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..
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12 comments:
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.
Thanks Keith.... birdy friends have gone with juvenile Whitethroat...def wrong colour for willow warbler.
Definitely not a Whitethroat, Chiff or Willow, could be either
Oscar
Hi Oscar - thanks for your comment... what makes you think it's NOT a whitethroat??
and that it could be Chiff or Willow?
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
there is a grey head.... and a white throat......
so i'd say Juvenile Lesser Whitethroat.
could be a trick of the light
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.
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
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.
and i ought to add when trish first sent me a link I was puzzled because it doesn't shout lesser either!!
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!!
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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