mathematics Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 1 hour ago, sugna said: Where did you see it (location and habitat - coastal, freshwater, etc), and do you have any other information about its behaviour? Also, the bill is hard to distinguish from that photo, and particularly the angle: can you describe it? I'm too am stumped, defaulting to an unsatisfactory cormorant*. * Rather than an unsatisfactory shag ... Forth and Clyde canal, near lambhill. Dived for a while. Long straight beak, and quite flat. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herman Hessian Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 34 minutes ago, Clockwork said: Black Throated Diver https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/black-throated-diver/ very good shout - i instinctively thought of a great northern because of way it's sat in the water, but the grey (and the black throat ) suits your call much better - only thing is, it should have a white patch towards its arse-end at this time of year ???? https://www.bto.org/develop-your-skills/bird-identification/videos/bto-bird-id-winter-divers 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanburn Dave Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 Cormorant I reckon. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 It looks like a diver but its plumage doesn't seem right for any of our native species even with winter plumage. I am also stumped.That’s what’s confusing me. I don’t think it’s cormorant anymore now that the thick neck has been pointed out. Has to be a diver.I saw a black throated diver last month and it was in summer plumage, not winter which I thought was strange. Are they moulting early this year or are these just anomalies? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clockwork Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 It looks like a diver but its plumage doesn't seem right for any of our native species even with winter plumage. I am also stumped.“In their winter plumage, Black-throated Divers have more uniformly dark upper parts. Their underparts are white, and a white thigh patch is often prominent. They also have white colouring on their throats and on their cheeks below their eyes. Their bills are pale grey and their legs are paler than in the summer, but their irises remain red”.(Source; Nature Gate) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wile E Coyote Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 No way is it a BTD. Nothing is right for it. Its a cormorant taken at a strange angle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanburn Dave Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 Cormorants sit higher in the water on canals. Diving in deep water causes them to lose buoyancy. Spending a lot of time in the water causes them to lose buoyancy. I reckon this one's been sunning itself and preening and then jumped in the water when a photo opportunity came along. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 (edited) If that's facing you I can't see it being any kind of diver by the bill shape. Here's a GND and all divers have pretty similar bills. To me it's more like some kind of hybrid duck, or a cormorant at a strange angle as coyote says. Edited March 15, 2020 by The Mantis 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clockwork Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 Black front of throat and black ring to its face doesn't seem to match either summer or winter. Still stumped.Would it be unusual for a Black Throat not to completely lose its summer plumage or possible for it to start developing its summer colouring as early as mid-March? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wile E Coyote Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 1 minute ago, Clockwork said: Would it be unusual for a Black Throat not to completely lose its summer plumage or possible for it to start developing its summer colouring as early as mid-March? No, but no matter what plumage its in it still is a lot more white than this bird 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clockwork Posted March 15, 2020 Share Posted March 15, 2020 very good shout - i instinctively thought of a great northern because of way it's sat in the water, but the grey (and the black throat [emoji38]) suits your call much better - only thing is, it should have a white patch towards its arse-end at this time of year ???? https://www.bto.org/develop-your-skills/bird-identification/videos/bto-bird-id-winter-diversYep, it’s a shame you can’t just make out a little more of its flanks & undercarriage, it’s still a good spot and shot though![emoji846][emoji108] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizzo Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 (edited) Not convinced it's a goosander or a BTD, the head plumage reminds me a bit of a red legged partridge but I wonder if it's some sort of ornamental duck species that's gone walk about from a farm or wildlife park somewhere. Weird one for sure. Edited March 16, 2020 by Rizzo 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizzo Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Great cormorant in breeding plumage. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizzo Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Just now, MixuFixit said: 5 minutes ago, Rizzo said: Great cormorant in breeding plumage. Oooooooh that's a long way from home! It's the only thing I've found that looks even remotely similar. Looking at the photo again the tail is so low that it surely can't be a duck or goose. Might be rambling nonsense. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugna Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 11 hours ago, mathematics said: Forth and Clyde canal, near lambhill. Dived for a while. Long straight beak, and quite flat. Still veering towards thinking that it is probably less unlike a cormorant than it is unlike anything else. If I didn't have my new piano arriving today, I might have taken a drive out to try and find it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 (edited) A Yellow Wagtail just visited my garden. Never seen one until now and from what I can see from online it's pretty rare to see them north of the Forth, never mind Aberdeenshire. Lost on his way home from Africa perhaps? Edited March 22, 2020 by Hedgecutter 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hearthammer Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Webcam now fully functioning for the Osprey nest at Loch of the Lowes. All that's missing is the adults returning, although i believe that could be any time soon. Fascinating viewing once the main performers make their appearance https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam-2/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Always the Sons Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Webcam now fully functioning for the Osprey nest at Loch of the Lowes. All that's missing is the adults returning, although i believe that could be any time soon. Fascinating viewing once the main performers make their appearance https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam-2/Agree it is fascinating. They have a picture up of the male who arrived yesterday. They reckon female will arrive this week. What’s amazing is that when they split last August to head back to Africa they don’t see each other again till they come back to the same nest. They mate for life.When eggs hatch and he arrives with fish it’s some sight ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hearthammer Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 8 minutes ago, Always the Sons said: Agree it is fascinating. They have a picture up of the male who arrived yesterday. They reckon female will arrive this week. What’s amazing is that when they split last August to head back to Africa they don’t see each other again till they come back to the same nest. They mate for life. When eggs hatch and he arrives with fish it’s some sight ! Didn't see the male's arrival. There was a raven-type bird at the nest for a while last night, but it left after raking around and exploring the nest. Will be following developments as often as i can from now on. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Thanks to Wikipedia I now know there is a Scandinavian sub species of yellow wagtail called motacilla flava thunbergi. I don't think it's named after Greta though. I saw a couple of yellow wagtails on the Teviot at Hawick 3 or 4 years ago. They seem to like rivers. With global warming and a mild winter perhaps they're able to tolerate Aberdeenshire now? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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