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2004 Photo Gallery
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Meadow Pipit
Photograph by Neville McKee
Typical "Atlantic" type Meadow Pipit, distictively warm coloured. This is the usual colour phase of western Britain
Chiffchaff
Photograph by Neville McKee
This Chiffchaff is typical of the spring plumage on Copeland. The breast is very pale off white, with fine yellow streaks only visible in the hand. These streaks do not show on spring Willow Warblers. The supercilium shows no yellow behind the eye. It is off-white in spring. The strongest yellowy-green tinge on the upperparts is on the rump, actually contrasting with the back and mantle. The shoulder is also more strongly yellow-green than the rest of the upperparts.
Willow Warbler
young Willow Warbler
This is a young Willow Warbler on autumn migration, after it has completed its post-juvenille moult. This is the most intensely coloured plumage phase of the species.
Willow Warbler - very yellow phase
Photograph by Neville McKee
Three colour phases of Willow Warbler pass through Copeland in the spring. This very yellow phase may be the type which breeds in Northern Ireland. The colour fades quickly in the bright sunlight of summer. This is very like the autumn plumage of the vast majority of Willow Warblers which pass through Copeland in autumn, though they show strong yellow streaking then as well as yellow wash. Streaking is imperceptible on almost all spring Willow Warblers. A particular feature of this phase is the strong presence of yellow behind the eye on the supercilium. All autumn Willow Warblers show this too.
Willow Warbler - pale yellow phase
Photograph by Neville McKee
This is a pale form of Willow Warbler that ocurrs frequently on Copeland in spring. It is in the majority on some days. Its breeding area is not certain. It is probably West and North Scotland. Some of this form certainly breed in Co. Antrim.
It rather lacks bright yellow and only has some pale yellow on the front supercilium, the breast, and the boundary between the vent and under tail coverts.
The upperparts are well suffused with green, like the full yellow phase.
Willow Warbler acredula- grey/white phase
Photograph by Neville McKee
These Scandinavian Willow Warblers are big. The males have wing lengths usually of 70 or 71 mm. They show almost no yellow at all and almost no green tinge on the back so that it looks quite grey. The only yellow tinges are on the front supercilium and quite a strong flash along the underside of the leading edge of the underwing, under the alula. There is also a greenish tinge on the outer wing coverts adjacent to the alula. The digital photograph seems to have enhanced any of the yellow and green tinges present. Basically the bird is grey and white.
Golden Linnet
Photograph by Neville McKee
Redpolls regularly appear (about 10%) in a non-red version, often referred to locally as "Goldpoll". Until now, no such colour aberrations have been noted in the Linnet. This bird had no red colour. It had crown feathers with dark centres, but on tilting the bird in the light, a golden burnish could be seen. Normal Linnet crown feather centres would be dark red at this stage of the year. On the breast, the expected two flares of red were replaced by an orange-brown colour but sparkling with a glistening reflective gold colour which this photograph does not do justice to. The flanks were a light orange wash instead of pink but in the digital photograph a slight pink tinge seems to be present, but this could not be seen with the naked eye. The rest of the bird was of normal colouration. This is the only male Linnet of this colour phase noted out of about 200 examined over the last 3 years. This bird was ringed on the 3rd April 2004.