Can I get ID of these birds? (Poland) (1 Viewer)

[misikuru]

Hello! I'm new here. Could you help me with identifying these birds? All photos taken in Greater Poland, Poland. Sorry for the poor quality. Also, a brief description of how you identified them would be very helpful.

I tried to guess the species but I'm not sure.
1, 2. Common scoter (taken on a lake, they dive. 25.10.2021)
3. Crested lark (in a shopping mall parking lot in the middle of the fields, 28.12.2021)
4. Common kestrel/Peregrine falcon/Merlin? (09.01.2022)

Thanks!

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

1&2 Common Scoter females, brown diving ducks with pale cheeks
3 Crested Lark; streaky with a small pointed crest
4 Kestrel - female, streaky back
Essentially, all of these simply look like the relevant birds; details of shape and proportions which add up to a bird’s jizz; all these photographs are plenty clear enough to show this.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
I agree with you_
both Ducks are Common Scooters and the passerine is a Crested Lark (a supporting feature is the place you observed them. Parking lots in an urbal sourrounding are favourite places for this species, at least in Germany).

The falcon is hard for me and I hope for others to jump in. Its either a Kestrel or a merlin
Although I get the feeling of a small, compact bird, this cant be judged with confidence (thank you Butty! I will expand that later, you will see), it might well be enhanced by a hunched, fluffed up bird (cold weather?), I think, the barred pattern on the upperparts makes and the head pattern makes this a Kestrel

But I have just learned again, not to squeeze too much out of such pictures (thank you Jörn, again!) and I better wait for others and/or more pictures of the Falcon

 

[misikuru]

Thanks a lot Welsh Peregrine and Alexander!

 

[Butty]

Kestrel - female, streaky back

Barred, as Alex says - even spotty - but not streaky.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Sorry: forgot the most important thing: welcome to birdforum, Misikuru!

And yes, Butty, it might well be useful to use the "best fit" word to describe the pattern to a new member (but new doesnt mean, that he/she doesnt have much experience).
I am sure (with much more confidence than in the recent Scaup thread), that Welsh Peregrine has meant exactly this pattern and yes, its surely time to improve my english.
And as a member of the "weight over quality"-camera group, I am still looking for help regarding what can be squeezed out of such pictures. I wasnt sure, if artefacts might enhanced the pattern here, shifting towards Kestrel pattern.

And I just realized, that my wish has come true and two experienced members have identified the bird as a Kestrel. As said, its not an easy bird for me. And it helped me gaining experience in this topic. Like in the Scaup thread, thank you Welsh Peregrine, Butty, Jörn and Mac Nara (I looked at the question why do Gadwalls often appear smaller than Mallards, I will expand that later)

I hope that remarks regarding picture quality dont come out as an offense to a new member, Misikuru. They are only meant to help with ID.

 

[Rotherbirder]

Agree with all IDs - and the falcon is definitely F. tinnunculus. No way would any Merlin show that upperpart pattern.

RB

 

[misikuru]

Thank you all for your help!

Alexander, I'm not offended at all Actually I've got a new point-and-shoot superzoom this week and I'm hoping my ID photos will be much better from now on.