Saturday 16 November 2013

some outstanding footage of the Pembrokeshire ORPHEAN WARBLER

Browse here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa14BpgTRw4

What this video does for the first time is give us a pretty good idea of the actual patterning of the outer tail feather (t6) and there is a LOT of white - far too much in my opinion for what we currently accept that a Western should so. Coupled with this is the fact that the bird has such washed out, almost Desert Lesser Whitethroat upperpart colour - not dark or grey at all like your typical hortensis. The boldly marked eye is also confusing - suggesting an adult - but just look at the restricted black ear coverts or mask. The pale eye is supposed to be a feature of adults but how soon in the first winter, first-year males acquire it is unknown (and it is mid November of course). So is this Sylvia an Eastern Orphean after all? I have emailed Israel again for further solicitation.