• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

ID needed - UK "tit"? (1 Viewer)

P

peterbell1

New member
Hi - I'm new to this forum and I'm a very unknowledgable garden bird watcher, so please excuse my ignorance if this is a daft question.
I'm trying to identify a bird that has just visited my garden in north-east England. It was roughly the size of a blue tit, but had yellowish underparts and a brown back, with a small white bar on the wing which was visible when it was perched. Its most striking feature was a very bright yellow flash above each eye. It was very active, just like a blue tit, and there was a pair of them in some apple trees, along with a pair of blue tits. Because of this I initially thought it must be a juvenile blue tit, but my guide book doesn't mention anything about the yellow flashes above the eyes.
Thanks a lot
Pete
 
peterbell1 said:
Hi - I'm new to this forum and I'm a very unknowledgable garden bird watcher, so please excuse my ignorance if this is a daft question.
I'm trying to identify a bird that has just visited my garden in north-east England. It was roughly the size of a blue tit, but had yellowish underparts and a brown back, with a small white bar on the wing which was visible when it was perched. Its most striking feature was a very bright yellow flash above each eye. It was very active, just like a blue tit, and there was a pair of them in some apple trees, along with a pair of blue tits. Because of this I initially thought it must be a juvenile blue tit, but my guide book doesn't mention anything about the yellow flashes above the eyes.
Thanks a lot
Pete
Click to expand...

Could be a goldcrest?

Richard
 
Hi Pete,

A warm welcome to BirdForum from all the Moderators and Admin.

I think we need a photo to help us here with the id. Was the yellow flash just above the eye or on the crown of the head?

 
Hi all - thanks for the quick replies and the welcome!
It did indeed look like a goldcrest but I was under the impression that they are smaller than blue tits. The birds I saw were about the same size as blue tits (I saw them in the same tree at the same time so got a good opportunity to compare them). Might be a goldcrest with a weight problem! But that's definitely what the birds looked like anyway. If they come back I'll grab a camera.
 
Hello again. Thanks again for all the input.
The bright yellow cap of the Goldcrest is the closest colour to that of the yellow flashes on the birds I saw. I'll have to assume that I've seen a particularly large Goldcrest next to a rather small Blue Tit, making them look roughly the same size.
If the pair of birds return to my garden I'll endevour to get a decent photo.
Thanks again for your comments
I'll look forward to learning a lot more reading all the other posts here!!
All the best
Pete
 
Warning! This thread is more than 20 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

S
Need advice re first year nest box
Replies
4
Views
144
Sjh76
S
C
Did Merlin Bird ID really hear these in my garden?
2 3
Replies
43
Views
6K
qwerty5
qwerty5
01101001
Twite confirmation from description
Replies
12
Views
805
Richard D
Richard D
J
Possibly Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
Replies
4
Views
789
jaaserud
J
M
ID from paint sketch - Titchwell, Norfolk, UK
Replies
14
Views
1K
Richard Prior
Richard Prior

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top