Inmature Redstart? (1 Viewer)

[KenM]

Maybe, in the World-of-Ken, this is how one a) acknowledges that one has publicly misrepresented someone's words and b) apologizes for it.

Take the simplest explanation: that (as is common in black redstart) it was a 1-year-old breeding in immature plumage. No mystery.
But... Salop? 'North'?! 🤣 - the view of the UK from London...

Apologies, I failed to mention, that I’d already seen the adult male as in Common Redstart assisting with the feeding.😮😮😮🤣

 

[Richard Prior]

And there was me thinking you liked the odd play on words which is all I was doing, ah well, « and some fell on stony ground » as the good book says
Checking in another good book ( Shirihai and Svensson) confirms they have two broods ( except way oop north, Finland for example) so as Butty has just suggested, as Common breeds at one year old like Black Redstart, your Shropshire male was perhaps one of those, alternatively it your observation was later in the summer it’s interesting to read that the adult males start their moult into a duller plumage from July.
Aargh, while writing this post having done some reading just for you Ken I see your latest missive which makes a lot of my paragraph above irrelevant (sigh) - so did you definitely see three differently plumaged individuals feeding the young? If just two, it’s worth noting that S and S state that « Rarely, adult female can develop advanced male-like plumage »…….

 

[KenM]

And there was me thinking you liked the odd play on words which is all I was doing, ah well, « and some fell on stony ground » as the good book says
Checking in another good book ( Shirihai and Svensson) confirms they have two broods ( except way oop north, Finland for example) so as Butty has just suggested, as Common breeds at one year old like Black Redstart, your Shropshire male was perhaps one of those, alternatively it your observation was later in the summer it’s interesting to read that the adult males start their moult into a duller plumage from July.
Aargh, while writing this post having done some reading just for you Ken I see your latest missive which makes a lot of my paragraph above irrelevant (sigh) - so did you definitely see three differently plumaged individuals feeding the young? If just two, it’s worth noting that S and S state that « Rarely, adult female can develop advanced male-like plumage »…….

If memory serves Richard, it was in July and yes “the three birds” were present on the said occasion.
Regarding adult females (x dressers 🤣) developing male “livery”.
If memory once again serves?…that sexual dimorphism occurs with certain harrier species….‘ang on!…just slipping me tights on🤣

 

[Butty]

sexual dimorphism occurs with certain harrier species...

...and half(?) of the rest of the British list. You may have the terminology wrong:

Dictionary D-F - BirdForum Opus

www.birdforum.net

 

[KenM]

...and half(?) of the rest of the British list. You may have the terminology wrong:

Dictionary D-F - BirdForum Opus

www.birdforum.net

Yes, whichever “ism” includes normally ageing females I believe?, don’t think males have the pleasure of developing partial female plumage. Have to presume an uncommon occurrence phase amongst most species?

Anyway, back to the gritty on “my images,” the upper-parts were grey, let’s not lose sight of that and presume a “hatch” female, had it been a male, it would have had a different head pattern.

The OP’s bird clearly a male, where I asked the question regarding the age..cos of my experience with the species at home and abroad which have been confusing from time to time.
I’ll also throw in an encounter on a bare-ish bracketed Shropshire hillside during June two years ago, unfortunately looking into the sun atop a boulder, what appeared to be a male chat (I say chat, because all 5 chats were present that day).
To my eye looking like a x between a Wheatear and a CRedstart.
The shots I attempted were “bin fodder”unfortunately, that’s why I’m always cautious when it comes to ascribing status to those that are less than full adult.😮