We've had a rush of ID queries in over the last few days, it's that time of year again!!! With lots of baby birds finding their independence and turning up at garden feeders. The juvenile great-spotted woodpeckers are doing a fine job of causing much confusion by themselves. With their bright red crowns, many people who have not seen them before can be forgiven for mistaking them for middle spotted woodpeckers (which share the red crown but do not occur in the UK) and lesser spotted woodpeckers (which also share the red crown but are significantly smaller and much scarcer than great spot's). For anyone not sure which they have, you can quickly check on the links to our website for the great and the lesser.
Starlings are another species that can baffle people at this time of year. The juveniles can be mistaken for another species if they are seen away from the parents as their drab brown plumage is a far cry from the glossy irredescence of the adults. The different plumages are illustrated on our website here.
If you have seen anything you can't identify or want confirming, then please post a picture or a description on the Identify this! community forum.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
Red sparrow?