Last week (28th May) walking along towpath when a black & yellow bird flew from cover across the canal into trees on the far bank, it was larger than the goldfinches which we had seen earlier and much brighter! It was only in view for a few seconds but the impression was of wide black bars on a bright yellow body and wings. Checking the various identification websites the only bird anywhere close is the Golden Oriole - but surely not in Wales, and anyway the bird we saw wasn't "blackbird size" but somewhat smaller.
Any ideas?
I am not the best person to answer but I did wonder about a yellow hammer? They have visited my garden and the males are an amazingly bright yellow. The other bird I thought of was a yellow wagtail?
Hopefully a more experienced member will have some more ideas.
Kind regards Jane.
Hi rambler
It doesn't look anything like a golden oriole but I'm wondering if it might have been a grey wagtail. They are a very bright yellow underneath and have blackish wingbars on their grey upperparts. When they fly they expose a yellow rump which may have accentuated the overall yellow appearance. The habitat would also fit. Did you notice whether it had a very long tail?
Have a look at the videos and photos at this link to see what you think.
http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/grey-wagtail-motacilla-cinerea
A yellow wagtail as already suggested is another possibility.
Regards
TJ
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Tony
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Hiya,
Grey wagtail sounds the best bet- plenty of them in Wales and a canal is a standard habitat :)
S
For advice about Birding, Identification,field guides, binoculars, scopes, tripods, etc - put 'Birding Tips' into the search box
Thanks for your suggestionsbut I know the wagtails and this bird did not have a long tail & the flight was direct, not swooping.
On reflection I think that we probably just saw a goldfinch - the unusual weather conditions (ie sunshine in wales) and the variation which all birds exhibit in respect of their colour must have confused me.
The impression of black and yellow without any other colour was so striking that I did not recognise it as anything which I had seen before so I wondered if any other sighting had been reported. I suppose it might have been some escapee from a menagerie.