Right, from the general absence of info in the comments box I guess it's kinda quiet out there, so here's a good mystery bird pic courtesy of John "Mad Dog" Bannon.
"Thought this pic by Phil Boardman, taken near Skem would liven things up a bit on these dank, dark, dismal, depressing days !!!!
Go Well", explains Mr B.
It is a good one...no clues, but the first person to guess the correct species will get some type of prize thingy (nothing as big as the Sirius Star or anything, you understand).
All entries in the comments box please, and we'll reveal the winner on the blog on December 1st, so you've got until November 31st to enter.
Oh, and Phil who took the pic can't enter, nor can anyone who was there when it was taken.
Fair enough?
Good luck - what do you think it is?
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
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Red Kite??
Clue for the mystery bird comp!
The first part of its latin name is almost the same as a very nice Siciliian red wine of my acquaintance. It has now just become available again after being in the doldrums for several years, due the mafioso lacing it with anti-freeze, to make it go further.
Trust this helps ?
Whatever it is, it's a better photo than any I take !!! At least it's almost in focus!!!
Keep up the good work.
Hey John, I'm gonna go down the likelihood avenue on this bird, I'm not going to get drawn into "the escaped raptor" scenario, which it immediately throws at you, no , i'm gonna presume it's a funny plumaged common bird.
Now then , which one?.
Knowing yourself and Mr Bannon very well, both of you having a soft spot for Italian Beverages, in your case 'Peroni'and Bannon's 'A fine Sicilian Red' I guess the Red that JB is on about could well be a cheeky little number called "Corvina Passita".
Intense ruby red in colour with a characteristic bouquet of mature red fruits, sweaty socks and spice.
Grapes are partially dried in the Sicilian sun before fermentation to produce a wonderfully concentrated, rich style of wine.
Refined in Slovenian oak barrels for a minimum of 1 year. That to me sounds very much like a Gentleman's tipple, as Mr Bannon surely is.
So then, to the point, could 'Corvina" be reference to 'Corvidae' the Crow family.
I suspect so, to give this bird a name I would like firstly to give you this one,(italian) 'Corvina Peroni Peroni', translated, 'a fine red followed by a couple of beers' and secondly this one (latin) 'Corvus corone corone' translated, Carrion Crow.
So that is my answer, right or wrong, the theory sounds solid to me, I have indeed seen several Carrion Crows with wing bars, one regular bird at Marshside last couple of years, which I know you saw on many occasions as well.
I don't know if these wing barred birds are hybrids or runts but they do occur fairly frequently.
CARRION CROW is my first guess.
Cya soon Neill (the man with no nickname)
Nah !! Got it !! Slightly forked tail, Skem location ?? It's a Leach's Petrel !! Strange shape, I'll give you, but then, have you ever seen one digiscoped by a scuba diver in Skem bay ?? Off to big Tesco's now to look for a case of the 'oceanodroma' rioja, hope it's on offer!!
p.s can I have my prize now ??
Eyes on the pies everyone !!!
Hmm...Red Kite, Carrion Crow or Leach's Petrel so far...anyone else fancy a go? Remember I'm not telling you the identity of our mystery bird until December 1st....
If it's none of the above how about Lapwing?
If you squint and turn your head to the right it could be a Starling.
...and if you look at it upside down it could be a small Bonxie.
Pintailed hammerhead crow flying towards you !!!
From Skem ??!!?? a 'Scouse overs bill' ??
I think Carrion Crow, there are a few knocking about with white base to the primaries and secondaries; including one resident at Marshside (often on the saltmarsh), I think the forked tail is a Red Herring not a Red Kite, it's just a funny angle! Yeah, deffo Carrion Crow.
Deff Carrion Crow