Thrush-ish bird, English East Coast (1 Viewer)

[OpenC]

Hey

Took this today in the dunes along the Northumbrian coast. I'm usually a better photographer but this was very flighty and wouldn't let me get near - this was the best I got with 600mm at my disposal.

Bird was slightly smaller than a blackbird, I would say. It didn't strike me as particularly remarkable at the time (and hey, maybe it's not) but I have no idea what it is. I have spectacularly bad colour vision which doesn't help - the breast looks red to me but I have no idea if it is or not.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance

 

[andrew_s]

A stonechat.
Much smaller than a blackbird

 

[OpenC]

Ah I got one of those the other day and it was indeed much smaller than a blackbird (and much tamer - it kept taking off and instantly coming back to the same place, even when I was just two or three metres away).

I could have sworn the OP bird was thrush-sized and the white throat was bigger than I've seen before, but as I say I couldn't really get near it and it was hard to tell.

Thanks a lot

 

[andrew_s]

It's easy to get the size of a solitary bird very wrong. It helps a lot if there's something easy next to your bird.

 

[Richard Prior]

Ah I got one of those the other day and it was indeed much smaller than a blackbird (and much tamer - it kept taking off and instantly coming back to the same place, even when I was just two or three metres away).

I could have sworn the OP bird was thrush-sized and the white throat was bigger than I've seen before, but as I say I couldn't really get near it and it was hard to tell.

Thanks a lot

Lovely photo, but bear in mind that it's breeding season now and the reason the bird kept coming back to the same spot so close to you is possibly because you were very near the nest.

 

[althos]

Dipper?

 

[THE_FERN]

Dipper?

No: stonechat

 

[OpenC]

Lovely photo, but bear in mind that it's breeding season now and the reason the bird kept coming back to the same spot so close to you is possibly because you were very near the nest.

Indeed. I tried not to disturb it, just snapped a quick and silent burst as I passed; the grass was right next to the path.

It reminded me of something when I saw it (not a Stonechat) and in retrospect and prompted by the suggestion above I think maybe a Dipper was what I was thinking of (due to the big white throat) but couldn't join those dots because of where it was. My family's assessment is also Stonechat, so I guess that's that

Thanks again