Michał Jaro
Well-known member
Please help me with that redpolls. They show some features of arctic. Just enough ?
Hi Michal,
I'm doubtful that anyone could/would give you a definitiv ID for these birds. Some days ago I observed a few very pale Redpolls myself and I'm still not completely convinced they were Arctic Redpolls even if I'm probably going to report them as such.
As you know there obviously is a great controversy concerning Arctic vs Mealy Redpoll ID. After reading many sources I'm not sure whether there is any reliable, widely accepted feature at all to tell them apart esp. when such borderline birds are involved. You linked some of the sources in your last Redpoll-threat yourself. Some people only "count" really classic individuals and others are more progressive. The Swedish just have lumped them into all beeing A. flammea ssp. again... This year seems to be a irruption into Europe. Many of these paler Redpolls among them. In Poland alone this autumn many birds have been determined as Arctic Redpolls: http://www.ornitho.pl/index.php?m_id=30054 I doubt that all of them looked perfectly frosty white. If looking at photos in the web it is the same in Germany, the Netherlands...