that I'm a bit happier judging plumage features than size, particularly with something where the different birds are not at the same angle. The plumage all points to a female House Sparrow and the apparent size difference can probably be explained simply by the angle of the view and the bird spreading itself out. Also, keep in mind that a Blackcap is probably going to be slightly smaller than a House Sparrow, rather than larger. Size can be very tricky to judge, even in photos.

 

[thestillpoint]

Thank you. I guess it helps that I'm very familiar with the location; if it is a sparrow, it's 2½ to 3 times the size of the group of 15 or so that visit several times a day.

 

[ryckfour]

I’m in the House Sparrow camp on this but can’t be sure from these images/clips. It’s worth restating the difficulty of judging size, especially from remote images - three times the size of a House Sparrow gives you a bird the size of a Carrion Crow.

 

[Stonefaction]

House Sparrows for me too. Neither bird is a Blackcap - the markings that are 'just' visible when viewed frame by frame rule out Blackcap and in a UK context rule out probably all the other species that would visit feeders (more or less). The still frames (as bad as they are) make it difficult to judge exactly where in 3 dimensions the bird is, which can play a part in how large/small an object might appear to be (as explained in detail by one Father Ted Crilley ).

 

[thestillpoint]

Fair enough. Thank you all very much, I will bear all that in mind in future. This is evidently going to be quite tricky if I'm failing to even correctly identify sparrows! But very useful to realise how deceptive perception can be.

 

[Stonefaction]

Fair enough. Thank you all very much, I will bear all that in mind in future. This is evidently going to be quite tricky if I'm failing to even correctly identify sparrows! But very useful to realise how deceptive perception can be.

To be fair, you are trying to ID them from some really poor images/video. There is very little to go on due to the low resolution and blurring. Depending on lighting conditions, you will almost always get better views 'in the flesh' or at least more relevant information to help your brain process what you're seeing. A split second glimpse of a bird at an odd angle/in odd light etc can (and sometimes still does!) lead to blurting out an ID that instantly turns out to be wrong when a better view is had a second or so later.... Experience helps but it isn't always infallible.

 

[thestillpoint]

That's kind of you, thank you. It's surprisingly fascinating. A female sparrowhawk took down a collared dove in the back garden a little while ago, and I was intrigued to find out what it was. I think I'm gradually getting hooked!

 

[Butty]

You need binoculars and a field guide. Then your life will change 😉

 

[thestillpoint]

Is there a field guide you'd recommend?

Binoculars look like a quest in their own right - are there any that would be good for a beginner, or is it a case of reading all the reviews and threads and then trying a few pairs?

 

[Richard D]

Is there a field guide you'd recommend?

Binoculars look like a quest in their own right - are there any that would be good for a beginner, or is it a case of reading all the reviews and threads and then trying a few pairs?

The best guide: Collins Bird Guide: Amazon.co.uk: Svensson, Lars, Mullarney, Killian, Zetterström, Dan: 9780008547455: Books but there are some other good ones.

Binocular wise, what's your budget?

Oh, and where are you in Kent?

 

[thestillpoint]

Thanks for that. For binoculars, I guess up to around £100 to start - is it possible to get reasonably decent ones at that price?

I'm somewhat rural, a few miles from Canterbury.