Teesmouth Bird Club

Anybody?

Could somebody give me some tips on where/when to see these little guys? I have managed to see every other owl species, but this one alludes me.

Many thanks in advance. 

Aww, I'll keep an eye on it, then. I didn't think it was truly wild because it's a lot more tolerant of us than the other goldfinches.

Thanx for the info. 

Quote from: Damian on May 05, 2014, 06:38:44 PM
Looks likely to be an escaped Goldfinch hybrid.

Cheers

Thanx Damian. You think it could be crossed with a redpoll? I actually thought it was a redpoll at first.

Will it be ok, or do you think it likely that it won't survive?

Is this just a young goldfinch? I've seen lots of goldfinch, young and adult, and this seems to be a bit of an odd one.

Quote from: Mark Rowbottom on January 15, 2014, 09:19:59 PM
Hi Raven
Redpoll id is fraught with difficulties but the brownish tones of the left hand bird make it a fairly standard Lesser Redpoll cabaretwhilst the right hand bird in my opinion is probably a fairly reasonable Mealy flammeagiven it's generally colder plumage tones and white wing bars.
Cheers
Mark Rowbottom

That was my thought. I do wish I'd had longer to watch them and get some better pics!

I am only just learning to identify the redpolls, but these two definitely looked very different to each other. I know that generally mealy redpolls can differ in colour and markings. If it is a Lesser, then it is my first one! Very pleased to have had it in my garden.

Can somebody tell me if these redpolls are both mealy? Sorry for the bad pic, it was taken through glass, and I was in a rush..I ended up being late for work because of these two! 



Thank you. x

Do only mammals have Latin names then? 

Thanks for the recommendation. I shall definitely invest in one of those books. I tried googling it, but there are so many species, it's difficult to know where to start.

Thank you everybody. 

Sorry for the second thread in 2 days for an I.D but I can't find this moth anywhere. It was tiny, the flower it is sat on is a buttercup so that can show you just how small it was.

Quote from: StewH on March 05, 2013, 06:32:46 PM
That's the whole dilemma with hunting Keith.  The gamekeepers maintain fantastic habitat, such as heather moorland for grouse, patchwork woodland for pheasants (and previously foxes) and even rich grassland for partridges.  As wildlife enthusiasts we all benefit greatly from their efforts, as does the entire ecosystem - an even more important factor.

Unfortunately, there still exists the philosophy of persecution of raptors and other 'menaces' in an effort to maximise hunting profits for their lords and masters.

What is needed, in my humble opinion, is education.  Until landowners and their gamekeepers accept the theory of a natural balance, where predator numbers are controlled purely by prey availability, we will continue to see the mindless persecution of our wonderful raptors - a very sad state indeed!

Things are improving with generational changes.  I know of 'land workers' who are very proud (and secretive) of their breeding Merlins on moors near to us and this will hopefully become the norm.

Trouble with taking punitive actions which make hunting a less profitable form of farming (for thats what keeping grouse moors is) is that the owners may look for alternatives, like upland sheep farming or endless fields of rape....

The whole thing saddens me!

I was under the impression that moorland is a poor habitat. Yes, we get certain birds of prey and "game" birds that benefit from this, but moorlands are man made, yes?. Where did these birds live before man destroyed the millions of acres of forests and created the moorland habitat? (Obviously excluding pheasants and partridge, being an introduced species!)
I am presuming that moorland did exist but only in remote, high areas, where trees and other plants found it hard to survive, and not in the massive expanses that are here today. Habitat loss is surely a massive factor, as well as persecution, and so is there not a link with the creation (and management) of expansive moorland and the decrease in raptor numbers?

Please correct me if I am wrong! I am always keen to learn these things.   

Is it ok if I share this?

Shame it's not a ban on all shoots but I agree it is a step in the right direction.

Thank you! He certainly looks very smart 

Snapped this stunning guy today, but why is he in his summer plumage?

Thank you for the info. I will contact the BTO as well to see if I can get a full history on it.