Friday, November 14, 2008

Help !

Hi all

A quick bit of advice needed from a novice in North Wales. Amongst the Chaffinch flock frequenting my feeding station at the moment is a bird which I think is a Cock Brambling but I have my doubts as it does not quite fit with the description on Collins bird guide. The main thing thats making me doubt Brambling is that the bird does not have a white rump (nor tinged yellow) and it has white tips to the end of the tail feathers. I know its not much to go on but can anyone suggest something else it might be other than a slightly odd Brambling ? I think it probably is a Brambling but I hate to shoehorn something into a definate as its the nearest fit. The bird is very agressive and shifts the Chafinches from the food if they come anywhere near. Its most distinctive feature is the almost "punk" like markings to to either side of the head and the rear of the neck which resemble a heavy black dotted line down from the top of the head, down the neck almost to its wings. The bird, I think its a cock due to its very bright colour, is roughly Chaffinch sized, but more heavier in its body. Its neck is grey and this comes down in a clear line from the base of its bill and from the front looks like a judge wearing wig ! Sorry this is all a bit messy but I have no what all the technical terms are for bird features
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8 comments:

Nick Carter said...

Any chance of a photo?

3:30 pm
Goldon Gordon said...

Hi Nick
As long as the forecast downpours with no sunlight do not arrive tomorrow I will try and get piccy. Its not likely to be very good though as I can only get so close with my point and snap digital. I am almost certain its a male Brambling. Had I seen it with others I would have simply said male Brambling but as its the only one with Chaffinches and its not quite like the ones shown in Collins doubts have crept in.

4:57 pm
Nick Carter said...

Birds often have several different plumages through their lives and many moult completely or partially twice a year (with exceptions?), this means there are lots of "transition" plumages where they are gradually changing from one to another. Obviously it is not possible for field guides to show all the various stages of transition so I guess your bird could be one of these? Some plumage changes are actually not due to moult at all but to hormone induced feather wear when the feather tips wear off and reveal a different colour underneath, a good example of this is the "black" head in the summer plumage of a black headed gull.

5:53 pm
Goldon Gordon said...

Hi Nick
One thing I have noticed about the tweeters around here is how fresh and sharp they look. I assume this is down to plentiful food sources and the lack of pollution contributing to the very bright feathers. Most species look far cleaner and crisper (if you know what I mean) than I am used to.

8:34 pm
AndyC said...

Hi Paul,
You will have to get a better look at the rump,I have never seen a Brambling without a white rump and white tips to its tail but they can be very variable when they change from summer to winter plumage.With your position in wales and the ammount of American visitors to our shores this autumn it is well worth checking every detail,as you could have missed some detail that would aid the id.?

6:56 am
Goldon Gordon said...

Hi Andy
I am pretty sure its a male Brambling BUT its not quite right somehow AND I have very limited experience of birding. I have seen Bramblings in the past, but only in large flocks and never knowingly seen one on its own before. I will try and get a photo however crap and do a drawing of the salient points if it reappears today at the station.

8:28 am
john beaumont said...

The superficial resemblence to Brambling and white corners to the tail might fit Eastern Towee PHOTO PLEASE

11:58 am
Goldon Gordon said...

Hi Guys
I have spent a long time looking over the "mystery" Brambling and am now convinced its a male Brambling in transitional plumage. Having got good views through the bins today from several angles and looked at tons of Brambling photos on the web I'm now sure this is what it is. The thing with it is that its rump is more buff than white or yellowish, the facial and head markings are a mix of summer and winter plumage rather than one or tother AND its looks lot chunkier in the body than most images of Brambling shown on the web. The other feature is that as I mentioned earlier bird plumage around here is much more colourful than back in Calderdale and the bird positively glows with colour. I don't supposde there are differant races of Brambling are there ? Second point, why is this one on its own mixed in with the local chaffy flock and not with other Bramblings ?

This has been a very useful learning curve in bird ID for me and made me pay more attention to various details I see on birds rather than simply assuming it must be XZY without a proper check. Sorry if I inadvertantly raised hopes of a quick run down to N Wales for a migrant tick by anyone :-)) Thanks again for all your help,its much appreciated.

3:40 pm

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