Which Redpolls? Bedfordshire UK (1 Viewer)

[trivett]

It looks like this isn't the first time this question has been asked... but I'm still struggling here.

It's been a nice cold and sunny morning here so I went for a walk in some woods / heathland nearby. In the woods I came across a huge flock of birds probably a couple of hundred strong. Mostly redpoll but with a few goldfinches in there too.

I understand that the most common redpoll in the Lesser Redpoll, and lots of them looked like they fit this pictures / description for Lessers.

Some were noticeably bigger though and a lighter shade of brown and bright white underneath. Could these be Common or Mealy redpolls?

For what it's worth the Merlin app identified the sound as common redpolls constantly, though not sure how different, if at all, their calls are. The only time the merlin app heard lesser redpolls is when a sparrowhawk swooped in and took one of the birds! That caused a lot of noise but also caused the flock to disappear off somewhere else!

Here's some pictures to help, not the best and not as good as the view through my binoculars but the best I can offer online!

Thanks in advanced for your help!

 

[aeshna5]

I would say some of these (especially the top 2 photos) are Common (Mealy) Redpolls with their frosted appearance & lack of warm buff tones & white rather than buff wing bars. The fact some appeared larger too is another good pointer. However as we now redpolls can be a minefield & some taxonomists believe they should all be lumped together.

 

[trivett]

I would say some of these (especially the top 2 photos) are Common (Mealy) Redpolls with their frosted appearance & lack of warm buff tones & white rather than buff wing bars. The fact some appeared larger too is another good pointer. However as we now redpolls can be a minefield & some taxonomists believe they should all be lumped together.

Thanks for your reply. Good to hear because that's more or less my thoughts too, great to know I'm thinking along the right lines!