UKH

If anyone wants to test their knowledge some photos. All photos taken in the last month and all expected to be seen in east central Scotland. It should be possible to say male or female in some photos.

Some more.

Blackbirds!

Coot, Swann, BT ?Godwit

Marsh harrier  & Bittern.

No Coot, but yes to swan and Black tailed Godwit.

No.

Coot. Goldfinch. Tufted. Shoveler. Rook. ???

No Coot, Goldfinch, or Rook. Tufted duck (photo 3) has male left and female right. Shoveler is photo 4, but is it a male or female?

Trans?

sorry🙂

You had better explain to us how that swan turns out black while the chick next to it remains silver grey ? (unless it's a S hemispher black swan ?? )

There is a clue visible - not all of the top of the breast area has been blacked out.

There are many very knowledgeable birders on here and I tried to give a mix of difficulty. I’ve tried to leave clues in some of them though which hopefully let more get info.

Photos 2, 4, 5, 7 & 9 have some colour visible in places (though apologies for No. 5 in particular where the uploading to meet resolution limits seems to have removed most if not all of the 2 clues). With No. 7, swan, I left a cygnet for those who what to ID the actual species of swan.

Hint for No.9 - there are three birds though 2 species.

No. 6 - a larger photo.

so you have deliberately blacked out these subjects ? I presumed discovery of a manner to profit from 'failed' backlit shots

You clearly know that most of my shots get binned through user error! 🤣. I’m still learning bird photography as much as I’m learning bird identification, but I do occasionally intentionally take backlit shots as I quite like them in certain circumstances.

These shots though I have post processed by local adjustment of exposure, contrast, etc.

As part of my ID learning curve, I’m trying to improve my spotting of some birds by general outline, size, shape, stance, etc., and processing these photos (I’ve got some 25 in total) has made me think and learn about what I can learn just from the silhouettes. 

Moorhen, greenfinch, tufteds (male left), male shoveler. The crow has got me a bit. Jackdaw?

Little grebe, mute swan, blackwit, buzzard and carrion crows ?, grey heron. 

Some wild guesses:

5 - Jackdaw?

6 - Little Grebe? Back end doesn't look quite right, though.  Maybe a moorhen?

9 - Crows mobbing a buzzard?

10 - If not a grey heron then an egret?  (Maybe need a finer pen/brush to get the bill properly pointy.)

On the BTO bird ID courses I've attended, they almost always start with silhouettes before going on to plumage details, beak colouring etc.

10/10.

Some more if anyone wishes.

All correct with your first choice.

I often see birds in silhouette so that is what started me down this road.

Heading out but will check back tomorrow sometime, so I’ll post a few final photos.

13 - Treecreeper

15 - Kingfisher? (Again, though, the bill looks a bit heavy - maybe it had a fish?)

No. 13 = treecreeper.

No 12 = Robin ?

No 11 tufted duck diving.

No 16 judging by the perch = Kingfisher?

Like what you’ve done for no. 18!  
No14 is very interesting. The size of the upper bird, and length of tail hmmm, could be two marsh harriers, male above. The angled wing shape points to this. Possible food pass shenanigan's ?

And No 17 ????  I have the advantage of knowing some of the places you go to, and what can be seen there, so will leave it a while. 
Great quiz BTW!  

First one is clearly a trick. Nessie isn't a bird!

Still perplexed a bit by no. 14.  Please put some colour, pretty please …. The tail and head size has a hint of honey buzzard, but I’ve never knowingly seen one. 

Correct so far:

1. Moorhen

2. Greenfinch

3. Tufted ducks, m&f

4. Shoveler, m

5. Jackdaw

6. Little Grebe

7. Mute Swan, f, 2 cygnets

8. Black-tailed Godwit

9. Carrion Crows x 2, Buzzard

10. Grey Heron

12. Robin

13. Treecreeper

14. Marsh Harriers x2. The female was chasing male as she was after the food. She was in a steep dive catching him up. A food pass took place about 30 sec later, and she took the food to the nest. It was all frenetic though as an Osprey was fishing and getting chased by a Black-headed Gull, C Crows were flying to see what they could get. Also, there were actually 2 female MHs flying and had been chasing the male so hard to say if this one was the partner of the male or not, or maybe the two females swapped places for the actual food pass. One birdwatcher suggested there is only one male looking after the two nests just to confuse things further!

15. Kingfisher (with a Stickleback in it’s mouth).

I’ll post a few clues for the rest in case anyone else wishes to have a go.

Ah sorry, just posted answer for that without seeing that you wanted more details.

Photo added - after that dive, but just before food pass.

Great stuff. Bobbing out for a couple of hours, dodging thunderstorms with any luck  

Bee eater at Strathkiness!  I’d be checking out that big quarry you can see.  This hot weather really could have pushed them right up.

A photo of what I thought were the 2 female MHs chasing the male. Maybe there is an “imposter” about!

I had heard about the Bee eater. If just one apparently it is all over the place from Grangemouth to east Fife. Good luck in your search; I decided not to bother!

BTW Little Gull about if you are interested at LPs. My second sighting yesterday, but really my first true one. Last year a birder pointed it out, but I wasn’t looking for gulls back then so didn’t register what it looked like. My sighting yesterday blew me aware as I just parked, and it flew by the car!

Also, Kingfishers have disappeared from MLs. Popped in y/day and two unhappy birders. One muttered he will never get those three hours of his life he sat waiting.

Enjoy you outing.

Clues (hopefully) for others:

11. Often seen near species No 1 but not too close.

16. Pair for life.

17. One of the gull species.

18. Likes to sing; easy to confuse with other similar birds.

19. Curve in beak.

20. Nest site.

11. Coot?

16: Osprey?

Correct.

Was at Martin Mere today. They have five marsh harrier nests being supplied by two males!  Some some good birds then killer hayfever kicked in.

And I was v lucky with that kingfisher as it was perched up when I entered the hide. Luck, but I put the hours in. 

Thanks; saves me googling that it must be a thing that a male will look after more than one nest.

Other birds were:

17. Black-headed gull

18. Willow Warbler

19. Treecreeper

20. Male Osprey just landing on nest to take over from female that was sitting on eggs. 

It certainly is an often recorded thing that male Marsh Harriers can have more than one nest on the go, busy boys😁