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  1. S

    Unusual 'Yellow' Wagtail, Matzu Islands, Taiwan, April 2024

    Thanks for the replies. Of the Western Yellow Wagtail taxa, ssp. beema does look like the most plausible second parent (assuming feldegg to be the first) as it has a similar distribution of white (supercilium, cheeks, throat (rather, chin)) about the head. However, this is nowhere near as...
  2. S

    Unusual 'Yellow' Wagtail, Matzu Islands, Taiwan, April 2024

    This odd-looking wagtail is being treated by some as a Western Yellow Wagtail, the thinking presumably being that it is an intraspecific hybrid with ssp. feldegg and some other form. The call, though, excludes feldegg, but is an excellent match for Citrine Wagtail. The broad white fringes to the...
  3. S

    Is this swallow taken in Fukuoka, Japan, a Striated swallow?

    I thought I'd add a few more Straited Swallows. The first two are adults from the same wires as those in #35 (taken this week) showing vents. I think the bird in #1 is more heavily marked on the undertail coverts than either of these two birds. The next two are adults from Oct (still growing...
  4. S

    Is this swallow taken in Fukuoka, Japan, a Striated swallow?

    Hi Torikichi, I'm not the person to ask about this (I have no training in biology). Timing of moult just seemed to me to be one thing worth mentioning not yet considered that would count against identification of this bird as Striated Swallow (together with it being out of range). As you note...
  5. S

    Is this swallow taken in Fukuoka, Japan, a Striated swallow?

    The last time I looked (on HBW I think, when parts of it were free), these taxa were all lumped. The reason given for lumping them as I recall was that studies of vocalisations had revealed no significant differences between the various populations. To me, these seem best treated as one species...
  6. S

    Is this swallow taken in Fukuoka, Japan, a Striated swallow?

    As I said in #15, Striated Swallows have finished breeding here and are all in primary moult. I stopped on my way home from a seawatch this morning and randomly pointed a camera at a few birds on wires. As I suspected (indeed, knew), all were in active primary moult. I then did a quick visual...
  7. S

    Is this swallow taken in Fukuoka, Japan, a Striated swallow?

    To try and answer John’s question, there are two kinds of birds that get called Red-rumped Swallow here. On islands close to China (Kinmen, Matsu), any Cecropis swallow, regardless of appearance, automatically gets called Red-rumped Swallow on range. There have been claims of Striated Swallow...
  8. S

    Is this swallow taken in Fukuoka, Japan, a Striated swallow?

    I’ve noticed before (from e.g. Japanese photographic guides) that many Red-rumped Swallows in Japan are more heavily marked below than otherwise expected and personally know of no way of separating such birds from Striated Swallow. Although the bird in #1 is an especially heavily-marked...
  9. S

    Not a Thayer's....right? ad. winter large white-headed gull | Choshi harbour, Japan | march 5 2020

    The bird in your series looks remarkably similar to the first (flying) Thayer's Gull in this checklist (https://ebird.org/checklist/S65513396): a checklist you might be familiar with! Steve
  10. S

    Not a Thayer's....right? ad. winter large white-headed gull | Choshi harbour, Japan | march 5 2020

    I noticed when at Choshi that, on Vega Gulls with Thayer's-like wingtip patterns, the black areas on the primaries were black below as well as above. On Thayer's, these areas were all 'greyed out', producing a ghostly white underwing. I see this on your third image above (compare the underside...
  11. S

    Black-tailed gull? Junnam Reservoir, South Korea, Feb 2022

    It's one of the larger gulls. Second-winter Mongolian would get my vote. Steve
  12. S

    All white Brown Jay in Mexico !

    This article might be of interest: (PDF) What Colour is that bird? The causes and recognition of common colour aberrations in birds Steve
  13. S

    Please help ID the gull, Jiangsu province, China

    I'll suggest first-winter Vega Gull. Despite the brownish look to this bird, the crisp piano-key pattern through to the outermost greater coverts and the obvious marbling in the pale areas of the inner primaries should be enough to exclude Heuglin's taimyrensis. Mongolian Gulls, here at least...
  14. S

    Eastern or Western Marsh Harrier, Jiangsu province,China

    I would go with Eastern Marsh Harrier. We get dark birds here (Taiwan), too, and although they are numerically much scarcer than the more typical/familiar pale-patched/blotchy juveniles, they are not too infrequent. Given the variation in both species, I would have thought that any candidate...
  15. S

    Herring gull - Vega? South Korea, 9/8/21

    As this bird has already completed so much of its primary moult, has only a short tongue on the underside of P10, has extensive black on P8-9, and has a complete black band on P4, I would suggest Mongolian Gull. Steve
  16. S

    Bleached and worn Buteo, SW Taiwan, July

    Yes, second calendar-year if you prefer.
  17. S

    Bleached and worn Buteo, SW Taiwan, July

    Rather pale iris + P7-10 and secondaries all appear to be same age, at least in terms of wear. I'm assuming P1-5 to be second generation ... but could be wrong?
  18. S

    Bleached and worn Buteo, SW Taiwan, July

    I would greatly appreciate any comments on this unseasonal first-summer buzzard I first came across yesterday and which I'm quite puzzled by! Thanks! Steve
  19. S

    Swift? Spore

    OK, I see. I think it's the time interval between clicks and the structure of the social calls that are diagnostic (not the frequencies themselves). My mistake. Steve
  20. S

    Swift? Spore

    Yes they are, as are their social calls: https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/88/4/631/2691634?login=true. A half-decent microphone and recording device is sufficient to record these. Steve
  21. S

    mystery redstart, Hong Kong, spring 2019

    Wouldn't the double wing bars and pale-tipped tertials exclude an HBF? Also, the wings look very long. Steve
  22. S

    moulting sequence of Cormorant, China

    I'm not sure what adults have to do with anything. The birds in #1 are not adults and I believe that both are Japanese Cormorants based on yellow in the lower mandible and the shape of the face patch, contra the statement in #4. The comment in #9 was intended to be of relevance to #1 and #4...
  23. S

    moulting sequence of Cormorant, China

    I made one post, in #9, and in it I said that yellow in the lower mandible was an easier (meaning quicker) way of picking out immature Japanese Cormorant from Great (meaning in amongst a group of Greats) than was looking at the shape of the face pattern. Shape of the face pattern then confirms...
  24. S

    moulting sequence of Cormorant, China

    FWIW, I agree that both birds in #1 are Japanese Cormorants. The extensive yellow in the lower mandible of first-year birds makes for a much easier way of picking these out from Greats than does the shape of the facial skin, and there are still traces of yellow in the lower mandible of the older...
  25. S

    Sandwich tern or roseate tern

    Thanks for adding this, John. I tried to provide some context in #7 as this was missing from #1, but as is my way did so in an inept and clumsy fashion! The two birds together (first photo) in #22 are a pair of Roseate Terns (they had a juvenile with them which was harassing them for food). The...
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