Birds Show Birds

Thanks for the detailed answer Bill. I swapped my Tamron 18-270 for a Nikon 70-300VR two days ago. It's only a bit sharper, but autofocus is significantly faster. That helps a lot. I must say I would have a hard time framing shots directly from 300mm, I'm a bit slow at these things :), so being able to frame at 70mm and then zoom in to 300mm is certainly useful to me.

I'm sure the V1 would make a fine lens cap for your 300 f4 ;) but the IQ comparison would be interesting.
 
GF1 45-200

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Barrie/Paul and Others

ID please

seen this morning in the back garden area

I thought that it was a Siskin or a Green Finch until I got my bins out - not as "timid" as others - first time I've spotted him today so he must be new to the area

SW France




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pdh said:
He's on page 373 of my 1st edition Collins, Bill ... that yellow collar and black mask is rather distinctive ...
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I've looked thru Collins - I've got the second edition Paul - plus the RSPB book

I thought Finch then looking thru the Books - I came to Siskin - but the bird is not as small as a Siskin is described as - and there are those brownish patches

Is it a Siskin?


a Redstart from this morning

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grebeman said:
Bill,

Just to confirm your Finch above is indeed a Cirl Bunting (male).

Barrie
Click to expand...

just reading about the Cirl Bunting - apparently they do not venture more than a couple of kms from "home base" - so the bird must live around these parts - (will have to look out for him more)
 
BillN said:
just reading about the Cirl Bunting - apparently they do not venture more than a couple of kms from "home base" - so the bird must live around these parts - (will have to look out for him more)
Click to expand...

Bill, whatever it is you're reading it's spot on. They are a very sedentary species. They tend to spend the winter seeking out arable weed seeds,so stubbles and rough grazing areas are frequented. A lot of time spent on the ground. The are not very demonstrative and I find a lot of mine by knowing the contact call, a quiet "zip zip" sort of sound, rather like the contact call of Song Thrush. They are likely to breed in a thick hedgerow near to rough grazing that holds a good population of grasshoppers. They tend to be insect feeders during the breeding season, the young exclusively so, after leaving the nest they revert to being seed eaters.

Barrie
 
Barrie/Paul

Presumably this is a Collared Dove - very common according to the "Book"

and described as "a medium sized, elongated, rather elegant dove with long tail and pale plumage" - IMHO they are attractive birds

managed to get his/her red eye in the last shot - back garden this morning whilst I was having my morning cuppa and biscuits!

Shooting into the sun a little!

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Barrie/Paul

Can you ID this bird

Is it a Willow Warbler

seen yesterday, visiting friends in Brittany, France
small Hamlet, a few houses and several small livestock farms - low lying and quite marshy
two birds seen in large willow and then scrub and brush - moved around quite quickly, flitting about - difficult to see with bins and even more difficult to photography - small birds
looking at Collins - the nearest I can get is Willow Warbler - (they are quite common I believe) - habitat seems right, the bird should be in this area and it's behaviour adds up - but the colours do not seem "right" and beak looks a little too long

as usual your expert advice is needed

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hehehe I always get these wrong from pictures - Barrie's the expert here not me :) -- however, I'm going to stick my neck out and plump for Chiffchaff, based on leg colour (darker), and the slightly less prominent supercilium; if you're really smart you can use that last shot to check the length of it's "primary projection" (longer in the WW than the Chiffy) but I can never tell properly ... did you hear it singing? That'd really put the debate to bed ...

PS sorry, I haven't been clear - but Chiffchaff & Willow warbler are notorious for being difficult to tell apart in the field without hearing them call
 
Thanks Paul - yes ChiffChaff - compared on the same page - but I just felt that the habitat favoured the Willow W

I could not get a good image of the feet (colour)

Cannot help with the song - sorry

(PS - in and around Salisbury for a few days - any good birding sites for me to check out?)
 
You could try Ibsley Water/Blashford Lakes (south on the A338 just past Fordingbridge) though it's more a winter ducks-and-waders sort of site ; but it does have some nice woodland hides at the visitor centre too. If you fancy a trip down to Arne RSPB it's a bit more of a trek from Sarum but worthwhile. Or CHOG | Harbour Birding which is a bit of a straighter run than Arne. I've never been there but only through laziness and it's known for seeing some rarities this sort of time of year. Probably because it's well watched.
RSPB website might have other possibilities, but also have a look at Your local Trust | The Wildlife Trusts as they have some little gems hidden away.


WW and Chiffchaff will mostly share habitat (well they certainly do on my local common)
 

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