I'm never really sure what's going on with the redpolls, one minute they're
split, the next they're lumped. The last time I heard lesser and mealy were
just different races of the same species, but today I learn that they are in
fact currently classed as different species. However a lumping may be
imminent. Oh well, they're on my list as separate species and that's the way
they'll be staying for the time being at least.
Today we travelled to Moston Green near Sandbach hoping to see a nice male
that has been present for a day or two and came away with not only the male
but also a second mealy which we thought was probably a female.
I don't think I've ever seen such a nice, colourful, male mealy with a pinky /
red breast like this. A truly beautiful bird.
Very little streaking on the underparts and a white supercilium.
This on the other hand looks like a female mealy, or perhaps a 1st winter bird. More heavily streaked on the
flanks with an almost white breast.
This was the only time that we saw both birds together. I think that the male is the left hand bird.
What a cracking bird, a nice bright face with frosted plumage. Close examination of this photo will reveal a pinky / red throat which I think must make this the same male which is on the feeders above.
This is the female / 1st winter.
I don't see many mealys, these were my first for 10 years.
Two lesser redpolls for comparison. Much buffer looking, including in the supercilium and the greater coverts wing bar.
This Slavonian grebe was at Mere Farm Quarry near Chelford.
To put todays sightings into context, I have 57 records
of Slavonian grebe in my database, but only 14 records of mealy redpoll.
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