Saturday 10 March 2012

10th March 2012 Birling Seawatch 7am-8am WSW1 Overcast & Glynde

Red-throated Diver 2E
Great Crested Grebe 1W, 3 on sea
Heron 1W
Gannet 3E, 3W
Brent 115E including a milky-tea coloured leucistic individual with plumage ghosting that of a Brent
Razorbill 2 on sea
Curlew 1W
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 ad. intermedius
Pied Wagtail 1W, 1
Stonechat 2 males
Long-tailed Tit 2

Male Pied Wagtail at Birling
Skylark at Belle Tout
Jackdaw at Birling

Glynde
Great Grey Shrike 1 adult ex.






Adult Great Grey Shrike at Glynde

RJF drew attention to his images of this Shrike, albeit when wet, showing features associated with homeyeri on his blog at http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2012/02/sussex-25-february-2012-glynde-west.html
Today, prolonged views revealed that on the closed wing whilst the primary-base patch is obvious there is only a very narrow secondary patch barely visible in this image. The rump and uppertail coverts also appeared concolorous with the upperparts. Both features are more consistent with excubitor than homeyeri.


Furthermore, a primitive form of video grabbing reveals the typical excubitor wing pattern complete with obvious step between the fairly small narrow primary patch and very restricted narrow secondary patch.