Teal. I think this is an eclipse male. The top photo shows a small pale yellow triangle on the undertail: a female or juvenile would have a white line here. 'Europe's Birds' says eclipse males often have a dark cap and pale cheeks: this bird approaches this. Its belly is pale: 'Collins Bird Guide' says juveniles have darker bellies than adults.
Wednesday, September 09, 2026
Monday, September 07, 2026
Saturday, September 05, 2026
Cold Edge
Herring Gull adult. Like the bird posted on 19 August, this bird has moulted its primaries, and no white primary tips are present. However, the new primaries here have grown well past the tail tip, while the primary tips of the 19 August bird were level with the tail tip. (It could be the same bird?)
2 Greylags
Wednesday, September 02, 2026
Blackstone Edge
Ringed Plover: 2 non-breeding adults. Non-breeding Ringed Plovers lose the black frontal bar above the forehead, while juveniles have pale fringes on the upperpart feathers.
The LEFT bird above has a fairly broad breast band and dull orange legs.Tuesday, September 01, 2026
Monday, August 31, 2026
Blackstone Edge
3 white Greylag Geese. The question is, are they leucistic or albino? Collins Bird Guide (2022, Svensson et al): LEUCISM - innate pigment deficiency leading to pale, washed-out colours of the plumage; ALBINISM - innate lack of pigment, usually in the feathers, leading to partly or completely white plumage. So these birds are albino, and the above definition still lets them have coloured legs and bill and orbital ring.
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Cold Edge, 28 August
These photos of the Collared Doves support Mick C's comment about their collars. The black of the male's is thicker, with even white margins not seen in the female's. Only the upper edge of the female's collar has a white margin
Friday, August 28, 2026
Cold Edge
Collared Doves, with one preening the other. This species is not as common as it used to be