UKC

Bird ID quiz for folk. 

I'm going with red throated diver and some sort of shark

Great Northern Diver in winter plumage?

That's Baz! We used to play cricket together. 

The two seals are actually the ones I need to replace on the Land Rover hubs. 

I'm going with Red-throated Diver - bill looks a bit upturned - and harbour porpoises

I'm presuming that's the diver in the 2nd photo just right of centre and just below quarter of the way up

There was a Red-throated Diver on Watergrove Reservoir (Rochdale) for several months last winter - a really easy spot - when it was there - photo from "naked" cheap smartphone

I agree. Porpoises

For the bird I'd go for a red throated diver. The line between the black and white on the head is not straight and shows a slight kink just in front of the eye which make me go for a red throat.

DAve

was hoping for one of your ID threads to post this- many big flocks flying south over eastern lakes.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/7Ny6RziaF4BnFrMJ8

pointy wings suggest gulls?

Definitely not gulls - they tend to fly in loose Vs and the wings have a bend in them - these have very straight wings

But I'm struggling to suggest what they are - the most likely migratory possibilities are:

• Thrushes - Fieldfares and/or Redwings
• Waders - Golden or Grey Plovers or some other wader

But you need someone with experience of identifying from such views (not me) who'll just be able to tell straight off from the jizz, I just know it's not gulls.

Edit: been thinking, I can only recall having seen larger birds ever flying in Vs. This is done for aerodynamic efficiency (less effort) presumably by appropriate coordination of wingbeats + positioning. Smaller birds tend to fly in loose flocks like your picture, presumably faster wingbeats makes coordination much more difficult (if at all possible) so flying in Vs doesn't happen, and the flocking is done more to improve protection from predators.

Which means your birds are relatively small, but they really do seem to have quite long wings, probably turn out to be something unexpected like Meadow Pipits. However, having had a little look at photos on t'web, I'm thinking more likely to be plovers. Discarding thrushes because none in your photo are in a "closed wing missile" type shape which seems to crop up in thrush photos and you'd maybe expect one or two of your birds to have been caught in that position.

My guess for photo 1 is Red throated diver just cause I was told one was seen local to there this last week and my checking what to look out for in my books is just like your photo 🤣! Never seen one, yet, for real mind!

Are they passing through? If not passing through, they have a familiar look to corvids playfully flocking. To my eye it seems they are not all flying straight, some rising, some turning and some diving so wings in all positions and directions.

Bear in mind I only started bird watching this year, but I’ve seen plenty of crows up my way flying similarly. Especially lately with all the juveniles about and flying like that for fun.

thanks. i reckon you're right with golden plovers. bird book says in winter they move from Iceland (and Scandinavia) to southern Britain which would explain their flight direction (S into the wind). must have been a few thousand that flew over mardale last weekend..

I understand what you mean about Corvids, some of those shapes look a bit Raveny, but if you zoom right in, you'll see that the wings are too long and narrow for Corvids.

yes, passing through in same direction, flying quite high..

a more detailed crop: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jx38W3iqkUcTmsVr6

Cheers, don’t look like corvids now, and for reasons as Michael says.

Just saw my first Golden Plovers two weeks or so ago but none were flying! Lots to learn.

As with most species, when you see them flying past high up, they won't have the decency to look the same as when they're flying right in front of you 😁

Probably Grey or Golden plover = very fast fliers and often changing directions

What would you guess their size? What time of day?
Initial thoughts: even though they are in silhouette, they appear very dark. They are also ‘disorganised’. Jackdaws can form big groups, but only at dusk flying into roost. The regularity of flight points towards a migration. Wood pigeon are migrating through. As are fieldfare. Will take a thorough look later. 

i first guessed fieldfares with naked eye, but think they were higher/larger than thrushes (crop above from 300mm equiv). bit smaller than jackdaw/pigeon

various times during day (not dusk). organised groups mainly but occasionally splitting/reforming (into a headwind)

A trick of mine is to crop even further and then play about with editing features on my phone to bring out any highlights etc. See photo - there is pattern etc which can at least help rule out a few things.