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

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  1. I

    Mourning Wheatear or Pied Wheatear?

    If you want to read very good and most complete bibliographical resources about bird migration and vagrancy you can have a look at these two titles: "Vagrancy in Birds" by Alexander Lees & James Gilroy "Rare Birds of North America" by Steve NG Howell, Ian Lewington & Will Russell Here you find...
  2. I

    Eurasian penduline tit?

    First one (probably Yellowhammer call, but also very similar to Redwing's to my hear) is a short, sibilant and straight ziii, while the second call (surely Penduline Tit's) is a longer, less sibilant and more bouncing (down-up-down) mourning whistle fiiUUu Ciao, Igor Festari, Italy
  3. I

    Afghan Babblers?

    I've never seen Afghan Babbler before but the two photos presented here (even if slightly veered towards blue tones) actually depict two birds very different from classic Common Babbler i've commonly seen in various parts of India and Nepal... They look almost bicolored with strongly streaked...
  4. I

    Hume's Lark?

    Dear Grahame, thanks a lot for your note. About the shape of Hume's Lark bill compared to Greater's, I've founded contrasting comments in different bibliographical sources (some say it's thinner and longer, sometimes is cited as slightly shorter, some say it has deep base and sometimes curved...
  5. I

    Hume's Lark?

    Very difficult identification, as the two species (Greater and Hume's Short-toed Lark) are very similar in every respects. But, apart from the lack of dark spots on the neck sides (usual in Hume's and regular but rare in Greater, especially rare in many birds seen together), all other...
  6. I

    Mourning Wheatear or Pied Wheatear?

    Morphologically speaking, it has a rather strong built, thick bill and the undertail coverts strongly tinged with buff, tipical features of Mourning Wheatears (and not good for Pied). Interestingly the easternmost form of Mourning W., subspecies persica (breeding from Iran to the boundary with...
  7. I

    Warbler Lesvos

    An Iduna warbler. Judging from longish bill with completely pale underside, pale feather edges on secondaries and greater coverts, medium-long primary projection (about 2/3 of tertials), proportionately shortish tail, brownish-pink legs with greyer feet and rather strong face pattern (with...
  8. I

    Bobolink-like birds in upper Austria

    Probably Common Starling, one of the few central european species of medium-little size with blackish plumage (in flight, little spots on the upperparts can create a light mantle or nape effect). It also has shortish tail and thin bill like Red-winged Blackbird, and they are usually seen...
  9. I

    Gull, Salton Sea, California, USA 12 May 2024

    Primary feather P6 is barred on the tip, there's a pale shadow along the inner border of black primary tips (stronger on the underside) and the blask tips are reduced. These are good pointers for sub-adult Franklins Gull (avanced 1° summer or immature-like 2° summer?), plus general structure...
  10. I

    Various Raptors - South Essex UK - 12th May

    I've modified the first photograph (without permission, I beg your pardon djw0208) and I exclude it could be a Honey Buzzard: wings are too slim, tail and secondaries are not strongly barred and there's no black carpal patch. The generally dark body plumage, the diffuse dark wing tips...
  11. I

    Bird ID Inquiry from La Paz Waterfalls, Costa Rica

    During my birding trip to Costa Rica I saw at least a few Black Phoebes along the stream that forms the famous waterfall and looking at eBirds you can see dozens of records of this species in the area, including some very recent... Ciao, Igor Festari
  12. I

    Bird ID Inquiry from La Paz Waterfalls, Costa Rica

    Slaty Flowerpiercer doesn't show white on the outer rectrices in any plumege, as shown in the mystery photograph. We should check a different option, if not Black Phoebe... Ciao, Igor Festari
  13. I

    Bird ID Inquiry from La Paz Waterfalls, Costa Rica

    Could it be a Black Phoebe chick? I've seen that species in Costa Rica where it doesn't shows pale wingbars (local subspecies) and it also shows white borders to outer tail feathers, like in this photograph... I've also found a few photos on the internet of Black Phoebe chicks with pinkish legs...
  14. I

    Raptor ID, Ukraine

    Structurally speaking it slightly recalls a Pallas's Fish Eagle (long thin tail, long neck, small head, slim body, long wings with wider eagle-like hands, etc.) but coloration (including immature plumage) is not really ok... And it would be a much rarer bird than Bonelli's Eagle too! :eek...
  15. I

    Wheatear from Oman

    Tail is all black, pure grey plumage and a cinnamon cast on the cheecks... so why not a Blackstart (Oenanthe melanura)? In Oman it's a common species, in the right habitat. Ciao, Igor
  16. I

    Yellow-breasted Bunting?

    Very big bill, yellowish vent and rump (visible in at least a few individuals) and white + yellowish tinged wing bars = White-winged Grosbeak (Mycerobas carnipes) Ciao, Igor
  17. I

    Eagle Owl?

    Converting video photograms in pictures shows whitish underwing, ear-like protrusion from the head and orangish eyes, so... Long-eared Owl
  18. I

    Handboek Europese vogels

    Did you know about this: Aves de Europa - Identificación de todas las especies y plumajes - Lynx Nature Books ?
  19. I

    Reed or Marsh Warbler ? (ile de Sein, France)

    Judging wing formula, the photographs depict a Common Reed Warbler: tracing a line from the start of the emargination on P3, it reaches between P8 and P9, that's typical of scirpaceus, with 1-2 more exposed primary tips than in Marsh. Ciao, Igor Festari
  20. I

    Raptor Photo IDs, Guangxi, China

    I agree with first being an Eastern Marsh Harrier and the second an adult male Oriental Honey Buzzard
  21. I

    Oenanthe piacata, or..?

    In my opinion it's 2cy Cyprus Pied Wheatear. Short primary projection, big head, short tail, long black tip on each rectrices, glossy black patches on the plumage (moulting to full adult), thick white supercilium over the eye contrasting with solid dark crown and long dark stripes on the breast...
  22. I

    Apus in Bizkaia ( north spain )

    Why not Plain Swift (Apus unicolor)? It has recently colonized Portugal (breeding in Lisbon and Porto) and is very similar in structure and uniform coloration to the photographed bird See here...
  23. I

    North west italy

    Little Owl's call (Athene noctua noctua)
  24. I

    Bird ID Pls: Arctic Skua or Long Tailed Skua

    I'm very sorry to have started a possibly harsh discussion! :rolleyes: I din't want to dismiss or bypass Richard's opinion, in fact I wrote in my post that "I expect to be contradicted by others!", especially by birders as experienced and trustworthy as Richard...! (y) I'm still dubious about...
  25. I

    Bird ID Pls: Arctic Skua or Long Tailed Skua

    The bill of this immature Skua seems longish, but the upperparts with newly moulted adult primaries without white bases and only two outer primaries with white shafts are generally considered diagnostic features of Long-tailed Skua. The contrast between lightish chocolate brown upperwing...
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