feathered friend

[Charles Nicol]

could anyone help identify this birdie which was in our garden this morning ?

its head was red like a goldfinch...

thanks guys

[David M]

I'm not an expert on birds, Charles, but it could be a female Reed Bunting (we have plenty of these surrounding my workplace).

[MikeOxon]

I can't see the red in your photo, Charles but, if it was a crimson patch on the forehead, then your bird is a female Lesser Redpoll. There are plenty about in Oxon at present. See http://oxonbirding.blogspot.co.uk/2016/ ... finch.html for a comparison with Goldfinch. They love nyjer seed in garden feeders!

Mike

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Charles,

Your mystery bird is a male Reed Bunting in transitional winter-summer plumage; the extent of black on the cheek patches making it male.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[David M]

Your mystery bird is a male Reed Bunting in transitional winter-summer plumage; the extent of black on the cheek patches making it male.

Thanks for the definitive ID, Mark. I didn't know that male Reed Buntings had two sets of plumage. I consider myself educated on this matter now.

[Charles Nicol]

I'm not an expert on birds, Charles, but it could be a female Reed Bunting (we have plenty of these surrounding my workplace).

I can't see the red in your photo, Charles but, if it was a crimson patch on the forehead, then your bird is a female Lesser Redpoll. There are plenty about in Oxon at present. See http://oxonbirding.blogspot.co.uk/2016/ ... finch.html for a comparison with Goldfinch. They love nyjer seed in garden feeders!

Mike

Hi Charles,

Your mystery bird is a male Reed Bunting in transitional winter-summer plumage; the extent of black on the cheek patches making it male.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

thanks so much guys... i am sure there was a red splotch on the forehead... so perhaps it was a Lesser Redpoll ? i only took the pic because it looked different from our usual suspects

[MikeOxon]

I'm no bird iD expert but, if you saw a red patch, that does point towards the Lesser Redpoll.

The others, however, probably have good reasons, based on the rest of the plumage, for directing you elsewhere. Size is another pointer - the Redpoll is smaller than a Goldfinch.

Here's a photo that I took a few years ago of a Siskin and several Redpolls on a garden feeder. The bird at bottom right is not showing much red but is a female Redpoll.

Blashford Lakes - 28th January 2010
Nikon D300s with 300f4 lens + 1.4X TC - 1/125s@f/5.6 ISO400

Mike

[Goldie M]

Hi! feathered friend, don't know if this helps, I took this photo In January this year of a Female Reed Bunting
at Penn Flash. Goldie

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Charles.

I can't see your bird being anything other than a Reed Bunting coming out of winter plumage; it has the correct build, stature, bill size and shape (though this is not particularly clear), wing colouring and cream supercilium above the eye to name a few features. At first glance it does suggest the appearance of a female, however, due to the extent of black on the cheek patches, this would suggest it is probably an immature male.

I have double checked this with a very good birding friend of mine who has confirmed.

Hope this helps.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[Charles Nicol]

I'm no bird iD expert but, if you saw a red patch, that does point towards the Lesser Redpoll.

The others, however, probably have good reasons, based on the rest of the plumage, for directing you elsewhere. Size is another pointer - the Redpoll is smaller than a Goldfinch.

Here's a photo that I took a few years ago of a Siskin and several Redpolls on a garden feeder. The bird at bottom right is not showing much red but is a female Redpoll.

Siskin-Redpolls.jpg

Mike

Hi! feathered friend, don't know if this helps, I took this photo In January this year of a Female Reed Bunting
at Penn Flash. Goldie

Hi Charles.

I can't see your bird being anything other than a Reed Bunting coming out of winter plumage; it has the correct build, stature, bill size and shape (though this is not particularly clear), wing colouring and cream supercilium above the eye to name a few features. At first glance it does suggest the appearance of a female, however, due to the extent of black on the cheek patches, this would suggest it is probably an immature male.

I have double checked this with a very good birding friend of mine who has confirmed.

Hope this helps.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

thank you so much Mike, Goldie and Mark ! i keep looking out for this bird but it has not reappeared. The size would be roughly similar to a goldfinch, not less.

[Paul Wetton]

Mark is spot on, definitely a Reed Bunting.