Identifying Birds

Jenny_Aster

I'm absolutely useless at identifying birds, could this one be a sparrow, or a great tit, or a ....?  I'm genuinely embarrassed to ask 

Dovefromabove

Male house sparrow. 

Don’t worry … ask away. 😊 

Dovefromabove

If we’re not around you can try this 

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/identify-a-bird/ 

but I’ve just tried it and it’s not that easy to use … I think we’re the best bet …

😊 

Jenny_Aster

Dovefromabove said:

Male house sparrow. 

Don’t worry … ask away. 😊 

Thank you 

Dovefromabove

This bit of that site is better … yiu can look out for his missus and the kids 

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/house-sparrow/

😉 

Fairygirl

My garden's full of them just now. Smashing wee birds. They're in decline in some areas, which is a great shame.

We're very lucky to have tree sparrows in the area too - they have different colouring, with chestnut heads, but the females can all look very similar, especially if you only get a fleeting glance. 
Great tits are a greeny/blue, and have yellow/black markings, a black head and a black stripe down their chest, with white in the wings and on their cheeks. They're lovely too. 

Worth getting a little book of garden birds. I've had a little one for years, which I got when my older daughter was young, as she loved watching the birds in the garden   

Jenny_Aster

Dovefromabove said:

If we’re not around you can try this 

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/identify-a-bird/ 

but I’ve just tried it and it’s not that easy to use … I think we’re the best bet …

😊 

Thanks, I tried that, it's a great resource, but I still had my doubts - some characteristics are so tenuous.

Pretty sure these two (one's a fledgling) are blue tits, but.... maybe even great tits? Sorry my camera isn't great at action shots, and these little blighters are a bit fast.

Fairygirl

Blue tits 
The great tits have black quite predominantly on them, and are bigger. The black stripe down the front is also a giveaway. 

Jenny_Aster

Fairygirl said:

We're very lucky to have tree sparrows in the area too - they have different colouring, with chestnut heads, but the females can all look very similar, especially if you only get a fleeting glance. 

Thanks Fairygirl. Yes there are some birds that look like a sparrow but have a brown 'cap' on their heads, cap looks like it's been plonked on top of the feathers.

Fairygirl

That might well be a tree sparrow. 
They don't come in the garden, but are being monitored nearby as they're quite rare up here.
I met a chap recently who is doing the monitoring. I've seen them in and out of the nest boxes too, so hopefully the chicks have all fledged. They're trying to connect some small pockets of them to increase the numbers. I often see them on the walls and in the hedging along the nearby farm road 

punkdoc

Tree Sparrows are very rare now, sadly.