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Interesting Sylvia warbler (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Birder_Griff
- Start date
Jean FRANCOIS
Well-known member
Subalpine Warbler i think.
Jean
Jean
Jean FRANCOIS
Well-known member
I of course hesitated between the two, and perhaps made the wrong choice.
Jean
Birder_Griff
Chris Griffin
Thanks for the offers, but it didn't look bulky enough for Orphean and also didn't thing pale fringed dark centred tertails were a feature either.... Also, when do the eyes turn from dark to pale? Surely a 1st winter bird would have place eyes by now?
Only Sylvia sp apart from this individual present were definite Sardinians, and this bird was similar in size and behaviour. Any more thoughts?
Only Sylvia sp apart from this individual present were definite Sardinians, and this bird was similar in size and behaviour. Any more thoughts?
KenM
Well-known member
The light appears to be coming from 10’0’clock?, hence the highlights to the upper mandible and lower eye-ring only. Perhaps the bill is bigger than it appears as it’s somewhat fore-shortened?
Cheers
RafaelMatias
Unknown member
This was my first impression (one of that 'group'), but I hesitate to comment on a single photo as this one. In any case, bearing in mind the limitations of such an exercise, here it goes:
We can rule out Orphean safely on proportions and bill size (proportions, really) alone, imo. Orphean are bulky birds with proportionately large bill, and the eye would most likely show some pale coloration even in such a pic even if it were a 2nd year bird); the white half eye-ring would be atypical for Orphean as well (while typical of Lesser Whitethroat); the front seems pale, another pro LW feature and atypical of Orphean (even if this were a 2nd year bird, the front would be dark already). Sardinian ruled out as well.
Subalpine (species group) can also be ruled out based on the facial pattern (very dark ear coverts, white eye-ring restricted to lower half only, as said above), lack of any red visible around or in the eye; tail not properly visible (partially hidden by the Acacia leaves), but it seems to be short (I think the tip, i.e. where it ends is visible, but not 100% sure on this).
Lesser Whitethroat seems to me the best fitting species, regardless of rarity. There have been a few weeks of Levant wind, making this record more likely.
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Any thoughts on subspecies? Given that blythi Lesserthroats have increasingly been migrating west to winter in Britain in recent years, I'd not be at all surprised if this was more likely in winter in Morocco than nominate curruca.
KenM
Well-known member
Looking at dark races of Lesser Whitethroat...”althaea” would not be dissimilar size wise to Sardinian Warbler, although it would be a long haul from the mountains of Central Asia with distance perhaps not as unlikely as at first might appear...Paddyfield Pipit to Cornwall moved the goalposts somewhat. :eek!:
screaming piha
Well-known member
To me, that's a female Sardinian Warbler. The face is very dusty with pollen (or dust!) across the lores, forehead and eye area.
Jefferson Shank
Well-known member
Agreed
Sardinian is a very different bird.
It generally does not show any white around the eye, has red orbital ring, much darker underparts, and much shorter primary projection.
It would be good if the photographer could post more pictures. Leg colour, for instance, would quickly limit the options.
It generally does not show any white around the eye, has red orbital ring, much darker underparts, and much shorter primary projection.
It would be good if the photographer could post more pictures. Leg colour, for instance, would quickly limit the options.
screaming piha
Well-known member
@smiths
I don't see any white around the eye (just dust). The eye ring is obscure. The primary projection is partly hidden and exaggerated by the exposed bases of the primaries (incomplete tertials).
I don't see any white around the eye (just dust). The eye ring is obscure. The primary projection is partly hidden and exaggerated by the exposed bases of the primaries (incomplete tertials).
KenM
Well-known member
Odd that the dust is restricted to the part of the rim, that would reflect the ambient lighting?
This makes little sense to me.
Only the central tertial is missing; the longest one is fresh, is in its normal place and of normal length. Yes, the primary projection is partly hidden behind the Acacia leaves but that means it may be even longer than what is suggested in the photograph. It is certainly not going to be shorter! Note also how the primary spacing increases towards the end of the wingtip; in Sardinian the primary tips are more closely bunched together.
I don't see how pollen could result in both a white semi-circle below the eye (right where it is expected in Lesser Whitethroat, coincidentally) and blackish ear-coverts?
In addition to all this, the pale underparts in themselves already rule out Sardinian as an option.
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This was my interpretation too FWIW
Birder_Griff
Chris Griffin
A few more images of this Sylvia.... we discounted Orphean instantly on size and behaviour along with previous experience (in that location!)..... Lots of movement to the south of us due to the sandstorm, yes, but it seems here there is nothing moving at all..... the sandstorm has cut us off from the usual northerly movement.
We went for 1w male moulting to adult, any thoughts?
No feathered eye-ring agreed, the comment was purely about the skin colour which, obviously, is red in Sardinian.... thus the confusion, as the only other Sylvias in the entire area were all Sardinian.
We went for 1w male moulting to adult, any thoughts?
No feathered eye-ring agreed, the comment was purely about the skin colour which, obviously, is red in Sardinian.... thus the confusion, as the only other Sylvias in the entire area were all Sardinian.
