My blog is mostly about wildlife, particularly birds, walking, days out, all growing things and anything else that comes to mind.
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Saturday 25 August 2012

A garden first? But ID needed and visit to WWT Arundel.

Foul weather here today, but I managed to get out and dodge the showers for a wander around WWT Arundel... it was very quiet (time of year I suppose)..but did manage to see a few birdies..

However, before I left home, this little bird was flitting between my and my neighbour's garden.  It's the 2nd time I've seen it but this time I managed to get a record shot.  The only sound I heard was a - sort of - weet, weet, sound... nothing else. and it may not have been that bird.

I'm thinking Warbler of some sort but which... and the light was dreadful as it was raining at the time!

Any clues as to ID ??  Whitethroat? or juvenile??  Whatever, I was pleased to see it again :D


So off around Arundel..
































12 comments:

holdingmoments said...

Lovely selection Tricia.

I'd say your mystery bird is a Chiffchaff.
The Willow Warbler would make a similar sound, but would look very fresh and yellow, with a clear stripe over the eye.
And this one has dark legs.

Tricia Ryder said...

Thanks Keith.... birdy friends have gone with juvenile Whitethroat...def wrong colour for willow warbler.

Unknown said...

Definitely not a Whitethroat, Chiff or Willow, could be either

Oscar

Tricia Ryder said...

Hi Oscar - thanks for your comment... what makes you think it's NOT a whitethroat??

and that it could be Chiff or Willow?

Billy Dykes said...

Tricia, Whitethoat would show a very obvious contrast between a grey head and (believe it or not) a white throat. Whitethroat would also have a 'stronger' beak, and would lack the yellow/greenish colouration that your bird shows at the flanks. It's almost definitely a Chiffchaff.

Happy birding!

Bill

The Quacks of Life said...

there is a grey head.... and a white throat......

so i'd say Juvenile Lesser Whitethroat.

could be a trick of the light

Unknown said...

Just the shape of the bird, esp the head, and the eye stripe, I've got photos of juveniles Lesser Whitethroats and they don't look like this, so I am sure it isn't one.

holdingmoments said...

I'm still going with Chifchaff.

If the sound you heard came from this bird; ' weet, weet ' as you described, then definitely Chiffchaff.

Whitethroat make a grating 'jjer' sound; Lesser Whitethroat, a more speeded up version.

Birding's great ain't it lol

The Quacks of Life said...

Oscar, I've not seen many chiffers with grey heads and white throats.

the eye-stripe can be seen on juve Lessers

but difficult to say from the pic. it could be a chiffer but doesn't look right.



The Quacks of Life said...

and i ought to add when trish first sent me a link I was puzzled because it doesn't shout lesser either!!

Tricia Ryder said...

thanks Pete, Keith, Oscar and Bill.

The pic is so pour in dreadful conditions .... hopefully it will return on a good day when I've got the camera ready and I can geet a sideways shot!!

Billy Dykes said...

Pete, are we looking at the same bird!? ;-)

Whilst it does have a lighter under-belly, I think the white throat you are seeing is mainly just a trick of the light. The supercilium is too prominent for either Whitethroat or Lesser Whitethroat, and the greenish/yellow tone is pretty telling of an autumn Chiffchaff.

Cheers, Bill

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