Lu's birthday today so I managed just a brief trip up to Orcombe mid-afternoon. Interest was provided by a lone, swarthy and very streaky first-winter (note the pale-tipped greater coverts) Redwing that I flushed twice from a weedy ditch on the windy side of a hedge, bordering the largest 'top field'. With the wind having originated from the north-west for so long I thought it was worth at least considering coburni - the Icelandic race. I've highlighted some coburni features but on balance of probability I'm assuming it's just a well-streaked iliacus (the upperpart colouration looks about the same as the iliacus below). I can't do anything with wing length or patterning of undertail coverts.
Below is a Scandanavian 'iliacus' that I photographed during the big freeze in March. It probably doesn't make for a useful comparison because it's so puffed up but note the pale legs, white belly and broken, lighter streaking on the flanks.
Adult (left) and juvenile Pale-bellied Brent Goose. A quick look off Mudbank, on the dropping tide, revealed at least 7 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 13 Dunlin, 12 Knot and 116+ Black-tailed Godwit. No time to count anything else.
Linnet - Orcombe Point. Apart from the Redwing the only other birds of note were a single Golden Plover and 4 Snipe.
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