UKC

Been easier to find warblers meantime due to their loud singing. A few recent photos; the Wood and Garden ones were new to me, but the songs were distinctive to ID (courtesy of Merlin app!).

This one is probably a Willow Warbler, but it was suggested tome it is more like a N Europe one due to the greyish/grey brown colouring. Anyone know better? 
Edit: no songs or calls heard unfortunately to help ID.

Looks like a WW to me.   As for which sub species I wouldn't know.  I try not to get too anorakish over issues like subspecies and regional variants.

Thanks. It just looked so different in colour esp having never seen such a greyish looking one. At the time I was at an RSPB reserve and the staff there were interested in it and in its colouring, but overall they thought WW.

The wood and garden warblers are brilliant!  

Thanks. The wood one really was a lucky chance. It was just leaving the tree it had been singing in and fortunately popped out on the side I was at before it flew away. I take lots of poor photos but pleased my first sightings of those two were good. If I get time I think though I need to process the photos taming down the background a bit.

You sure that's not a Lesser Whitethroat. Just there's sometimes less visual difference than you'd like.

I was watching several Whitethroat a couple of weeks ago until I was told they were all Lesser because Common was rare there.

Was Merlin definite about the song?

But apart from that thought, great pics 😁

With my lack of experience and beginner’s knowledge, in a word no! I’m open to learning more.

I did consider Lesser as I agree that the contrast is less than expected (I’ve never seen a lesser though, but looking at guide books). I took size (appeared larger i.e. more as expected)  visibility (common is happy to be seen and sing from prominent positions), performed a song flight (I understand lesser don’t do that; this one hovered like a Skylark in a singing display), leg colour (yellower), and they does appear some contrast of colours into account.

Merlin app only had 2 singing birds at that location - Goldfinch, and Greater Whitethroat when the bird was demonstrating a song flight. My understanding is Greater and Common are the same. 

Another photo after it flew to another tree a bit further away. Second photo is a different bird most likely due to the observation separation distance (many hundreds of metres away), but I think it is also a Common.

BTW, might have some gull photos to post soon once I get a chance to attempt sorting them out.

100% common whitethroats.  Lessers have a shorter tail with much less rufous upper plumage. 

Thats an interesting no-wings hop you captured - 1st photo

Thanks.

Ha, just luck usually when it happens.

I actually though have the camera set to sequential shots for bird photography as a norm so it can sometimes pick up the instances of after the bird has left its perch as in this case. It’s deliberately set that way as I learnt very quick last year I was missing focus accuracy on most single photos of birds, but discovered second shots of birds were generally more in focus and better. Easy to delete surplus if they are identical.

Fair enough, it was just a thought since I'd previously jumped the obvious way with Whitethroats only to find I was wrong.

Just been having fun trying to separate common and arctic terns, even after "tuition" it's not easy. Think I just about got it but I wouldn't be confident about an isolated tern where they're both prevelant. At least there weren't any roseates about, just sandwiches.

Also saw my first ever Mediterranean Gulls, at last, breeding in the middle of the tern colony along with Blacked-headed (was told they were there). Adults obvious once you've seen them, didn't try to find the juveniles. 6 gull species today, missing common.

The lesser whitethroat looks predominately greyish to me.  That one is a common whitethroat.

That's what I thought, maybe that distinction is prevelant in the UK but less so in some other territories.

And well done on the Med gulls. Striking birds when you get a good view. 

What’s the mystery sixth species?  Little?

Is this a Wagtail?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the1lemming/52910536338/in/dateposted/

A female Grey Wagtail I think.

One of mine where the a gust of wind caught it’s tail feathers!

She's just showing off.

IIRC, the grey has the longest tail of all wagtails.

They are a truly beautiful bird. And you often see them in the best places, like some beck, with dappled lighting from oak trees. And they give good views. 

I got a shot of Batman as well

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the1lemming/52910236484/in/photostream/

Nice. Where those it’s chicks or was it scaring them off ?  

They were the chicks.

Smashing clear shots - amazing to hatch with such over sized feet, maybe not so different from a domestic hen chick ? Tread lightly !

Coming back into landing maybe after chasing away another bird? Seen Coots making it clear to gulls they weren’t welcome near it’s nest and that was long before there were eggs.

It was just having a little stretch from diving duties.

I always find it slightly amusing that Coot chicks look like little Moorhens.

Kittiwake, good views of their black feet, I was away when there was the mass Little Gull tour of Lancashire.

Just been having great views of Sedge Warblers and Whitethroat plus unexpected (by me) male Marsh Harrier.

A reed bed, any chance of seeing a Reed Warbler, as usual nope (didn't even hear one), but with Merlin's help managed to reel out a Grasshopper Warbler - result 😁

Not seen much of any of the first lot of species this year yet for whatever reasons, and never seen or heard Reed and Grasshopper Warblers so far. Maybe with the Merlin app this year I might hear them.

Last year watched a pair of Marsh Harriers a few times when they were out hunting whilst watching for Ospreys fishing. Saw a male MH on one occasion chase off an Osprey and don’t understand why as it wouldn’t be any threat.

Photos from last year (the chase one was a significant distance for my camera to focus on.

Dropped my mum back off at her house earlier this avo, and chucked the scope/bins/camera in the boot thinking I’d bob round Martin Mere this avo. But I felt guilty at not taking my dog out so sacked it off and took him out. Got back home and saw that a Great Reed Warbler has been seen and heard this avo !!!!!!  

Oh no - looking that species up, it’s a rarity in UK. Hopefully it will stay long enough for you to see it.

Didn't hear the Grasshopper Warbler reeling, but some people told me they'd heard one reeling but not seen it further along from where I was successful.

Just tried played some reeling from Merlin to see if it provoked any movement - it did, enough for good enough view for me to be certain of ID. New species for me, but still have to hear one reeling.

I might have actually seen one yesterday in a completely different location, but never got a good enough view to be sure.

Very excited to have stumbled across the Merlin app last week,  I guess I'm late to the party,  but a few walks over the weekend,  gave me the usual common ones,  but also Willow Warblers,  skylarks, mistle thrush, chiffchaff and a meadow pipit.

Strangely it didn't pick up the cuckoo,  and decided a pigeon was a barn owl.

Surprised I didn't break my neck as I spent most of my walk with my phone in my hand.

Great fun.....

I’m amazed that Merlin can cope with numerous singing all together birds and still identify what is about, and I really like the yellow highlight of those actually singing at any point in time (within a second or two of processing time). Not aware I’ve had any false IDs yet. A distant (quiet) song/call is often not picked up I find esp if traffic noise is high like near roads. Still a great app I think overall.

In case it is of interest, another useful sound resource, an online one, is https://xeno-canto.org/ .

I saw some baby Wrens today. There were five in a bush. The parents were freaking out.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the1lemming/52920593839/in/dateposted/

Excellent!  
 

Edit: I’ve just ordered an adapter to use my mobile phone with my telescope for ‘digital-scoping’, basically to get long range ‘record’ photos.  Be interesting to see how good/rubbish the photos will be. 

With that photo how do you you know it is a baby one as looks as big as an adult? 🫣🤣 Nice pic. Saw a few wrens today though it was so hard to get photos. 

I have two, a generic one from Amazon and one designed for my RSPB/Viking scope.

Don't expect miracles but do expect a lot of vignetting. Unless your phone has a zoom lens then you are going to get a black circle around your subject.

Its parent was nearby, and trying to distract me while it just sat there gawping at me. It was tiny.

Yesterday finally managed to see a Reed Warbler and know it was a Reed Warbler.

Merlin assisted again, went to somewhere I've heard them before (*), played a Reed Warbler song and got a response. Didn't manage to coax it out for a great view but kept on seeing it flitting about in the reeds quite close, 15'.

Not entirely comfortable with this using birdsong to get a response, doesn't feel quite fair on the birds.

(") - Doffcocker almost on the edge of Bolton, a small lake/reservoir with a small common tern colony - 4 rafts for nesting - tern colony in Bolton, whatever next.

I’ve been told where, locally, there are Reed Warblers normally, but whether I ever see them …. ! Apparently very hard to see though easier to hear.

Given how some birds react to “intruder” calls/songs I think care needs to be taken playing songs/calls. Not something I would like to do personally.

I used Merlin app to ID intense songs from dense vegetation - turned out to be Little Grebes. Wow what a volume they can give. They were louder than a Wren on my other side and I always thought Wrens were loud for their size.

Also used the app to ID Lesser Black-backed gull. Still to try and work it out with guide book if it was.

A new first - Pochard, male. Probably common elsewhere, but not where I’ve been up till now.

I've only used it "on" warblers, which tend to do lots of territorial singing anyway, and I've limited it (number of occasions and length of time) so as to lessen any disturbance - should be no permanent effects but of course it's impossible to tell (which is why I've got my doubts about doing it).

It actually started from playing back birdsongs (Sedge and Reed Warbler) to be able to differentiate between them and then still not being sure when I heard the bird.

I have this vision of 2 birdwatchers on opposite sides of a site both hearing a rare bird which turns out to be Merlin app 🤣

Except for juveniles, LBBs should be fairly straightforward, assuming they're in clear view in your locale (they're certainly in clear view down here and a GBB in the city - Salford - would be rather unusual). Leg colour is the most definitive feature and of course it's much easier if both LBB & GBB are present to be able to compare and contrast.

In winter, easy to see down here. We forget how localised distribution of "common" species can be only 2-300 miles away.

Lovely photos!

Warblers are simultaneously the bane of my birdwatching life and a great joy. Recently I heard a new one (in N. Germany) which sounded exactly like a game of Space Invaders gone wild; I had to laugh. I didn’t get to see it, but a visit to xeno-canto.com confirmed it as having been an Icterine Warbler. A quite amazing song!

Thanks. I twice thought about stopping bird watching last year (which I only started properly in the Feb!) because of warblers! I struggled with Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff so much for months even after getting photos to look at later. Song helps alot now.

Icterine would be rare in Scotland. I’ll check out it’s song for interest.

Outrageous ! should have the inverse reaction - to keep you motivated; and why shouldn't the birds hold some secrets anyway ?

🤣. Once I discovered most bird watchers regularly saw lots of “LBB/LBJ” species, I was more relaxed about it!