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More birds help please

More birds help please


Postby rockhopper » Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:21 pm

We've recently installed two more bird boxes and repositioned the fatball and seeds holders in the garden. Most of the usual birds are around but we spotted a different bird the other day and it's been around much of the time since. Being RSPB members, we've looked up their and other sites and books but can't quite get it. It does look like a sparrow and is of the same shape and size but the colouring is very light and not like the other sparrows. Any ideas please - two pictures below.
1.JPG

2.JPG


Also, while I'm at it, d'you think this is a golden eagle ? Thanks in advance, RH
037 - Knoydart 16-18sept2020.JPG
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Re: More birds help please

Postby KatTai » Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:29 pm

Your mystery garden visitor looks like a leucistic dunnock, this is a genetic trait where the colours are faded or they can have varying degrees of white :D Really pretty bird!
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Re: More birds help please

Postby KatTai » Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:34 pm

Your other bird looks good for a golden eagle to me too :D
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Re: More birds help please

Postby CharlesT » Wed Oct 14, 2020 10:07 pm

Bit of a guess, but could be a juvenile Garden Warbler.
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Re: More birds help please

Postby jmarkb » Thu Oct 15, 2020 9:30 am

KatTai wrote:Your mystery garden visitor looks like a leucistic dunnock


That was my thought too - the shape and pattern of grey around the head look right for a dunnock. Colour aberration in birds is quite complex it appears, with a range of related conditions - see http://www.vogelringschier.nl/DB28%282%2979-89_2006.pdf - but leucism is commonly used as the general catchall term for anything short of full albino!
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Re: More birds help please

Postby CharlesT » Thu Oct 15, 2020 10:22 am

Agree it does have the look of a Dunnock about it. How it was moving might confirm it.
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Re: More birds help please

Postby rockhopper » Thu Oct 15, 2020 5:04 pm

Many thanks everyone for your help on this :)

We had come across a Dunnock when we were searching originally but sort of ruled it out as the pictures we had all seemed to have darker colourings but it does look to be a Dunnock. The different varieties we get are gradually increasing - we had a Fieldfare and some different finches last year but no sightings of them yet so far this year.
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Re: More birds help please

Postby denfinella » Fri Dec 18, 2020 1:58 pm

Thought I'd post in here rather than starting yet another "what is this small brown bird" thread...

IMG_8615.JPG


(Near Harlaw Reservoir in November)
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Re: More birds help please

Postby CharlesT » Fri Dec 18, 2020 2:01 pm

Goldcrest.
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Re: More birds help please

Postby denfinella » Fri Dec 18, 2020 10:26 pm

CharlesT wrote:Goldcrest.


I thought it had that rotund shape about it, but I couldn't see the golden crest. Nothing else it could be?
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Re: More birds help please

Postby Mal Grey » Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:44 pm

Definitely agree on goldcrest. Maybe juvenile if the crest wasn't obvious.
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Re: More birds help please

Postby SteveeMac » Thu Jan 14, 2021 8:53 pm

If no crest on head it could be or a female chaffinch
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Re: More birds help please

Postby Stobart » Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:47 pm

It's a Goldcrest, 100%
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