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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Recent content by smiths

  1. S

    What kind of sandpiper/sanderling? Santiago, Galapagos

    Okay Ken... https://avesecuador.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=28&lang=en Good luck with submitting this record.
  2. S

    What kind of sandpiper/sanderling? Santiago, Galapagos

    How can you focus on just the bill and completely ignore the rest of the bird? The plumage of Spoon-billed is similar to that of Red-necked Stint, which is clearly not the case here. Records in the Americas were all from up north (Alaska; one in British Columbia) and the last one was more than...
  3. S

    What kind of sandpiper/sanderling? Santiago, Galapagos

    That is entirely a photographic effect. Spoon-billed SP has very different plumage and does not occur anywhere near the Galapagos.
  4. S

    What kind of sandpiper/sanderling? Santiago, Galapagos

    Looks like a Least Sandpiper to me, not Semipalmated, due to the visible gape line, prominent white tips to the upper scapulars (creating a distinct white line), and broad, jagged dark loral line.
  5. S

    Sandpiper ID: Illinois, USA

    Certainly not a Least Sandpiper; the crown and upperparts are much too pale and too lightly marked for a May bird of that species, the bill base is too heavy and lacks the gape line extension, the toes are too short compared to the tarsus, and the pattern on the ear coverts is different. A...
  6. S

    Vancouver city May 2024 gull

    Or a pure Glaucous-winged; hard to tell from this photo. But it is certainly not a Western Gull, since the underside of the wingtip is largely whitish.
  7. S

    hello, birders, I took a bird with some strange features. A hybrid of Motacilla alba with Motacilla cinerea or a strange Motacilla cinerea only?

    They are jet-black (with white outer web) in all White Wagtails.
  8. S

    hello, birders, I took a bird with some strange features. A hybrid of Motacilla alba with Motacilla cinerea or a strange Motacilla cinerea only?

    Uppertail coverts are grey rather than black. This rules out any race of White Wagtail.
  9. S

    How can I tell the difference between Eurasian teal female and American Teal female ?

    There is a useful difference in the pattern of the tertials according to the recent (and excellent) Identification Guide to the Ducks of Japan, although I have not checked this against an extensive series of photographs yet myself. There are also subtle differences in overall colour, head...
  10. S

    A bit of a strange pipit

    Meadow pipit for me too. The flank streaking and the dark malar patch are both too weak for a worn red-throated pipit, and I would also expect more of a tawny wash on throat and ear coverts in a spring bird of that species.
  11. S

    Unknown call, Ochil Hills, Scotland

    This is most likely a Jay. Especially during the breeding season they imitate other species, including Scops Owl: https://xeno-canto.org/718151
  12. S

    2 Warbler Sound IDs (Garden Warbler vs Blackcap, Cettis) plus Scoter

    Garden warbler, Cetti's warbler and common scoter indeed.
  13. S

    UK, Horsell Common, Surrey bird call identification

    At 41-44 seconds there are some clicking sounds added to the 'pew' calls, which I have never heard from Bullfinch. Perhaps it is a Jay mimicking the call of Bullfinch?
  14. S

    White or Pied Wagtail (UK)

    Like Alex, I would not exclude yarrellii here. In fact, there is a hint of a few grey stripes on the belly. If these are not the mere product of noise reduction in the photograph, they are strongly indicative of yarrellii. As for the Evans & Cade paper, keep in mind that some of the birds in...
  15. S

    Raptors - Samarkand, Uzbekistan

    Photo #1 shows a female Lesser Kestrel, in my opinion: long P10, plain head lacking dark eyestripe, white 'flash' at base of outer primaries (contrasting strongly against the dark primary coverts). Photo #2 could be either kestrel species... Bird #6 gives me mainly the impression of a dark...
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