All very good advice. I would suggest another method to add - ask. If I'm in a hide and see something I don't recognise I always ask other people in the hide. Most of the time they are very helpful and once I got over worrying about looking like an idiot I find it a really useful method. And I find I am more likely to remember it the next time. As I get more experienced I find that I am sometimes in the position of being able to help someone who is not sure what they are seeing - which is great as I feel I am repaying the people who have helped me.
Well I am stumped - despite a good look through two bird ID guides and using on-line tools I am unable to id a bird my son spotted this morning. Please bear in mind that he is six but has some good grasp of common birds near us that he didn't recognise it as any if them.
The bird in question was perched on a branch of our Rowan tree and he swears blind it was larger than our chickens (though I have my doubts on this one).
He has given a clear description -
Grey head and beak. Beak not curved.
Black tail
Front - yellow / cream with blue stripe on chest.
Yellow on leg but with orange feet.
Any ideas?!
We live in farmland in Wales with a mix of woodland and scrubland nearby.
Our house is some 7 miles inland.
My advice pencil and notebook, draw a basic shape and add notes of things you can see and hear, kind of habitat, it will be hard at first but you will soon become more comfortable doing this.
I can identify them on the whole but didn't see this one and as I can't find it in my books wondered if anyone whose done a lot more birding might recognise it from the description. My son did a picture for me in pencil which I could post but though clear it simply doesn't look like anything in the books. It might sound odd to believe a young lad but he often spots and describes birds he has seen and then we find them in the books. He is adamant in his description and it is very clear and consistent.
I promise I am not being nuts about this and wouldn't be asking if I wasn't completely serious.
Hello 'Redkite' and welcome to the Forum. I cant think of any british bird that fits this description. I know you said bigger than your chickens, but how big? and what shape? ie, Bird of prey, Heron, pheasant? Was the beak long? Tail long? Yellow on leg but with orange feet? How long were legs and how big were feet? Sorry, but colours are not always helpful on there own. If you can post the drawing too, that might be helpful. Hope we can solve your dilema!
Here's the drawing. the closest bird I can think ofis a yellow wagtail but that would be too small and doesn't have the distinctive blue marking. He didn't see the feet clearly. The beak was straight not curved and from the size I would imagine it is either a raptor or game bird. I should add he isn't certain about the wing colour.