10th January 2015 - Topsham
My third encounter with the Penduline Tits, this time at the Dart's Farm pools, proved rather more productive than the first two. This time the distance was about 20m so, despite the strong wind and generally poor light, I got more informative images (thanks to Keith B for the timely call).
There were three birds present, all with blackish masks, so two at least were additional to the usual BGM/Dart's Farm group; I wonder if they were the same party as the one I saw at The Rec on the 19th December. Two of the birds looked quite similar with narrow and somewhat patchy masks and showed little contrast between the warm brown mantle and the greyish nape and crown. The third individual had a more solidly black mask that was broader over the eyes and onto the forehead (where it merged into a thin band of dark chestnut). This bird's mantle was also noticeably darker than the other two, a more intense chestnut that often seemed to contrast strongly with the pale nape.
None of my photos showed enough detail to allow examination of the greater coverts - a moult limit/contrast in 1W, all coverts the same age in adults - so a definitive statement re ageing probably unwise. However, the two duller birds with narrower and less solidly black masks appear to be females, while the more contrasting bird with the broader, blacker mask looks more like a male.
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| Penduline Tit - 10/1/2015 Dart's Farm, Topsham. One of the duller, narrower masked birds - female? |
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| Penduline Tit - 10/1/2015 Dart's Farm, Topsham. One of the duller, narrower masked birds - female? |
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| Penduline Tit - 10/1/2015 Dart's Farm, Topsham. One of the duller, narrower masked birds - female? |
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| Penduline Tit - 10/1/2015 Dart's Farm, Topsham. The more contrasty, broader masked bird - male? |
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| Penduline Tit - 10/1/2015 Dart's Farm, Topsham. The more contrasty, broader masked bird - male? |
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| Penduline Tit - 10/1/2015 Dart's Farm, Topsham. The more contrasty, broader masked bird - male? |
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Once again, the best available sources on ageing and sexing Penduline Tits are:
Blasco-Zumeta, Javier, and Heinze, Gerd-Michael.
Identification Atlas of Aragón's Birds -
Penduline Tit. PDF available
here
[This work refers to Iberian populations - I'm not sure if the criteria are totally applicable to Northern European birds]
Svensson, Lars.
Identification Guide to European Passerines, 4th edition 1992.
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