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Blue headed wagtail Titchwell uk (1 Viewer)

eagle33

eagle33

Craig Shaw
Would i be correct in thinking this is iberiae rather than flava. seen yesterday at titchwell being reported as just a yellow...

cheers
 

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This does look reasonable for iberiae in that the chin and upper breast is white (yellow on flava) and the light supercilium and light below the cheek patch is fine too. However, the dark cheek patch has some white in it and this should be very dark for iberiae. Perhaps it's a darkish flavissima. Over to the experts.
 
eagle33 said:
Cheers Guys, stick with flavissima then...
Click to expand...

No!
It is obviously not flavissima.

I heard this bird call on Saturday but only saw it in flight. The call was very different to typical flavissima or other western races and I kicked myself for not making an effort to see the bird on the ground - too busy watching Grey Phalarope and swarms of Starlings.

Having seen these photos has anyone thought about the possibilities of tshutchensis or however you spell it? Eastern Yellow Wagtail for anyone not into scientific names - and a different species to most people.

Steve
 
Such a plumage won't get you anywhere I'm afraid.
White chins are quite typical for young birds in flava (which according to Steve this would not be on call... but did anyone record it?)
 
Now that complicates things I never did hear it call. Thanks for bringing this up again Steve. Certainly darker than i would imagine for flavissima, that was the reason for questioning it.

Steve Lister said:
No!
It is obviously not flavissima.

I heard this bird call on Saturday but only saw it in flight. The call was very different to typical flavissima or other western races and I kicked myself for not making an effort to see the bird on the ground - too busy watching Grey Phalarope and swarms of Starlings.

Having seen these photos has anyone thought about the possibilities of tshutchensis or however you spell it? Eastern Yellow Wagtail for anyone not into scientific names - and a different species to most people.

Steve
Click to expand...
 
Xenospiza said:
Such a plumage won't get you anywhere I'm afraid.
White chins are quite typical for young birds in flava (which according to Steve this would not be on call... but did anyone record it?)
Click to expand...

Are you then saying that the only diagnostic feature for this bird is the call?
There are the complications of intergrade to consider and that is a minefield. BWP only shows 2 examples of flava and a flava intergrade and both have yellow 'chins'. I am not saying that it is flava BTW. BWP also shows a great variation of flavissima from almost brown and white for just about the whole bird to yellow and brown, the typical ones. There is even a 'blue' version which is really a brownish-blue and white. This one may not be readily be ided on plumage as you say.
 
The call of this bird was a 'sh-r-rip' rather than the normal flava or flavissima 'seep', very different to my ears but nobody else there (and there were lots) seemed to find it odd until I pointed it out.
But that's Titchwell for you.

Steve
 
you don't need to go all the way to siberia, eastern and southern european yellow wags sound similarly sharp. at least cinereocapilla, feldegg and all the (south-)eastern eurpean intergrades can have this harsh call. no chance to ID it on plumage features with all the hybrid variants and young birds (well, you only can eliminate "pure" ind. of the darker capped ssp.)

cheers,
 
lou salomon said:
you don't need to go all the way to siberia, eastern and southern european yellow wags sound similarly sharp. at least cinereocapilla, feldegg and all the (south-)eastern eurpean intergrades can have this harsh call. no chance to ID it on plumage features with all the hybrid variants and young birds (well, you only can eliminate "pure" ind. of the darker capped ssp.)

cheers,
Click to expand...

Correct!
 
Steve Lister said:
The call of this bird was a 'sh-r-rip' rather than the normal flava or flavissima 'seep', very different to my ears but nobody else there (and there were lots) seemed to find it odd until I pointed it out.
But that's Titchwell for you.

Steve
Click to expand...

I certaily Questioned the bird, but limited knowledge, i had no idea of race....We seem no closer to an id.
 
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