Comments on these N.East London Song Thrushes (1 Viewer)

[KenM]

Several Redwing arrived on the 28th Sep.in my neighbour's garden feeding on the prolific Yew Berries, whether a co-incidence or not, a couple of ''grey Song Thrushes (1st Winters) arrived at the same time, I've not seen such striking examples before! Presume one can only speculate as to their origins?
Image 1. shows a typical garden Song Thrush....as for the rest :eek!:

Cheers

 

[Steve Lister]

Continental Song Thrushes tend to be greyer than British ones.

Steve

 

[KenM]

Continental Song Thrushes tend to be greyer than British ones.

Steve

Steve Hi, I've never seen such grey examples before, have you, and if so, do I need to get out more often. :t:

 

[aeshna5]

Steve Hi, I've never seen such grey examples before, have you, and if so, do I need to get out more often. :t:

I've seen similar looking Song Thrushes from late autumn on my local patch which I've always assumed to be continental birds.

 

[KenM]

I've seen similar looking Song Thrushes from late autumn on my local patch which I've always assumed to be continental birds.

Yes thanks A, prior to putting the thread up, I did look on the web for “grey” examples of T.philomelos...but couldn’t find any that could compare, thus assumed these types to be few and far between.

Therefore as such, would be interesting in knowing what region of the continent “grey” birds hail from. Hopefully birders abroad might be able to shed some light on their incidence/frequency of occurrence in their respective regions.

Cheers

 

[Richard Prior]

Therefore as such, would be interesting in knowing what region of the continent “grey” birds hail from. Hopefully birders abroad might be able to shed some light on their incidence/frequency of occurrence in their respective regions.

Cheers

3 races in Europe according to BWP, which says the greyer birds ( nominate philomelos) are from “Scandinavia, Poland and eastern Romania East to western Siberia and Caucasus”. Our birds here in France are clarkei like those in the British Isles ( except in Outer Hebrides and Skye which are hebridensis)
Never see the grey ones here as the species quits the French Alps for the winter, however I remember the moving experience of seeing one arrive in a nor’easter on Filey Brigg one autumn, perching on seaweed as the waves crashed around it!
Hope this helps.

 

[KenM]

3 races in Europe according to BWP, which says the greyer birds ( nominate philomelos) are from “Scandinavia, Poland and eastern Romania East to western Siberia and Caucasus”. Our birds here in France are clarkei like those in the British Isles ( except in Outer Hebrides and Skye which are hebridensis)
Never see the grey ones here as the species quits the French Alps for the winter, however I remember the moving experience of seeing one arrive in a nor’easter on Filey Brigg one autumn, perching on seaweed as the waves crashed around it!
Hope this helps.

Thanks Richard very helpful indeed! Odd that this “type” is not often imaged if at all, as it was quite a striking bird, apart from the mainly grey uppers, the normally ochre to buff washed flanks are replaced by a solid grey!
No doubt if one had several lifetimes, an amble East across the cline would reveal many differences to many species....now that would be a birding trip of discovery! :t:

 

[Richard Prior]

Thanks Richard very helpful indeed! Odd that this “type” is not often imaged if at all, as it was quite a striking bird, apart from the mainly grey uppers, the normally ochre to buff washed flanks are replaced by a solid grey!
No doubt if one had several lifetimes, an amble East across the cline would reveal many differences to many species....now that would be a birding trip of discovery! :t:

Indeed! Just look at the Meadow Pipit photo here for example, a strikingly ‘different’ individual (scroll down from the Upland Sandpiper on the wire to Chris Townend’s photo):
https://twitter.com/i/status/1312454220172337152