Sunday 10 April 2011

White under tail coverts?




The above is a different bird from the one below. I now think that the one below is a pale Mealy, but I'm not too sure about this one. At the time Alan, Rob and I all commented on the seemingly pure undertail coverts. This photo seems to confim this (although not the best of pics). I'm now sure this is the bird we called a possible Arctic and not the one below. Comments most welcome.

3 comments:

  1. Very confusing sorting out the pix but all the birds went into the centre of the bush and this one came out which is a different one to early threads/photos- compare the streaking to start. Red expanse on head is slightly different too.

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  2. Happy this bird is an Arctic based mostly on structure which we saw in the field classic flat face look backed up by plumage. An amazing day on the Great Orme, we have waited a long time!

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  3. Lee Evans has produced a great article here to download -
    http://www.uk400clubonline.co.uk/File-Store/Arctic-Redpoll-ID-revisited.pdf
    Fom this article I'm quite sure we saw several Mealy, a Coue's Arctic and a Greenland Redpoll on the Orme today. Wow!

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