Black-throated Thrush - Hartlepool Headland

[IanF]

Showing well this afternoon in the Putting Green.

[Keith Ryan]

Lovely photos Ian, glad you got to see it.

[sidwemn]

Cracking shots Ian.

More shots taken this morning in the rain.

Martyn

[Ray. Scott]

A few from today.

[Ray. Scott]

A fuzzy flight shot from today.

[IanF]

A few more from today.

[DaveBritton]

The ageing and sexing of birds can be notoriously difficult but I would think this excellent find by Chris (only beaten by his Cliff Swallow) is more likely a first-winter female (and not a male as widely reported elsewhere). Check out Peter Clement's book 'Thrushes'. The extensive quite dark and clear cut spots on the lower flanks (they looked quite heart shaped in the field with at least 20 on each side) seem quite wrong for a first-winter male and other first-winter males I have seen a little earlier than this have looked more obviously males with more striking adult male like throats (eg. the late February 1976 male in Norfolk. One thing for certain is that this is not the Whitby bird. Dave Britton

[StewH]

Hi Dave,

Your comments are well made but did you know the bird was singing during the morning?  Hence the change from female to male on the pager services.... :-)

Stewart