Trip reports
Indoor Meeting: What's Not That Bird
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Of the many examples from each group, a few will suffice to illustrate the gist of the talk. People who see birds they cannot identify often telephone RSPB offices, such as the headquarters at The Lodge where the library staff field such queries. A Bedfordshire caller had, on the roof, a brown and reddish bird that so terrified the cat it would not come up the garden. He wished confirmation that it was an immature Gannet, but investigation showed it to be a Muscovy Duck. Another caller, describing a bird with a pointed bill, a greyish back and reddish under parts, was pretty sure it was a Sub-Alpine Warbler. When questioning elicited it was eating peanuts it was determined to be a Nuthatch.
A submitted photograph of a supposed White's Thrush was answered with the identification of Mistle Thrush. Although several people confirmed it was a Mistle Thrush the man called at Sandy to complain that he was not at all happy with the identification and resigned from the RSPB. Another member resigned when the RSPB staff would not accept a flock of Redwings as Dusky Thrushes.
An Edinburgh lady, who reported two Cranes flying over, also resigned when the outgoing Director of the RSPB in Scotland identified them as Herons. The new director smoothed ruffled feathers by writing and agreeing they probably were Cranes, at which the lady renewed her membership.
One of the problems leading to misidentification is that bird identification books often they give no real iindication of the size of a bird. Some artists who, with a colourful bird like a Kingfisher, fill the plate with the bird and give little background to provide some sort of scale, compound this problem. But there are other difficulties with size as this impression may differ from person to person. On an outing to the Yorkshire moors a woman told the group leader she had seen a brown bird. 'How big was it?' 'About the size of a handbag.' It was identified eventually as a Partridge. And at Loch Garten, a visitor remarked "I thought Ostriches were bigger than that."
Some misidentifications seem inexplicable as exemplified by a woman who phoned the RSBP to say she had found a Bustard and would bring it to the Lodge in a cardboard box - which was opened to reveal a kitten. A Moorhen in a garden was reported as a Kiwi.
A Sociable Plover, a very rare visitor, in a playing field turned out to be a juvenile Starling. On being contacted, the person who reported it revealed that the identification was based on 'it seemed very friendly'. A phone call to the Lodge described a bird at a bird table as having a pointed beak and red and white on the face. She was assured that it was a goldfinch. The lady disagreed, saying it was not on the table, but at the table; a reasonable distinction as it turned out to be a Saurus Crane.
The local office got an easy identification when contacted from the Black Isle. In a field with sheep was bird with a long red beak, a black back and with white under parts. An Oystercatcher. But when further enquiries elicited that it was taller than the sheep, it had to be converted to a Black Stork.
A phone call reported that a black and white bird with a pointed beak had been found on the shore at the edge of the water. The caller was told to take it home and put it in the bath and a visit would be made by a RSPB representative - who found a dead Great Spotted Woodpecker. A visitor to the Farne islands asked a warden if Puffins ate carrots as she had seen several flying about, each carrying one. "Look, there is another one" - as an Oystercatcher flew overhead.
But experienced birdwatchers can be misled on occasion. A bird, of which Farne island wardens had a back view as it foraged in the grass at some distance, was identified variously as a Skylark, a Meadow Pipit, a Wheatear, a Ringed Plover a Whinchat and a Shore Lark before revealing itself as a Horned Lark. Wishful thinking can colour identification. Jonathan has had experience of this. A visiting group on Islay had been seen various raptors but not a Peregrine and were so keen to get one that a glimpse of a bird turned a Curlew into a Peregrine. Similarly in the Bocquer Valley in Majorca, a sought-after Sparrowhawk was glimpsed and confidently identified. The party then met an optics-laden German who was asked to confirm the sighting, which he relegated to a Cuckoo. A group in Yorkshire had so long awaited the appearance of a Great Grey Shrike that the shout went up 'Great Grey Shrike' when a Greenfinch landed on a fence.
Ken Shaw and other very experienced birders watched a Slavonian Grebe / Black-necked Grebe / Red-necked Grebe bobbing offshore in East Lothian. Their patience was rewarded when it drifted close enough for definite identification as a can of McEwan's export. A very rare Little Bittern turned up on a reserve where it could be seen from a hide. A queue of watchers progressed into and out of the hide, delighted with the good view of the bird. Eventually a sceptical warden went into the reeds and removed a copy of the Daily Mirror caught in the vegetation.
A Long-eared Owl on a telegraph pole was reported and, sure enough, there it was. A householder, who came out to ask about the interest, knew all about it as he had put up the plastic bird himself. A reported Snowy Owl, with large yellow eyes in a white face, was seen at the base of a fence post. As telescopes were mounted a large white cat got to its feet and strolled off.
This was a well-presented talk, very different from our usual fare and delivered with style. It was much enjoyed by an appreciative audience.