The Thrush!

There's no question the weather played the biggest part in restricting birders yesterday in what appears to be throughout most of Britain. A good example to illustrate this would be that the pager service I subscribe to - in my sidebar to the left - put out not a single message for Lancashire out of in excess of 100 nationwide in the 17 hours I was 'tuned in'. And to bring a smile to the birding scene, a White's Thrush was found on Inner Farne, Northhumberland, but a twitch was not to be as boats to the Farne Islands were not operating due to the weather, you could imagine birders frantically searching Google to find a helicopter service willing to airlift them to the island....As yet there is no news on the bird today. 

The video below is interesting in that I've not yet heard or read of this birds behaviour as shown in this short film. 

Theres a little interesting history to the Whites Thrush, the first record in Britain of which was in Hampshire in 1828. This bird was shot by some Lord or other on his estate, obviously not a nice man though representative of his kind and era who shot birds on a whim. The bird was described 8 years later in 1836 and named Turdus whitei though this Latin name was later changed to Zoothera dauma. For many years the White's Thrush was the subject of debate as it had been thought to be either a colour variant of Song Thrush, or the young of the Mistle Thrush.

The White's Thrush breeds in Siberia and winters in southern India and South-east Asia. The majority of records in Britain are of birds in Scotland, northern England, and northern Ireland, mostly in late September to November, and as such this a much sought after species in the twitching fraternity.

And finally....of course some photographs.

 Kingfisher Ana Minguez 

Theres always a place for the Kingfisher on Birds2blog, the bird which whizzes past you as a blue electric flash. Thank You Ana....excellent.

Barn Owl David Cookson

And always a place for the Barn Owl too, particularly ones which pose and are photographed as good as this one was. Thanks David....brilliant bird, brilliant image.

Little Egret Noushka Dufort

The Little Egret, and another of those 'pics with a difference' my caption - not Noushka's - 'now what's this then'. Thanks Noushka....an excellent pose and an excellent image.

Common Darter Marc Heath

And last but certainly not least, another of MH's brilliant macro shots, this one of the Common Darter head on. Thanks Marc....really appreciate this and all the other photographs allowed above and before on Birds2blog.