Show your Bird Portraits

[foda]

The ornithologists usually know the scientific names of the birds (for sure the names in the group of birds in which they specialize...). The problem with the common names is that they are frequently ambiguous. For one who doesn't have the English as a primary language it makes a kind of burden: So many times I have to search in the Internet via the Latin name in order to recover the common name (in English!) in my memory (old man ...). Many times the common name in English is popping up before I can recover the scientific name (go figure it )!
Never mind! Today the clouds above the mountain were looking pretty hostile and I went to my favorite Botanical garden - to check if the gardeners are still keeping the barriers around the nest of the Japanese White-eye and how the birds are doing. Surprisingly for a fraction of the second I noticed a hatched bird trying to get food from the arrived parent (I missed the exact moment!!!). It seems I (we) can see fledglings in 10-14 days!
After that White-rumped Shama and Red-whiskered Bulbul.

View attachment 229377View attachment 229378View attachment 229379View attachment 229380

That's a MUCH better view of the Red-whiskered Bulbul than I was able to get in Vietnam!

 

[shire_guy]

Good exposure control. It’s not always easy with birds that have white plumage. Nice shots, shire guy.

Thank you Click

 

[AlanF]

That's a MUCH better view of the Red-whiskered Bulbul than I was able to get in Vietnam!

The Red-whiskered Bulbul is one of my favourite birds. Here is one captured with the RF 100-400mm on the R5ii in Kowloon.

 

[ISv]

Common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) having a small snack.

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R5 Mk II with EF 600mm f4 II + 1.4 extender, cropped in post production.

Very nice shot P-visie!

 

[ISv]

Thanks, one learns something new everyday. I use the wikipedia app on my iPad, the app does not have this feature. I’ll use the browser when posting on the forum.

"Thanks, one learns something new everyday" -Yeah, just tell this to your Birdpix moderators

 

[ISv]

Was he looking for insects?

Obviously he was looking for new Canon camera or may be lens

 

[ISv]

A strange looking Dunnock cheeping away this morning. When his beak was open, you can see from the gape it must be a fledgling (R5ii + 200-800).View attachment 229413View attachment 229414

Don't mistake the bare skin for "gape" - in fledglings the gape looks different! What ever the bird is showing the photos are excellent!

 

[ISv]

That's a MUCH better view of the Red-whiskered Bulbul than I was able to get in Vietnam!

That day I made plenty of photos of that birds (par). Unfortunately they were looking usually up for flying insect, not at me. Doing fast take off in the air and trying to get on the same branch before the other bird takes it, sometimes arguing who was first there ! Not such a good light/background as on Alan's photo (especially the thorns ...)!

 

[AlanF]

Don't mistake the bare skin for "gape" - in fledglings the gape looks different! What ever the bird is showing the photos are excellent!

It’s the plumage and chick-like cheep as well that distinguishes from the fully mature adult.

 

[ISv]

It’s the plumage and chick-like cheep as well that distinguishes from the fully mature adult.

I can't hear the "cheep" but the plumage is of a fully grown adult: the immature (incl. the first winter birds!) are much more (and boldly!) streaked starting from the throat and going down to the vent. Immature are also (boldly) streaked on the head and neck and they, I think are not suppose to have the white tips on the greater covers of the wing (the tips of the lesser covers are not visible on these photos, otherwise they should be white too for your bird).

 

[AlanF]

I can't hear the "cheep" but the plumage is of a fully grown adult: the immature (incl. the first winter birds!) are much more (and boldly!) streaked starting from the throat and going down to the vent. Immature are also (boldly) streaked on the head and neck and they, I think are not suppose to have the white tips on the greater covers of the wing (the tips of the lesser covers are not visible on these photos, otherwise they should be white too for your bird).

I uploaded the photo to ChatGPT and asked: Can you identify whether this Dunnock is a full mature adult or a juvenile?

Answer

This looks like a juvenile / recently fledged Dunnock, not a fully mature adult.

The strongest clues are:

• Prominent yellow gape flanges at the corners of the bill — adults lose these. They are typical of fledglings and recently independent juveniles.
• Soft, fluffy plumage texture rather than the cleaner, tighter feathering of an adult.
• Brownish streaking on the head and mantle. Adult Dunnocks usually show a cleaner slate-grey head and breast with less diffuse facial patterning.
• The bird is also giving a typical begging or food-soliciting call posture with the open bill.

However, it is not a very young nestling. The plumage is already fairly developed, so this is probably a:

• late juvenile / fledgling
• likely a few weeks out of the nest
• possibly moulting toward more adult-like plumage.

A fully mature adult Dunnock would normally show:

• a much cleaner grey head and breast,
• darker, sharper eye,
• little or no yellow at the gape,
• and a more refined feather texture overall.

 

[AlanF]

Here are a couple of mature Dunnocks I've taken, which show the tighter, more grey feathering and sharper eye. The juvenile Dunnock puzzled me when I was taking it was browner and fluffier than I am used to seeing.