Can someone please tell me what this is? (Wallasea, 16/4/2011)
Fieldfare?
Hi Sid,
as you've probably guessed I'm nbot the bird expert, but it looks like a thrush to me - cue peals of laughter from the birders no doubt. Hopefully someone of superior bird knowledge will help us out here - Wallasea Birder??
I've gone wild on Wallasea!
Hi Sid, I'm thinking Mistle Thrush, I saw a flock of Fieldfares a few weeks ago near Canewdon and I remember them having darker tails but I'm no expert, definitely one for WB to determine for sure.
Growing up, my Mum always claimed to feel bad when a bird would slam head-first into our living room window. If she "really" felt bad, though, she'd have moved the bird feeder outside.
Careful checking of my camera - not Wallasea, but Rayleigh. Good job my camera knows where I am!
this is a nice shot of a Mistle Thrush, a bigger, spottier and more contrasty relative of our garden Song Thrush. Note the greyish tone to the back and the whitish ground colour on the underparts. Song Thrush would be much warmer in colour. Mistle Thrush also has a pure white underwing which is distinctive in flight (Song Thrush is buffy orange) The winter thrushes, Redwing and Fieldfare are much more distinctive. Mistle Thrushes tend to be quite wary so well done on getting a shot.
They are early nesters and can be heard singing from the start of the year from high on a bare tree often in very inclement weather which is where they earned their 'Stormcock' local name.
Keep on snapping
WB