Sunday, February 27, 2011

redpoll conundrums






well I have spent a fair amount of the last two days trying to get to grips with a flock of redpolls -- Saturday morning a single redpoll flies over -- so attempt to see if it might be a Mealy / Common  -- come across 4 birds one of which seems to be a Coue's Arctic Redpoll and the photos seem to prove it (see above) but then they fly off and a long gap ensues -- locate a flock of about 30 birds the vast majority of which seem to be Mealys / Commons with just 2 Lessers but today there are the usual odd birds that always seem to defy identification -- here are a few oddments -- note undertail covert pattern, flank streaks, upperpart tones, rump and lower back colour and pattern
Upper most bird a pale pink washed male quite different to the strong reddish pink of the male Mealies present and with the greyish toned uppers same bird as in lowest photo -- third and fourth photos the same bird one slightly out of focus the other sharper -- in the out of focus shot the rump looks unstreaked but when sharp fine spotting is visible in the white - peachy colour but just one fine streak on the longest undertail covert --

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