Ginger Jackdaw Coloeus monedula

Everything but a redhead.

Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus). April 20, Zwolle (The Netherlands)

A relatively rare (and primarily spring) migrant in this part of the world. Found at a doorstep after a probable window collision. Third CY female (??-http://www.ringouzel.info/infoandadvice/Ring%20Ouzel%20Photo%20ID_Birdwatch%20Mar13.pdf)







The finding coincided with the appearance of multiple migrating individuals in the area, including one on the same property as the one above was found, on the same date (first record of a live bird there): https://knnvzwolle.waarneming.nl/soort/view/226?from=2016-04-21&to=2017-04-21&show_zero=0&species=soort+226&prov=0&maand=0&os=0&prov_wg=0&rows=20&references=0&waardplant=0&poly=1&hide_hidden=1&global_tag=0&page=1

And now for something completely different?

While walking in Parque da Fontenova in Aveiro (Portugal) on February 25, my I caught a somewhat strange white bird among several Black-headed Gulls that were foraging on the grass. At closer inspection it appeared it was also a Black-headed Gull, but with a colouring defect in its wings (http://observado.org/waarneming/view/81965799). Unfortunately, I wasn’t carrying a camera. Today March 1 the dogs got a walk in the same park and also the gull appeared there again. Coincidentally I ran into Pedro Moreira, who luckily brought his camera with him as he was already on the lookout for this particular bird. Pedro sent me the following photos.

Partially leucistic Black headed Gull Parque da Fontenova in Aveiro, Portugal. March 1, 2013 (photos by Pedro Moreira).

As far as defects in colouring go, this type of deviation seems to occur more regularly among this species. See i.e. http://www.frankmajoor.nl/kokmeeuwen-kleurafwijkingen-1-nl.shtml. Not as completely different as I first thought, but still a beautiful bird to see.

Snow White & the Raptor Working Group Zwolle, The Netherlands

In the morning and early afternoon of this relatively cold day I assisted Jan van Dijk in a mid-winter round of capturing and color-ringing buzzards and kestrels (RAS-project). We were quite successful, capturing a total of five Common Buzzards Buteo buteo (incl. two recaptures) and three Common Kestrels Falco tinnunculus (including one recapture).

Most of the Common Buzzards I see in Portugal are brown and I can’t recall seeing much variation in plumage color. Today, just north of the city Zwolle, we caught a pretty representative selection of the color phases that can be found in the area.

Weighing a Common Buzzard.

Common Buzzard ring scheme. Nestlings are ringed with a green color-ring.

Current Kestrel scheme

Old Kestrel scheme (recapture)