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Alex & Zvezdana Big Year 2017


xelas

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1 hour ago, Dave Williams said:

Excellent photography. 

I can never understand why a Wren is also called a Winter Wren, they are alive here all year!

 

I have similar doubts about "Common" ... but I am using Collin's Bird Guide for naming so all the fault goes to them ;)!

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Oban / 18. August 2017

 

 

BY276 / SCO 13

Gadwall - Anas strepera

GadwallA.JPG.e2ce4f505f2a0739d96c1d3b45f4dffd.JPG

Edited by xelas
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Barra / 19. - 20.  August 2017

 

 

BY277 / SCO 14

Razorbill- Alca torda

RazorbillA.JPG.ea4d02a379bf541dab772c51a16208e6.JPG

 

 

BY278 / SCO 15

Great Skua - Stercorarius skua

59d913e688a08_GreatSkuaA.JPG.94d48b44cd8cdda994d8aa7acfd0aa5e.JPG

 

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BY279 / SCO 16

Common Gull - Larus canus

59d9143f91be3_CommonGullA.JPG.54da3f524f6b16b92af29be6e005f958.JPG

 

 

BY280 / SCO 17

Eider - Somatória mollisima

59d9152f59e82_Eider-MullA.JPG.2416e8b7bf1b3bf48dc1b0ec94e82b5d.JPG

 

EiderA.JPG.4f433bc9b11981cbf9a8d5020783585f.JPG

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Looking forward to seeing more of your Hebridean trip but I think you need to take another look at your #276.

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10 hours ago, Galana said:

Looking forward to seeing more of your Hebridean trip but I think you need to take another look at your #276.

 

Welcome back, @Galana! I have bought 3 more nooks just to be sure my ID will be correct. I have looked through them again, and through several other resources. While I can easily spot the difference when male birds are concerned, and below one is a Mallard for sure

 

D72_3594A.JPG.7eea89d31e704fed44df81ed934967a7.JPG

 

I still need cannot find firm evidence that the female is not a Gadwall. Here below is another photo of what I think is a juvenile female Gadwall; please be so kind and point out where it distinguish from a juvenile female Mallard:

 

D72_3600A.JPG.a54d8b57b4929898246fdd4ed97952f2.JPG

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Dave Williams

I'm as confused as you Alex. Best way for me  is that if there are Gadwall males about, it's probably a female Gadwall. On the other hand they probably interbreed too:rolleyes:

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 @xelas and @Dave Williams As some one who is not an expert of birds......... I have been looking on the internet and it seems to me that the pictures posted (on the internet of a female gadwall do not show a black/dark cap and back of neck streak, whereas a female mallard does develop this feature overtime.

 

In addition the lower picture above shows a white edging to something below the wing. This is, I would suggest the edge of the blue and white flash on the mallard's wing rather than the white patch of a female gadwall.

 

So IMO the above are both female mallards 

Edited by wilddog
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@xelas

As a beginner birder - I like @Dave Williams identification method!

My book shows the female Mallard and Gadwall looking very similar. It points out that the orange on the bill of the Gadwall is broader than on the Mallard, with the orange stripe almost up to the nostril. It looks convincing in the book, but is harder to see the difference with real birds, and I am sure you get a lot of individual variation. I am sure it is also more difficult with the juvenile!

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@Dave Williams, @wilddog, @TonyQ, thanks for your contributions! I like Dave's approach and as there were definitively male mallards around, I will go with (yet another) mallard photo. But a nice photo, eh :huh:?!

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South Uist / 21. - 23.  August 2017

 

 

BY280 / SCO 17

Northern Lapwing - Vanellus vanellus

LapwingBA.JPG.4450abdfa225817781c099372bf74635.JPG

 

 

BY281 / SCO 18

Common Raven - Corvus corax

RavenA.JPG.cdcd0a922212851c9a66731a5ff912b4.JPG

 

 

BY282 / SCO 19

Greater Scaup - Aythya marila

ScaupAA.JPG.24186330ccfb4ecfa7a719075b7818fa.JPG

 

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BY283 / SCO 20

Hen Harrier - Circus cyaneus

59da3ec637bc8_HenHarrierB.JPG.6a12562ca2031ff91b60c292c68da497.JPG

 

59da3ec428942_HenHarrierAA.JPG.993b9aaf7312daee4adc07bc481547f1.JPG

 

 

BY284 / SCO 21

Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus

59da3ec73201f_Short-earedOwlFA.JPG.ae392cf546138f7a06e9cdf249966d82.JPG

 

59da3ec8dc90a_Short-earedOwlJA.JPG.223c9eac87a403083f4ef13e558395bf.JPG

 

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Dave Williams

The Hen Harrier is one of my favourites. Unfortunately much persecuted in the UK by gamekeepers on Grouse moors and although they are protected by law it doesn't seem to help too much as numbers are in sharp decline. You did well to see and photograph one.

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Peter Connan
1 hour ago, Dave Williams said:

The Hen Harrier is one of my favourites. Unfortunately much persecuted in the UK by gamekeepers on Grouse moors and although they are protected by law it doesn't seem to help too much as numbers are in sharp decline. You did well to see and photograph one.

 

Very sad.

 

Great photos of the Lapwing, Harrier and owl Alex!

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Good birds again, @xelas , in spite of the not-too-cooperative weather. Where there any males about with #282 ;) ?

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15 minutes ago, PeterHG said:

Good birds again, @xelas , in spite of the not-too-cooperative weather. Where there any males about with #282 ;) ?

 

Thanks, Peter!

Not that I am aware of. The #282 is already a heavy crop. Otherbirds were all floating in the waves. All uniform colour on the back so this one shows most  for ID. You have second thoughts?

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North Uist / 24. - 26.  August 2017

 

 

 

BY285 / SCO 22

Goldcrest - Regulus regulus

GoldcrestA.JPG.b3a71875e0d9f80bb8e225cf0b8f04ea.JPG

 

 

BY286 / SCO 23

Black-throated Diver - Gavia arctica

59db9c6e64943_Black-throatedDiverA.JPG.655d59b693277e402b3a860e16b5cdc3.JPG

 

 

BY287 / SCO 24

Shag - Phalacrocorax aristotelis

59db9c72d7a8c_ShaginflightA.JPG.faa9ece93ba71d28e1858d8d4b27773c.JPG

 

 

BY288 / SCO 25

Red Grouse - Lagopus lagopus

59db9c71f1911_RedGrouseA.JPG.395242b5e8701370320658a2cf5a7e78.JPG

 

 

BY289 / SCO 26

Twice - Carduelis flavirostris

TwiteA.JPG.b84e164c16d09e248a0c037704fd4c92.JPG

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Dave Williams

You got the Twite twice I see! Must have just had a bath too. The Black-throated Diver is one I'd like to tick!

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4 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

You got the Twite twice I see! Must have just had a bath too.

 

Yes, and all 4 birds which I hoped were different buntings ended as Twite :(.

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Dave Williams
27 minutes ago, xelas said:

 

Yes, and all 4 birds which I hoped were different buntings ended as Twite :(.

 

289 description !!!!  Hence my reply. That's the only thing I don't like about this wonderful website. You can't amend spelling mistakes and Apple word check can ruin a perfectly good word that you know how to spell and consequently don't look at once you have typed it. 

 

Anyway, never mind the Bunting you did well on your trip with what you have posted so far. 300 beckons, you are catching me up rapidly.

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5 hours ago, xelas said:

 

Thanks, Peter!

Not that I am aware of. The #282 is already a heavy crop. Otherbirds were all floating in the waves. All uniform colour on the back so this one shows most  for ID. You have second thoughts?

No, don't worry. I was only joking about the difficulty of id-ing female ducks, like in your previous posts. This can also be a tricky one.

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4 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

289 description !!!!

 

Damn autocorrect!!!! And I have to read it several times before I get it B). Yes # 289 is Twite, twice :D.

 

BTW anybody out there with iMac or Macbook knows how to deselect the autocorrect function?

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12 hours ago, xelas said:

 

Damn autocorrect!!!! And I have to read it several times before I get it B). Yes # 289 is Twite, twice :D.

 

BTW anybody out there with iMac or Macbook knows how to deselect the autocorrect function?

 Go to -> System preferences -> Language and region. Then choose Keyboard Preferences -> Text. Uncheck the first box top right which says: 'Correct spelling automatically'. That should do the trick. Of course you first have to translate all the previous steps into Slovenian....;)

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On 10/8/2017 at 3:52 PM, xelas said:

I will go with (yet another) mallard photo.

I did not get notified of these posts but am glad to see that you now agree on Mallards. In addition to the ID comments on field marks there is one other factor at play.  Distribution.

By one of life's coincidences I think the same factor may influence your choice of #282. (Edit. Written before reading @PeterHG 's comments. I think I know what he is thinking and I am with him on this.)

But the odd correction is nothing to worry about and you (Zvezda) have pipped me on those excellent Hen Harrier photos. I live on an Island with a good population but have not got a decent photo yet. Nice SE Owls too. Well done with those and the other goodies..

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@PeterHG thanks for the instructions; no need to translate them as all my software in past 30+ years was/is always in English ;).

 

@PeterHG and @Galana, which other candidate for #282 then? I have browsed through many images of Tufted Duck and Goldeneye, but none match as close as some photos of Greater Scaup. Both woud be new in this year so no problems with counting, just to set the ID correctly.

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