Bird id

OpenYourEyes

There's a thread going Here about the best field guide to buy. For a beginner I'd recommend one of the Irish books, like the one Vandriver mentioned - available on the Birdwatch Ireland website too.

For a more advanced and comprehensive one I'd recommend the Collins Bird Guide.

keps

This guy was in a tree on the banks of the Liffey-

stevensi

Not a guy but a gal....female Chaffinch

whyulittle

Girl, that's a female Chaffinch.

keps

whyulittle wrote: »

Girl, that's a female Chaffinch.

Thanks! .....and while I have you there:):)

whyulittle

A second female Chaffinch. The drabbest of the drab!

keps

One last one from this morning (and yes I am buying the fieldbook)

whyulittle

Looks like a male Blackcap. Females look the same but with a brown 'cap' instead.

Woodville56

whyulittle wrote: »

Looks like a male Blackcap. Females look the same but with a brown 'cap' instead.

And another lovely songbird too is the blackcap , listen out for the rich warble ! A true birdsong of summer !

keps

Woodville56 wrote: »

And another lovely songbird too is the blackcap , listen out for the rich warble ! A true birdsong of summer !

He was singing away to his heart's content today:)

keps

This guy was descending at some speed- a good distance away so poor quality shot- but would I be right in thinking it's more like a sparrowhawk than a buzzard?

OpenYourEyes

Yep, Sparrowhawk!

keps

another notch on my belt:)

It definitely had a prey in sight - but after I took that shot s/he disappeared behind trees


Thanks again OpenYourEyes!

dodderangler

Keps are you living in a treehouse or something:D

whyulittle

Quality is terrible I know, but is this my Raven back again?

Looks like you can see the feathers coming down over the top part of the bill.

OpenYourEyes

Looks like it Whyulittle!

whyulittle

Nice one!

magicbastarder

sorry for the poor image quality - dunlin? i think the legs are red, which made me think redshank possibly. taken in west connemara.

Zoo4m8

Legs too long forDunlin... I would think you're correct with Redshank..

magicbastarder

cheers - was a good weekend for us with birdwatching, 40 or so species identified. we're rank amateurs though.

Woodville56

Phonescoped this distant wader this afternoon on local lakeshore among small group of curlew . Looks different, smaller, darker plumage, different head pattern - possibly a whimbrel ? Any ideas ??
There were 2 of them at the waters edge. Sorry about quality of pics but taken from some distance

stevensi

Whimbrel for me. The dark crown on the head is a good id feature of a Whimbrel like this one in the pic

Woodville56

stevensi wrote: »

Whimbrel for me. The dark crown on the head is a good id feature of a Whimbrel like this one in the pic

Thank for that stevensi - had migrating whimbrel at this site a few years ago so seems like it's a regular stop off point in their migration route !

whyulittle

While out at the lakeside woodland this morning, I flushed a bird out of the grass verge beside me. It flew across my path and perched in a tree on the other side of the track. It was still only getting bright, but seeing it briefly through the bins it looked like a small Redshank, in that it was very upright with long legs. Body size looked slightly bigger than a Blackbird. It had a very rapid wing beat, making a real thuddering noise as it flew. I only saw it for a few seconds before a second bird flushed out and they both flew off behind the trees.

Later while standing on the lake shore with the woodland right at my back, 2 birds went out over the water. I'm not sure if they came out of the trees or just over them. They flew out over the water to a tree covered island a few hundred metres out in the lake. They looked Snipe like, but weren't ziggzagging and showed a white rump in flight.

Birdnuts

whyulittle wrote: »

While out at the lakeside woodland this morning, I flushed a bird out of the grass verge beside me. It flew across my path and perched in a tree on the other side of the track. It was still only getting bright, but seeing it briefly through the bins it looked like a small Redshank, in that it was very upright with long legs. Body size looked slightly bigger than a Blackbird. It had a very rapid wing beat, making a real thuddering noise as it flew. I only saw it for a few seconds before a second bird flushed out and they both flew off behind the trees.

Later while standing on the lake shore with the woodland right at my back, 2 birds went out over the water. I'm not sure if they came out of the trees or just over them. They flew out over the water to a tree covered island a few hundred metres out in the lake. They looked Snipe like, but weren't ziggzagging and showed a white rump in flight.

Sounds like Common Sandpipers

Woodville56

Birdnuts wrote: »

Sounds like Common Sandpipers

Agree ! Beautiful little birds and back on lake shores now ! Characteristic "bobbing" motion when on shore and low flight over water with kind of stiff arched shallow wingbeats. Haven't spotted them here so far this year, but as you mention Redshank, have had them displaying on my patch in recent mornings - fence post sitting & calling as well !

Birdnuts

Woodville56 wrote: »

Redshank, have had them displaying on my patch in recent mornings - fence post sitting & calling as well !

Good stuff - very scarce breeders now, What part of the country you in??

breghall

Can someone id this little guy? Quite a playful fellow, and very much liked to look at himself in car mirrors. Picture isn't the best. Lovely bright yellow colours and he stands out a mile. I spent ages looking at him.

OpenYourEyes

It's a Grey Wagtail - is there a river or stream nearby?

Woodville56

Birdnuts wrote: »

Good stuff - very scarce breeders now, What part of the country you in??

North midlands here, Longford /Cavan border - there may be a few pair of redshanks still breeding around the lakeshore - they have been hanging on here despite the decrease in breeding population - had fledglings on the patch a few years ago during Atlas survey.

breghall

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

It's a Grey Wagtail - is there a river or stream nearby?

It was at the river where I saw him. Thanks openyoureyes

gzoladz

http://instagram.com/p/nTN--hFpGW/

Buzzard? Someone told me jackdaw, but I hope not?

Woodville56

gzoladz wrote: »

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4UuV_0jzxqxUDJkU0s1YTFRYWs/preview

Buzzard? Someone told me jackdaw, but I hope not?

For some reason I'm not allowed access to the google doc link - is it password protected or something ?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

gzoladz wrote: »

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4UuV_0jzxqxUDJkU0s1YTFRYWs/preview

Buzzard? Someone told me jackdaw, but I hope not?

Maybe it's my system but I can't access the picture.:(

gzoladz

Woodville56 wrote: »

For some reason I'm not allowed access to the google doc link - is it password protected or something ?

Let me check, for some reason I alway suffer to uploads photos on boards.

gzoladz

Try now, I have changed the link.

whyulittle

You're correct, it's a Buzzard and not a Jackdaw.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Seeing as it's you, we'll call it a buzzard!

gzoladz

I know they are quite widespread, but this is the first raptor I see in the wild. I was happy as a child earlier today when I saw it and took the pictures :-D

I am sooo happy now. I was sure it was, was hoping it was not a jackdaw just because I have seen them before.

whyulittle

I heard and saw a bird at Boora tonight between 10 & 10:30.

It was a wader, looked heavier than a Redshank, with a short to medium length straight bill and slow wing beat.

However, the call it gave was incredibly low pitch, and pretty low in volume too. It was more like a croak.

I was walking along the edge of some woodland, but there was a small wetland not too far away as well.

Any ideas? RSPB site gives Ruff as the only similar bird to Redshank, but it has no audio file. Xeno-Canto ones are pretty poor quality too.

Woodville56

Could be Ruff - this is the BirdGuides App description of Ruff calls - the soundbite isn't great - a few short grunt like noises !

"Typically silent, even during lekking displays, though may utter a few generally rather muted sounds in particular situations. Most calls probably variants of one basic sound, a repeated short, soft, groaning sound ‘gue-gue-gue’ or ‘kuk-uk-uk’, with less than 1 s between units."

Any sign of the partridges there these days? Planning a daytrip to Boora shortly ! Will keep an eye on areas you previously mentioned for them there !

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

All I'd say regarding the possibility of it being a Ruff is that Summer sightings of Ruff in Ireland are extremely rare!

Woodville56

Jonathan Wailing Pedestal wrote: »

All I'd say regarding the possibility of it being a Ruff is that Summer sightings of Ruff in Ireland are extremely rare!

Any thoughts of what it might be Jonathan Wailing Pedestal?

whyulittle

Jonathan Wailing Pedestal wrote: »

All I'd say regarding the possibility of it being a Ruff is that Summer sightings of Ruff in Ireland are extremely rare!

I'm very much open to suggestions!

I did look at Irish Birding and the BWI site after posting my original post and saw the dates it's likely to be seen alright.

Woodville56 wrote: »

Any sign of the partridges there these days? Planning a daytrip to Boora shortly ! Will keep an eye on areas you previously mentioned for them there !

Yep, I saw one as I was heading back to the car, and then driving about after seeing the mystery bird, I heard 3 calling in the fields at about 10:45. I have some video of it but it's very low.

whyulittle

hmmmm, a Ruff reported at Booterstown today on Irish Birding, and 9 Partridge at Boora!

Cork boy 55

whyulittle wrote: »

I'm very much open to suggestions!

I did look at Irish Birding and the BWI site after posting my original post and saw the dates it's likely to be seen alright.



Yep, I saw one as I was heading back to the car, and then driving about after seeing the mystery bird, I heard 3 calling in the fields at about 10:45. I have some video of it but it's very low.

Could it have been the redspotted redshank or the greenshank?

Their calls are in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju1j5cxB9pg

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

A sandpiper of some sort perhaps?

whyulittle

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

Could it have been the redspotted redshank or the greenshank?

Their calls are in this video

Going on that video, no; they're all too high-pitched.

Jonathan Wailing Pedestal wrote: »

A sandpiper of some sort perhaps?

Wouldn't be familiar with them all, but going by Common Sandpiper I would have thought they'd be too small.

No big deal, I just thought the weird call might have given it away.

The only other thing I forgot to mention was the angle of the bird during it's slow moving flight.



(Pic may not be to scale!)

Capercaille

Common sandpiper do have a slow wing beat in flight. Ruff have a fast wing beat.

whyulittle

I think I'll just go back to ignoring the waders, ducks and gulls.