I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I really
do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a sparrow and much
the same colour but while it was on the ground, its tail had a constant
'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can anyone help me ID this one?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Sacha wrote:
I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I really
do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a sparrow and much
the same colour but while it was on the ground, its tail had a constant
'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can anyone help me ID this one?


One of these?

http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/wren.asp

On 8/4/08 07:22, in article ,
"Saxman" wrote:

Sacha wrote:
I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I really
do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a sparrow and much
the same colour but while it was on the ground, its tail had a constant
'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can anyone help me ID this one?


One of these?

http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/wren.asp

Not, I'm afraid not. We have quite a few wrens here so I do recognise
those. This was bigger than a wren.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Sacha wrote:
I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I
really do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a
sparrow and much the same colour but while it was on the ground, its
tail had a constant 'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can
anyone help me ID this one?

Bunting? Redpoll? Greenfinch?

There are a number of juvenile birds around at the moment which are "sparrow
like". Female birds of some species are often rather dull and completely
different from the males. This can make ID difficult. Even female
chaffinches or bullfinches might look a little like sparrows, especially in
poor light.

Are you sure it was a little larger than a sparrow? Some birds have their
feathers so puffed up against the cold that they look a bit larger than
normal!

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

Dunnock???

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...
Sacha wrote:
I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I
really do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a
sparrow and much the same colour but while it was on the ground, its
tail had a constant 'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can
anyone help me ID this one?

Bunting? Redpoll? Greenfinch?

There are a number of juvenile birds around at the moment which are
"sparrow like". Female birds of some species are often rather dull and
completely different from the males. This can make ID difficult. Even
female chaffinches or bullfinches might look a little like sparrows,
especially in poor light.

Are you sure it was a little larger than a sparrow? Some birds have their
feathers so puffed up against the cold that they look a bit larger than
normal!

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

[QUOTESacha wrote:
I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I really
do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a sparrow and much
the same colour but while it was on the ground, its tail had a constant
'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can anyone help me ID this one?


[/quote]

Try using the bird identifier here Sacha, it's very easy and very good,

http://www.rspb.org/wildlife/birdidentifier/

"Donna Ludlow" wrote in message
...

Dunnock???


That is the one I would go for. Been confused myself quite a few times

Mike


--
www.rneba.org.uk. The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association to find your ex-Greenie mess mates.

On Apr 7, 11:47 pm, Sacha wrote:
I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I really
do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a sparrow and much
the same colour but while it was on the ground, its tail had a constant
'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can anyone help me ID this one?

--
Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Black Redstart? They are robin sized; females are cocoa brown and
males are sooty black. The tail is red when "flashed" (flicked kind
of liike a wagtail).

On Apr 8, 12:04 pm, Des Higgins wrote:
On Apr 7, 11:47 pm, Sacha wrote:

I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I really
do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a sparrow and much
the same colour but while it was on the ground, its tail had a constant
'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can anyone help me ID this one?

--
Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Black Redstart? They are robin sized; females are cocoa brown and
males are sooty black. The tail is red when "flashed" (flicked kind
of liike a wagtail).

http://www.birdlist.co.uk/images/blackred-5-11-06-2.jpg

Pipits are dull brown birds allied to the wagtails, bob around a bit. Little brown jobs all three regular species here, probably need an electron microscope to tell them for sure.
Whitethroats are fairly dull have quite a long tail which they bob, but I've never positively identified one. Long-tailed tits aren't remotely sparrow coloured.

I've changed my birdseeds this year, and we have attracted an entirely different crowd from usual. Goldfinches are now the most common bird in my garden. I used to put out niger seeds, but they didn't attract them, it is pre-shelled sunflower seeds that has pulled them in, the lazy wotsits. Siskins and bramblings have been frequent, birds which I had not positively identified before. I initially mistook the bramblings for (winter plumage) linnets, which we have had occasionally in the past.

I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day
that I really
do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a
sparrow and much
the same colour but while it was on the ground, its tail had a
constant
'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can anyone help me
ID this one?

Sounds as if it could be a Dunnock? It used to be called a Hedge
Sparrow, and it looks superficially like a sparrow, though it's
not actually a sparrow but an accentor. They do flick their
tails, though I wouldn't describe it as wagging like a wagtail.

"The Old OakTree" wrote in message
...

I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day
that I really
do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a
sparrow and much
the same colour but while it was on the ground, its tail had a
constant
'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can anyone help me
ID this one?

Sounds as if it could be a Dunnock? It used to be called a Hedge
Sparrow, and it looks superficially like a sparrow, though it's
not actually a sparrow but an accentor. They do flick their
tails, though I wouldn't describe it as wagging like a wagtail.



I would suggest those. We have them here and I have been easily fooled by
them

Mike


--
www.rneba.org.uk. The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association to find your ex-Greenie mess mates.

On Apr 7, 11:47*pm, Sacha wrote:
I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I really
do not recall before. *It was a very little larger than a sparrow and much
the same colour but while it was on the ground, its tail had a constant
'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. *Can anyone help me ID this one?

--
Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

I think birdwatchers have a term for those... LBJs, as in Little Brown
Jobs :-)

Cat(h) (who only recently cottoned on that what she took to be girly
sparrows were in fact dunnocks).

On 8/4/08 10:35, in article ,
"Jeff Layman" wrote:

Sacha wrote:
I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I
really do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a
sparrow and much the same colour but while it was on the ground, its
tail had a constant 'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can
anyone help me ID this one?

Bunting? Redpoll? Greenfinch?

Just possibly a bunting, though reading the RSPB site, I gather they're now
on the Red List. That site doesn't say anything about the tail wagging
thing for a Bunting. It wasn't a Redpoll and we do have green finches
around in some numbers but it wasn't that.

There are a number of juvenile birds around at the moment which are "sparrow
like". Female birds of some species are often rather dull and completely
different from the males. This can make ID difficult. Even female
chaffinches or bullfinches might look a little like sparrows, especially in
poor light.

Are you sure it was a little larger than a sparrow? Some birds have their
feathers so puffed up against the cold that they look a bit larger than
normal!

Just a bit larger I'd say and with a much longer tail.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 8/4/08 10:40, in article , "Donna
Ludlow" wrote:

Dunnock???

Very much looks like it. It was certainly on its own and was fossicking
about at the base of a laurel hedge. I think that may well be it and now
I'm going to have to go and see if I can see it again! I'll throw some
seed out where I first spotted it. Thank you, Donna.

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...
Sacha wrote:
I'm bad indeed at bird recognition but I saw one the other day that I
really do not recall before. It was a very little larger than a
sparrow and much the same colour but while it was on the ground, its
tail had a constant 'bobbing' action, rather like a wagtail. Can
anyone help me ID this one?

Bunting? Redpoll? Greenfinch?

There are a number of juvenile birds around at the moment which are
"sparrow like". Female birds of some species are often rather dull and
completely different from the males. This can make ID difficult. Even
female chaffinches or bullfinches might look a little like sparrows,
especially in poor light.

Are you sure it was a little larger than a sparrow? Some birds have their
feathers so puffed up against the cold that they look a bit larger than
normal!

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)





--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'