Is this a whinchat?

[martyp]

This little bird was singing like mad from the top of a small shrub next to my fence in the back garden. Its song was similar to a Robin I thought. I get quite a few dunnocks and it's colouring was much less contrasting than theirs, more a paler brown colour. I thought it was a warbler at first. It has a couple of markings around the eye. The picture was taken this week.
Very sorry that the pictures are so bad, I was using my mobile phone.

[Jason Green]

It's a Dunnock. Not bad for a mobi!!

...

[Picidae]

Yes, J has it 110%

A Whinchat is a summer visitor to the UK btw, so rather early still to see them.

You're right about picking up on the song, Dunnock sing beautifully and I agree can sound like a mix of Robin and Warbler. Another underrated singer is a Wren.

Funny how our more common birds get a thrift time from us as a rule, but I can honestly say, the most enjoyment I derive from birding is watching the daily goings on in the garden with our common species and hearing them sing as I fall asleep in the evening and wake up in the morning. This is despite foreign birding trips, twitching and spending lots of time on nature reserves!

[martyp]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

It's a Dunnock. Not bad for a mobi!!

...

Really? I didn't think they had a stripe round the eye like that. I do get more dunnocks in the back garden than any other bird I'd say, that one looked much paler somehow, might have just been the light. I did cheat a bit with the mobile bit, I have a telescopic lens attachment for it. Should really invest in a proper camera with decent zoom.

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by martyp

Really? I didn't think they had a stripe round the eye like that.

Dunnocks vary in plumage. Some have very prominant eye stripes and paler plumage. We do get three subspecies in the UK, one of which is a continental ssp. Not sure of your location but certainly in the SE UK, populations could be mixed with migrants and residents. Our residents are occidentalis and hebridium (the darkest and mostly in Scotland/Ireland) with the continental modularis being recorded in the winter in the UK.

[martyp]

Originally Posted by Picidae

Dunnocks vary in plumage. Some have very prominant eye stripes and paler plumage. We do get two subspecies in the UK, one of which is a continental ssp. Not sure of your location but certainly in the SE UK, populations could be mixed with migrants and residents. Our residents are occidentalis and hebridium with the continental modularis being recorded in the winter in the UK

Ah, I didn't realise that there were several subspecies. I'm in the West Midlands by the way. I have a couple of videos but they're on an external site, I don't think I can upload them on here can I?

[Picidae]

I'm not sure Marty but take a look at this video link and compare it to yours ... I haven't watched it all through myself but it might be helpful in deciding which you've seen. (The modularis is the continental variety)

Dunnock (Prunella modularis) | the Internet Bird Collection

[martyp]

It does look very similar, are the different subspecies easily distinguishable? On my video the colouration on the back looks more contrasting but it might just be due to the camera or light.

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by martyp

It does look very similar, are the different subspecies easily distinguishable?

No! Not really. I saw one last year on the Isle of Wight that had an unusually pale buff supercillium (eyebrow stripe) and was very pale overall (can't find my notes now, they're buried amongst the pile somewhere!). Myself and another birder attributed this to ssp because it was at the extreme end of variation. I've also seen some very dark ones in Scotland which I presumed to be hebridium. However, the bulk of Dunnock I see, I haven't a clue which ones they are - partly because I probably don't study them that closely!

I know it's Friday night (or should I say Saturday!) but I must go to bed!