Mystery quintet

[Alex Lees]

http://www.freewebs.com/punkbirder/theblog.htm

anyone want to 'hazard any guesses'?

[Red-eyed Video]

I'm tempted to have a go but I don't want to win the same prize 2 years on the trot. :beer:

[Brian S]

Hi Alex

I'm willing to make myself look stupid, especially as I have given the photos a whole minute.

1 - Least Flycatcher - no reason really, just the half dark lower mandible - though I can't see the primary projection it may be too long for this, so probably something else....

2 - Grey-necked Bunting - great photo by the way, so a bit of a wild guess

3 - I don't know - juv Hudsonian Godwit?

4 - Saker - based solely on diagnostic pylon

5 - Lesser Short-toed Lark?

I suspect I am wrong on all, but never mind.....

Brian S

[AndyB]

Good ones! I will go for a north american theme (except the lark):

1. Pine Warbler
2. White-crowned Sparrow
3. Short-billed Dowitcher
4. Prairie Falcon
5. Lesser Short-toed Lark

[Simon Wates]

These are my impressions - just jizz things really - a nice bit of fun!

1. Acadian Flycatcher
2.Ortolan Bunting
3. This one is a mess! I'm stuck; Wood Sandpiper, Greater yellowlegs, Bar-tailed Godwit - I´m probably wrong on all counts - Bar-tailed Godwit!
4.Lanner Falcon (although probably a Saker)
5. Lesser Short-toed Lark (The halophytic plant (Sueda alba) is a help)

nice one Alex

Merry Christmas!

[Alex Lees]

Thought I'd better provide an update - all but one of the birds have been identified correctly by someone, although no-one has more than two pinned....! You have to think outside the box a little, but all are potential vagrants to the UK/Eire.

Alex

[Red-eyed Video]

At the risk of embarrassing myself (again) I'll go public....

1) Acadian Flycatcher
2) Cretzschmar's Bunting (an extra point for the correct spelling please)
3) SBD
4) Saker
5) Lesser Sort-toed Lark

Thank you and good birding for 2009 and beyond......

[Graham Etherington]

OK, I'll join in the fun/humiliation..

1 Pine Warbler
2 Ortolan Bunting
3 Hudsonian Whimbrel
4 Saker
5 Lesser Short-toed Lark

Merry Christmas!

[coeligena]

1. Pine Warbler was my gut reaction, then I wondered why it wasn't an Empid, but the bill, warm brown flanks, broken eye-ring etc. brought me back to Pine Warbler
2. Grey-necked Bunting but only because a couple of other people said so, otherwise I'd have no idea
3. Marbled Godwit: looked pretty "obvious" to me, I hope I'm not wrong! It doesn't seem to get mentioned much as a potential WP vagrant but it surely must be overdue?
4. Saker
5. Lesser Short-toed Lark

[Nathan Kipling]

1. Alder or Willow Flycatcher

2. Cinereous Bunting

3. American or Pacific Golden Plover

4. Saker

5. Lesser Short-toed Lark

[Jrhough1]

1. Pine Warbler
2. Grey-necked Bunting - easy id. due to the high quality of the image.
3. Marbled Godwit
4. Saker
5. Lesser Short-toed Lark

JRH

[Alex Lees]

Answers and a few thoughts posted here (http://www.freewebs.com/punkbirder/theblog.htm), I clearly need to come up with a harder challenge.....

Alex

[Jrhough1]

nice one....!

Interesting that most went for Saker. I floundered between Lanner and Saker, especially since I have zero recent experieence of Lanner and none at all of Saker! I think the paleness of the bird, flank pattern and the rather broken moustachial seemed to push me in favor of Saker rather than Lanner.

JRH