unidentified bird

[twillfman]

Hi everyone, this is my first post...
I live in a very rural situation surrounded by woods and farmland and have always thought I could identify most birds that turn up around here... until now..
Over the last few days we've had a pair of birds that seemto be an item spending a lot of time in our garden and woods. They are both seemingly identical, about the size of a small blackbird but with a longer tail and slightly longer beak . They are a reddy brown with darker speckles almost all over and often adopt a peculiar stance, almost gundog like in posture ( if you get what I mean .. ) with their wings slightly lowered and neck and head strained a little forward. They appear to be feeding on stuff found in our unfortunately slightly overgrown lawns.
They're definitely not song or mistle thrushes, female blackbirds, fieldfare or meadow pipit and none of my books seem to have an entry like them. Anyone out there any ideas ? I'd be most grateful for any help on this.

[Jason Green]

Hi T, welcome to WAB

No immediate ideas... do you, or can you, get a photograph and upload it please?

[Gill Catton]

dunnock?

[twillfman]

hi,
Thanks for the suggestion, but it's probably twice as big as a dunnock and sporting a much darker plumage...
It could be a rare visitor, but wouldn't know where to look for recognising those..

[twillfman]

Hi,
I have today taken delivery of an Olympus SP590-uz and as soon as I can get it all set up, I'll have a go at getting a pic...could be a few days.. the instruction manual is a bit beefy !!

[Gill Catton]

redwing? They'd be very unlikely to be back just yet but its not impossible - but they are pale underneath....

I'd suggest juvenille starling - but they are more buff brown than reddy brown. speckldy all over though as they start to moult into adult plumage.

[Jenny W]

My first thought was juvenile Blackbird or Song Thrush.

[twillfman]

no, I'd recognise both of those... I've never seen a starling here in all of the fifteen years we've been here ...
Thanks though...

[Jonners]

Hello Twillfman and welcome to WAB . Could they be juvenile blackbirds? They can be quite speckled and a rich brown colour. (Sorry if you know what they look like and know they're not them)

[twillfman]

thanks.. I'd already considered both of these and have seen plenty over the years here, but the reddy brown colour with almost all over darker speckling is something I've never seen before..