Bird seen in our garden today- no picture, Bromley UK (1 Viewer)

[Evan Atkinson]

So an unidentified bird landed on our suet feeder around 12 in the afternoon, and my dad saw it out the window. He described it as:
Predominately brown
A little smaller than a blackbird
When it was holding onto the feeder, it held on like a woodpecker
It had a black line of feathers above its eye on both sides and met at the front of the birds head
It had a slender bill similar to a woodpecker.

I’m not sure if it could’ve been a juvenile woodpecker of some sort, below is a picture of the feeder, it has the RSPB suet balls in it so whatever was eating it seemed to like it.


Any ideas greatly appreciated.
Ev

 

[Rotherbirder]

Hi Ev,

Not likely to be a 'juvenile' at this time of year. The description is pretty scant so I suppose we'll never really know for certain what it was, though I'm sure there will be a lot of guessers!

RB

 

[Butty]

Nuthatch with the colour described wrongly.

 

[dantheman]

Nuthatch? They like suet, have brown on them, climb like woodpeckers, and the black line on head pretty good match up.

 

[Evan Atkinson]

It might’ve been that then… never know! Hope it comes back though.

 

[stevethehydra]

I don't think most people would describe a nuthatch as "predominantly brown". Bluish grey above, kind of peach/salmon/pale orangish below...

Redwing could be a possibility? Yes, it's the white supercilium that would usually be noticeable, but i could imagine it being interpreted as a dark stripe above it on a pale background. Or some odd/moulting plumage of a starling? Non-birders often describe them as resembling woodpeckers due to the head/bill shape.

Or even, if you're very lucky, a Waxwing!? (bill is shorter and I don't think it would usually be described as "slender", but might be the best colour match...)

 

[Anon2020]

Treecreeper?

I’ve only seen one in my garden and it wasn’t visiting my feeders.

 

[aeshna5]

I don't think most people would describe a nuthatch as "predominantly brown". Bluish grey above, kind of peach/salmon/pale orangish below...

Redwing could be a possibility? Yes, it's the white supercilium that would usually be noticeable, but i could imagine it being interpreted as a dark stripe above it on a pale background. Or some odd/moulting plumage of a starling? Non-birders often describe them as resembling woodpeckers due to the head/bill shape.

Or even, if you're very lucky, a Waxwing!? (bill is shorter and I don't think it would usually be described as "slender", but might be the best colour match...)

Have you ever seen a Redwing on a feeder like a small woodpecker? Pretty implausible I'd have said. Similarly Waxwing & to the best of my knowledge none in south-east England at the moment.

I think Nuthatch is the most likely candidate from the description of behaviour, size& the black line on the face. Colour perception varies from person to person just like when size is described-it is often inaccurate.

 

[chowchilla]

The black line of feathers and the woodpecker-like behaviour tell me straight away this is a nuthatch, perhaps seen in dull light.

 

[John Tindale]

Another for Nuthatch.

 

[Craig Brown]

So an unidentified bird landed on our suet feeder around 12 in the afternoon, and my dad saw it out the window. He described it as:
Predominately brown
A little smaller than a blackbird
When it was holding onto the feeder, it held on like a woodpecker
It had a black line of feathers above its eye on both sides and met at the front of the birds head
It had a slender bill similar to a woodpecker.

I’m not sure if it could’ve been a juvenile woodpecker of some sort, below is a picture of the feeder, it has the RSPB suet balls in it so whatever was eating it seemed to like it.
View attachment 1420020

Any ideas greatly appreciated.
Ev

Starling?

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Nuthatch on behaviour and black eye line