JUNE 2008'S MYSTERY BIRD ANSWERS

Twenty six multi-national birders took part in this month's competition and no, they didn't necessarily get any easier but this competition is about pushing the boundaries of what we're capable of, so don't expect any favours this month either ☺. Either way, thanks to all the participants, we'll be leaving all those 'non-participants' for dead out in the field!

                                                                                      Mystery Bird 11

So, it was decided that only two species, rather unsurprisingly, appeared to match our mystery bird and only one of those could be right so let's knuckle down and work this one out between the two! Infact, I think it's easier that it seems, a thought echoed by the 21 entrants who managed to correctly identify it and getting down to brass tacks we all decided on either Skylark or Woodlark, so take another quick look at the above photograph before we go on. Size, jizz and colour are all pretty useless in our assessment, they're either not discernable or too similar between the two species to be of use but 2 (I think fairly obvious) characteristics 'stick out', the apparent if quite faint, joining of the supercilia at the rear of the head on the nape and the pale-dark-pale primary coverts at the base of the primaries. They are there, we can be sure of that, as large as life they can be seen in the image and with that we need go no further for only one species shows such a distinctive combination, of course, it is a Woodlark.

                                                              Woodlark, Frensham Common, Surrey, June 2008 (Ian McKerchar)

                                                                                    Mystery Bird 12

Yes, aren't I awful, what the hell is that supposed to be! Seven different suggested species and only 14 correct answers confirmed my initial suspicions that this was wasn't going to be a universally appreciated wader, but atleast we all agreed it was a wader! There's no easy starting point with such an apparently featureless and headless bird but to analyse each species as suggested, so here we go. Greenshank, Ruff and Wood Sandpiper were the 'rarest' votes with one a piece and in that respective order they can be eliminated by; upperparts just too brown, upperparts too completely and boldly dark centred, flank barring shouldn't be present as strong as here, legs not green (although that particular entrant did suggest it could be his 'dodgy' computer monitor!); tail would be more solidly dark terminally, flank barring not consistent with this mystery bird, leg colour wrong; flank barring still too strong and extensive for that species, upperpart patternation incorrect, legs colour wrong. So that's three gone but what of Snipe and Bar-tailed Godwit each with two votes? Again, in their respective order they can be eliminated by; should show a brighter more solidly streaked breast, obvious bright pale edges to the wing coverts, scapulars and mantle feathers, bright rufous on the scapulars and tertials especially, no pale basally/internally on the tail; legs would be dark, almost black, flank streaking wouldn't be as strong/extensive, the upperpart patternation/colouration would only be consistent with a juvenile of that species which would be expected to show an obvious 'peachy' wash to the breast. So that only leaves us with two, Curlew and Whimbrel with a 5/14 split but which way? Actually splitting the two on such an image as we are presented with here is no easy feat and relies somewhat on our usual feel and appreciation of each species born by study and field experience, the differences are subtle if not 'flimsy' at times but generate an impression that allows us to make an informed identification of this bird, those duller ground coloured flanks with rather poor markings and paler lower breast and belly, the dull edging to the scapulars and it's short legged look are all we really have to go on but considering I would expect Curlew to have a warmer ground colour to the breast and flanks and similarly with the scapular edging, plus bolder more obviously 'anchor' shaped flank markings and a more longer legged look, we can be a sure as possible on this view that this bird is infact a Whimbrel. Of course, in the field 'flimsy' isn't good enough and it's just aswell that a quick look at the head after it stops preening displays all the necessary features for us to reliably count this one as identified, which 14 of you did anyway!

                                                             Whimbrel, Astley Moss Peat Pools, May 2008 (Ian McKerchar)

Below: Curlew (left) and Whimbrel (right) where the size difference is plainly obvious! Note the difference in flank markings and edges to the scapulars in particular.

                                         Astley Moss Peat Pools, May 2008 (Ian McKerchar)

A round of applause to you all, whether you managed to identify one, two or none of the mystery birds is largely irrelevant, that you had a go and potentially have furthered you knowledge and appreciation of them is what really matters. Of course some people just have to get the right (☺) and John Frankland, Simon Johnson, Mike Chorley, Brogan Scrimgeour, Mark Rigby, Paul Cliff, Ian Bowker, Dean MacDonald, Nick Green, Peter Rolph, Simon Warford and Rob and Sonia Adderley did just that. Simon Johnson continues to lead the way however, being the only entrant with all correct answers so far in this year's competition but there is still so much more to come and we still have so much more to learn. Keep at it!