There were yet more Redpolls in Oshamanbe................
Taken out of the car window or whilst walking around at 700mm............
The plumages in the flock were very variable................
With some quite pale ones...............
They came quite close too...............
This very pink one must be a male..............
2 very different birds resting atop fishing gear.................
There were a lot of Glaucous Gulls around today...................
The flock of Whooper Swans from still in the fields nearby...............
We finished the day at Onuma. The swans/geese were still there too but too far away for any decent photo chances, here a couple of crappy ones I snapped from the car just as the sun was going down.............a Bewicks Swan and some White Fronted Geese. Most of the other swans seemed to be Whoopers and there was also one lone Bean Goose (perhaps the same one that wintered on the lake?).
The Redpoll are gorgeous. I never really noticed ern how the pattern on their head shows through the red. That gull is really big.
ReplyDeleteThey are pretty variable in size but this was a big 'un................
DeleteThe Redpolls really are attractive little balls! You must be happy to see the snow vanishing!
ReplyDeleteHi, yes even though winter is my favourite season I get pretty tired of the snow by the end it.............especially after the eagles have left.
DeleteExcellent collection of pictures. I get tired of winter too. I miss, "colour" in Niigata especially when there's no birds about. You always seem to have something to see where you are.
ReplyDeleteHi Russell, birdwise we have some pretty barren times in the year here too...............
DeleteWhat a wonderful array of pictures. That Glaucous Gull is a fearsome looking creature, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mess with it if I were another gull species...............
DeleteCan't see enough of those Redpolls...
ReplyDeleteThey are a nice bird for sure.......................
DeleteIs there any chance that your pale redpoll is a Hoary Redpoll? It is pretty pale and the beak looks a little more truncated than the others. Did you get any shots of the rump? We've had redpolls in numbers Toronto this year (both kinds). It's been a few winters since I've seen this many. They're really nice looking birds.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan, is Hoary the same as Arctic Redpoll? I did think about it but on checking the various guides it seems there is quite a bit of overlap. I didn't notice the rump.............
DeleteHoary is the same as Arctic. We get both here although Common are more...common. There is overlap. Sometimes you can pick out a Hoary Redpoll easily but I'm not sure about the one in the photo. The beak has a bit of that "pushed in" look that can be an indicator. I'm just trying to get you another tick. :) I've just booked a place near Point Pelee for a weekend in May. You'll have to make it here at some point. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteHi Dan, I posted an ID request on birdforum and they said it was probably a Common because of the undertail not being totally white. They also said that it is likely that Common/Arctic will/might be soon 'lumped' together as one species.........so people may actually lose a tick.
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