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id help - WORCESTERSHIRE (1 Viewer)

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bluebirdbank

Active member
Who can I ask about what I have just seen in the garden?

The usual little brown bird, or so I thought. Probably female chaffinch at first glance

Helpfully, it sat on a branch right outside my window for a good 5 minutes, so I could get the glasses for some details
Certainly, chaffinch size, but with long pointed bill (like a flycatcher?) darker at the tip
Buffy/greeny/beige on top, lighter under, and almost white on belly
Lighter band around neck, with definite yellow/cream surround to eye
Longish tail, and instead of the two light wing bars of a chaffinch, there was one creamy coloured band where the lower one of a chaffinch would be, and what seems like a lighter band created by light tips.
It sat in one place for a good five minutes, but with a very mobile head, continually looking up down and around

The nearest things I have seen before would be female chaffinch (wrong bill and wings) greenfinch (wrong bill, less green) siskin (not enough yellow or green) Blackcap (no black or chestnut head)
Any ideas??

Angela S Hickman- Hale
 
Hi Angela and welcome to Bird Forum from all the Staff and Moderators

I'm sure someone will be along soon to help you with this id

D
 
Jyothi Ray said:
Welcome to BF! Did it look anything like this? That's a Chiffchaff.
Click to expand...
Hi Jyothi b- thanks for my first reply!

I had considered a chiffchaff - and I've looked at your photo and the others linked to it, but........
It had a defnite yellow ring around the eye, but no obvious eyebrow/stripe, and it had a definite creamy coloured wingbar, where the lower wingbar usually is (tip of great coverts????), and none of these photos, or any in any of my books, show a chiffchaff, or a willow warbler, with any wing bar.

it did come back later, but only stayed about 30 seconds - however, I was able to check and it definitely had a wingbar. I would have been convinced it was a female chaffinch, but it was definitely not a finch beak, it was long and pointed.

And I thought chiffchaffs were summer visitors?
Any more ideas?
Angela
 
Last edited:
bitterntwisted said:
Struggling with this one, Angela, although your description should be good enough.

What about this chap:
http://www.blueskybirds.co.uk/photos/goldcrest270206c.jpg

Although the two things you should also have noticed with this bird are tiny size and that crown-stripe:
http://www.hlasek.com/foto/regulus_regulus_4281.jpg
http://www.blueskybirds.co.uk/goldcrest.php

BTW, Chiffchaffs are much more numerous in summer, but an increasing number do winter here now.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that - have only ever seen one goldcrest - but not that - much bigger - chaffinch size as i say, and no obvious crown stripe.
Gold finches were around at the time, and I reckon it was bigger than them. I've not particularly seen chiffchaffs before, but what's veering me away from them is the wingbar, and the fact that it didn't seem to have an eyestripe/brow, more just a small but complete yellow ring around the eye

What about a warbler of some type, or a flycatcher? I've looked through all my books and can't find anything with a wingbar - but it was definitely there
 
Fair point! Try a sketch - that might do the trick. If you're not great at drawing, find a bird in your guidewith the most similar shape and trace it, then adjust details as necessary (f'rinstance, once you've copied the shape, rub out the bill and redraw it, then the tail, slim it down if needed, etc).
 
Hmm. From your description, Goldcrest seems the most likely, except for size of course. I'm struggling to think of a bird that fits the description that has a pale eye surround...
 
Had a think about this and the only bird which springs to mind that matches bill and size description that is likely for a garden is a Dunnock.

Chiffchaff matches some of your description but size is off. The buntings and finches don't match the bill.

A pic or sketch would be great.

Tim
 
Size illusions are common. It's easy to misjudge how big a bird is. Apart from size, I think everything fits for Goldcrest. Dunnock doesn't match the colour description.
 
Sorry Jyothi, no crest stripe and much too big.
And to colonelboris, I wish i could draw - and the stupid thing was that I had the digital camera sitting here and never thought to use it.
And what was strange was that on the first sighting, it sat on a branch, straight in veiw of the window, for a good few minutes, so I did get a good look at it with the bins. Usually they sit on a branch, look around, and fly off and in switching from Bins, to specs, I lose them! But this just sat there, the only movement was frequent and mobile turning of head and looking up and down. Hence why I am certain of the details - i actually ahd time to look , and then look in book , then go back to looking at bird - most unusual!
Nobody any veiws on wablers or flycatchers - mi know its the wrong time of year - but we've already had red admiralssunning themselves in the garden, and they shouldn't be here till April!
 
Jyothi Ray said:
Size illusions are common. It's easy to misjudge how big a bird is. Apart from size, I think everything fits for Goldcrest. Dunnock doesn't match the colour description.
Click to expand...

We have quite a lot of Dunnocks around, so i know what they look like - this was less grey/ brown, more buff/greeny, and had no streaks - and honestly, I had time to note the size well, and it would have been the biggest goldcrest seen I woould imagine

I will admit that the nearest i came in the books, as you all have, was chiffchaff - but i kept coming back to the yellow around eye (could have been a very minor stripe, as per chiffchaff description, but i didn't think so), but how do we explain the wingbar - and I really didn't imagine it!

And my first reason for discounting it was i thought it was the wrong time of year , so at least i now know not to worry about that detail
 
bluebirdbank said:
Sorry Jyothi, no crest stripe and much too big.
And to colonelboris, I wish i could draw - and the stupid thing was that I had the digital camera sitting here and never thought to use it.
And what was strange was that on the first sighting, it sat on a branch, straight in veiw of the window, for a good few minutes, so I did get a good look at it with the bins. Usually they sit on a branch, look around, and fly off and in switching from Bins, to specs, I lose them! But this just sat there, the only movement was frequent and mobile turning of head and looking up and down. Hence why I am certain of the details - i actually ahd time to look , and then look in book , then go back to looking at bird - most unusual!
Nobody any veiws on wablers or flycatchers - mi know its the wrong time of year - but we've already had red admiralssunning themselves in the garden, and they shouldn't be here till April!
Click to expand...

I think it is still a bit too early for flycatchers but it might be worth having a look through Bird Guides website:

http://www.birdguides.com/pictures/default.asp?search=1&mode=search&sp=136287&rty=0&v=0

Perhaps something else may jump out as being the bird you saw. If you see it again try to get a photo as this will be a huge help.
 
bluebirdbank said:
Nobody any views on warblers or flycatchers - mi know its the wrong time of year - but we've already had red admirals sunning themselves in the garden, and they shouldn't be here till April!
Click to expand...
You can't rule out anything by time of year. A pair of Blackbirds made it onto the news by hatching out their first brood before Christmas!
Whitethroat has a pale eyering but is generally a lot browner than your description and lacks a wingbar. It couldn't really be a flycatcher sp. because the only species we get in the UK don't show any green or olive in the plumage, just mainly grey, brown, black and white.
I'm stumped.
 
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