Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 43 total)
  • Which bird has my dad been seeing?
  • nedrapier
    Full Member

    My dad’s been seeing some bird.

    He’s attempted to describe it on the family whatsapp. Anyone else want to play?

    – Appears at his front door, but not long enough for him to get a photo.
    – smaller than a pidgeon, but a similar shape. small head.
    – Dark Grey, with speckles of white. speckles are more dashes than dots.
    – Has a crest on its head.

    It’s not:
    a heron
    a guineafowl
    a norwegian blue
    Louise
    a wagtail

    sirromj
    Full Member

    Definitely a baby robin, or a hoopo.

    racefaceec90
    Full Member

    a bloody galah 😀

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    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Speckled?

    Crest?

    Smaller than a pigeon?

    Must be a black cockatoo (or baby robin).

    verses
    Full Member

    Cockoo?

    nbt
    Full Member

    Similar shape to a pigeon but smaller suggests Stock Dove or Collared Dove, but neither have a speckled chest. That bit suggests a thrush to be honest. What kind of location is the house in?

    Scapegoat
    Full Member

    Spotted Woodpecker from size, markings and crest.

    Best guess only though. Surprised no mention of orange/red at the back end.

    danposs86
    Full Member

    Is this really singletrack if no-one suggested it is an AM9?

    belgianwaffle1
    Full Member

    Wow I thought this thread was about to be about your father having an affair.

    Pleasantly suprised and relieved. 🙂

    nbt
    Full Member
    sharkbait
    Free Member

    Louise?

    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    Dammit, beaten by a minute to the obvious answer of louise

    NewRetroTom
    Full Member

    Although Louise was ruled out in the OP…

    paino
    Full Member

    I’ll go for a cuckoo given the description. Either that or a Great crested thrunchwarbler.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    24 mins, graham, in the list of things it’s not!

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Dad can see women if he likes, him and mum have been separated for 24 years!

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    he did manage to grab a rubbish pic.

    Turns out it’s a California quail!

    https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Quail/overview

    Not surprised now that we weren’t able make much progress on british garden birds ID pages!

    sharkbait
    Free Member

    Although Louise was ruled out in the OP…

    Never rule Louise out….. she’s cunning.

    nbt
    Full Member

    wow, I’d imagine that’s quite rare. is he in the UK?

    derek_starship
    Free Member

    Quails are ace and dead cute. They make sweet little chirrup noises as they walk around.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Yup! Near Reading. So if anyone’s lost a california quail, and you’re upwind of Pangbourne, I’ll put you in touch!

    ElShalimo
    Full Member

    is he allowed to eat it?

    nbt
    Full Member

    quick google to see if it’s reported as a rarity suggests there’s a breeder in the area
    https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/classifieds/3224067-california-quail-day-old-chicks-reading.html

    onewheelgood
    Full Member

    Quails are the new hens.

    woody2000
    Full Member

    Show us the pic then:)

    Sure it’s not a lapwing?

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    Wonder if it would beat a partridge in a fair fight?

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Wonder if it would beat a partridge in a fair fight?

    With the turn of speed partridges seem to have at times, it won’t be a fair fight.

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    True Matt,Alan can be very quick.

    paton
    Free Member

    eddiebaby
    Free Member

    Anything to do with these guys just up the road…

    https://bealepark.org.uk/

    DezB
    Free Member

    My brother had a bird yesterday.
    I jokingly guessed at an escaped canary, which then seemed to match pics on the web. Apart from it’s size… seems too big for a canary ([edit]2.8 metres tip to tail)- what’s this beast then?

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    2.8 metres tip to tail

    Must be a Sea Eagle you have there Dez 🙂

    ElShalimo
    Full Member

    that wood looks like a crocodile about to snap it up for lunch

    nbt
    Full Member

    not many birds get to 2.8 metres tip to tail. Sea Eagle, one of the vultures perhaps, but that’s wingtip to wingtip…

    DezB
    Free Member

    Must be a Sea Eagle

    Hmm, yeah. Maybe an albino one

    (I might’ve been exaggerating the size, cos I don’t actually know it 😀 )

    kerley
    Free Member

    Turns out it’s a California quail!

    https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Quail/overview

    Not surprised now that we weren’t able make much progress on british garden birds ID pages!

    Also not surprised seeing that is described as “– smaller than a pidgeon, but a similar shape. small head.”
    It is nothing like a pidgeon, much more like a hen.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Bad transcription. he said smaller than a pigeon, I asked “tubby like a pigeon or slimmer like a wagtail, he said “more tubby”.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    With the turn of speed partridges seem to have at times, it won’t be a fair fight.

    If posh townies were taking potshots at you, you’d have fair turn of speed!
    And that yellow bird is definitely a canary, the only bird that might get close to 2.8mtr is a peacock, including it’s tail!
    Canaries are finches, from the Canaries and other islands in Macronesia, about the size of a chaffinch or greenfinch, and they can cross-breed,

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    the only bird that might get close to 2.8mtr is a peacock, including it’s tail!

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    Susan from no 14?

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 43 total)

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