Whitethroat (with bits of a Lesser)

This Whitethroat is giving a passable impression of a Lesser Whitethroat amongst its usual song.  This bird was found originally in 2014 by Roger Hicks in a similar area but wasn't really pinned down until last week when he relocated it.

I haven't yet look up how frequent mimickry is in Common Whitethroat, but this bird not only includes Lesser Whitethroat song in its own, but also Swallow, Common Tern and several other common species (although a devil to catch on video!).  It joins a select group of species I've heard give copies of similar species songs - Firecrests that sounds like Goldecrests, and Willow Warblers that sound like Chiffchaffs - both of which I have now come across several times.

Penduline

Penduline Tit, Meadow Lane GP, 29th December 2014.

This was a stunning find at the back end of 2014.  Digiscoped with a Nikon V1, 10-30mm lens, Swarovski ATS 80 HD and 25-50x eyepiece.

Spotting flycatchers

Summer is here.  Or at least the Spotted Flies are back.  This year I've been fortunate to have a pair appear just behind my house - certainly not a bird I ever expected to have from my garden in the house I am currently in!  These birds aren't those, but they were taken not too far away.  They are a fantastic bird to practice taking images of.  The Panasonic GX7 really pulls out more detail than I have ever experienced from a digiscoping camera - I am exceptionally pleased with it.  So if anyone is dithering about what new digiscoping camera to get, look at one of these and the 20mm f1.7 pancake lens - awesome!

Back on it

Meadow Pipit, Biggleswade, 30th April 2015

Got to get back on this blogging bicycle, so here's an image from my new digiscoping camera - the Panasonic GX7.  It's quite good!

Well, its definitely a Chiffchaff

Here we go again.  What appears to be the same 'Siberian' Chiffchaff has shown up at Marston Sewage Works today.  I wasn't quite expecting to bump in to one but like last year, this bird appeared just as I tried playing the the call of tristis.  However it really didn't seem very interested in the recording - perhaps coincidence?

So, it looks like the same interesting individual as last year and also sounds like the same too.  Below is a snippet of calls I managed to get with my Remembird.  It sure does sound the same.  That is to say, not right for tristis, but very much more collybita in tone - listen to the clip and have a look at the sonogram below.  I really think this bird needs ringing and a feather being sent off.  Maybe it's one of those mythical abietinus...

Here are links to previous posts about this bird:
http://steveblain.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/95-tristis.html
http://steveblain.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/that-chiffchaff-again.html
http://steveblain.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/iffy-chiffy.html