White crowned sparrows

[tigertom]

I think they will turn out to something common or an escape from somewere, been checking out rare bird alerts for notts no reports of anything out of the norm went back over reports for the last week. Hope you can get a pic of these birds, good luck with that and welcome to WAB
MIKE

[htcdude]

Originally Posted by Clareb

Ok come up with another possibility thanks to my husband, it's close enough that I could have missed a bit of the yellow on it even though i'm pretty sure I didn't. Was pleased as punch to have found something else it could be until I saw where its location is...

a white throated sparrow *sigh*. I'm at a loss.

Maybe juvenile Goldfinch?

[RoyW]

I would still be inclined to thing that Reed Bunting is the most likely ID:

One from the WAB gal|ery above, and another here


Other species of bunting are also possible (some with black and white striped heads are kept as cage birds - eg. Cinnamon-breasted Bunting).


When I suggested weavers earlier it was actually female type bishops that I was thinking of (which are weavers even though they are given a different name), as well as the related indigobirds and whydahs (which aren't really weavers).
Each link shows a female of one species of each (there are a number of different species of each, and females, juveniles and non breeding males will all usually have the stripy heads).

[~T~]

They do sound like they could be reed buntings or juvenile godfinches or siskins.

[htcdude]

Originally Posted by RoyW

Other species of bunting are also possible (some with black and white striped heads are kept as cage birds - eg. Cinnamon-breasted Bunting).


When I suggested weavers earlier it was actually female type bishops that I was thinking of (which are weavers even though they are given a different name), as well as the related indigobirds and whydahs (which aren't really weavers).
Each link shows a female of one species of each (there are a number of different species of each, and females, juveniles and non breeding males will all usually have the stripy heads).

But to have lots of any of these in the UK?

Nige

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by htcdude

But to have lots of any of these in the UK?

Nige

From post 16 (bold added):

Originally Posted by RoyW

These are common cage birds because breeding plumaged males are very bright - in other plumages they look like stripey headed sparrows. If a number escaped at the same time (eg. from a damaged aviary), or were released, they would most likely travel in one group.

All of the species that I have mentioned are kept as cage birds (though not as commonly as some other species). In the wild they will form flocks, and anyone keeping them in an aviary would be likely to have several kept together.

..and from post 17:

Originally Posted by Clareb

I can only say with certainty that 3 were like this, although the tree was full of them I didn't look closely at all, only the three closest to me.

...so the other birds in the tree may have been another species with which a few of the mystery birds were associating.

Besides, as I said, I think (typo corrected!) that they are most likely to have been Reed Buntings.



I'm not really sure why juvenile Goldfinches have been suggested though - they are among the plainest headed birds going (and although they become 'patchy' on the head when the adult feathers start to come through, they never have stripes on the head.
Still, who knows!

[diggleken]

As has ben suggested, surely Reed Buntings?
This thread, the last comment is quite apt I think!
Reed Bunting
Given the OPoster is a birding novice it seems ( please correct me if wrong Clare!), its easy to think they are Sparrows.
Further accurate description would still have been nice to give us a better idea.
I dont really think so, but this would have been a cracking hoax to get us birders going................
Cheers
Ken

[htcdude]

My apologies Roy I did read your posts when you wrote them but forgot

Nige