Hel Hath No Birdies

I recently purchased the above, as visible migration has become such a core part of my birding. After a significant level of brexit related hassle, I finally got my supposed 3-5 day delivery from NHBS...over four weeks later. Seems UPS (their delivery service of choice) basically have had a continent-wide meltdown post brexit with various customs and software issues. Thanks Brexit-land... As with most books I find in my lap, I began devouring it immediately. The introductory text hooks you straight away. There is a sort of inspirational pragmatism to it that I find exceptionally appealing, almost abandoning the accepted convention that only by a thorough and complete assessment of all plumage features can any bird be identified, in favour of an unspoken reality. That reality being that we identify flyover passerines all the time.  How often have you been on a headland and had some finch or pipit go over, silently? You might not see mantle striping, or bill colour or wing bars or whatev...

We have been experiencing the "best" Winter in a long time, with constant sub-zero temperatures ranging from -5 to -25°C.  This keeps things dry, clear and bright, which is great for watching birds, however after a serious 2 day blizzard during this period, many of the usual lanes and sites I would visit were a little dodgy in terms of access.  First up, I couldn't resist a few subsequent visits to the local Pine Bunting again.  Really enjoying having this bird around. A great experience.  Those who know me, know I love my buntings. And when I found my own bird a few years back (and over the years when I've been looking for them) I have often done some deep dive image searches for the species. There definitely seems to be a level of bias in how Pine Bunting is perceived.  I've spoken before about how the primary fringes are often an olive/beige merging into white on presumably pure birds in core range, and yet there are many out there who think that only the pures...

It's been a few years since I've seen Pine Bunting, with the last couple being birds (a male and female) I found down near Järso/Böle on the Porkkala road  here. Since that time, I've been feeding flocks of Yellowhammers in our garden, ever hopeful that I could entice one in. It hasn't happened yet, but I have had the odd contender, including some rather white fringed birds this winter, most of which invariably show a tinge of yellow when seen at the right angle.  This weekend news broke of a female Pine Bunting just a couple of kilometers up the road in Masala, a stone's throw from my daughter's kindergarten, so this afternoon I made a stop off before pick up. Pine Bunting - female - a quite striking bird which really did stand out instantly. Incredibly clean and bright looking when perched up with other birds.  Pine Bunting - my first view of the bird at distance. Incredible how much it sticks out! I've never encountered such grey, monotone Yellowhammers a...