At the weekend me and my girlfriend briefly saw a pale passerine, with a red/pink chest, blue-grey head, and slender bill (definitely wasn't a finch, or anything like that). It was sitting at the top of a young tree or tall bush. We were watching it for about a minute before it flew off. At the time I described it as looking like a "small pale robin". Nothing similar was on the recent sightings board. We were stumped as to what it could have been. So, I flit through my fieldguide when I get home and land on the red-breasted flycatcher. After googling images this seems closest match. Only trouble is they are more common in UK in autumn and usually appear on the east coast, rather than in West Yorkshire. However, I've also read that they can overshoot their breeding grounds in spring and end up in the UK, that males have been returning earlier due to warming climate, and they have been seen as far west as Ireland. Habitat around St. Aidan's is right for them and the week leading up to the sighting there was a lot of strong winds that could have blown it in.
Anyway, I guess I'm wondering if there have been any other sightings in that area, to confirm my suspicions? Or, if there is anything else it could have been? I'm confident in my description. The only other possibility appears to be a female redstart but it's also a bit early for them and I don't recall any red/pink towards the rump, definitely appeared pale/white in that area, and it appeared smaller than a robin, not the same size. Unfortunately, I didn't snap a pic of it.
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
I know. Don’t worry. when it comes to identifying things for people in general If theres no photo or no audio then Theres no way to be sure. and I don’t want to make out I know something if I dont actually know. Thats what I meant when I said that I’m not going to say what it is for sure . The reason I thought it (might) be a Robin. wasnt based on the description but cause I was confused since in the second photo was a Robin and he didn’t take any photos when he did the forum. - out of humor I just realised it sounds like I’m saying the Robin didn’t take any pictures when he did the forum but that’s not what I meant. I didn’t know if the 2 photos he sent during the conversation might of been new ones he took at that point during the conversation. Or if it wasn’t. since he didn’t take any earlyer before the forum. but I wasn’t sure and you never know unless you ask.
i don’t think we get Robins makeing forums I know birds can work things out like for example blue tits used to open milk bottles but that’s a completely different to makeing a forum . Sorry I acidently put it the wrong way.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
I definitely have had a few Cudabeenas in my lifetime - they're not as rare as I'd wish though!
@ DaleArchaeology - it wasn't a criticism that I mentioned that you saw it 'briefly' but then again wrote 'for around a minute' because with fleeting glimpses of birds we always try and take in as much information as we can and usually convince ourselves of what we saw, but with around a minute of watching then within that time there is a greater chance of getting a lot of information about the bird's details (colouring, crest, supercilium, leg colour, tail length, wing bars etc), its behaviour and possible calls and flight pattern too!
So I was just 'understanding' how you got as much information as you did and was just clarifying the time spent observing this bird.