Grey Seal Webcam on Vilsandi, Estonia 2013

[Fleur]

14:30 Small birds

Thank you aita for pictures and movie
I think Starlings. We have also seen last year

edit: but...I doubt a little.

[aita]

12:15

[Fleur]

nice pictures aita, but these photos do not make it easy. I do not know
They have light stripes ....

[alice44]

I also thought starling, but I think they are smaller than a starling. It is very hard to judge scale.

[Fleur]

October 10
good morning
7:48
Windy and I hear a Crow

[Fleur]

7:59
Crow on top of cam calling

[Fleur]

8:12
I hear a Seal and some little birds

[alice44]

10:20

I have been hearing seals.

[ame]

i think that the little birds were not starlings. they had a rather pronounced white/light stripe above the eyes (the so-called eyebrow) which starlings don't have.
(edit: or was there actually a dark cap on their heads...? )

they also seemed to have a notch in the tip of the tail. starlings have a straight tail tip: "black; short and square" says The Field Guide to the Birds of Britain & Europe.

unfortunately this detail rules out also the alternative which came to my mind: the redwing. the same guide says about the redwing's tail "brown; medium length, square". i didn't see any reddish colour on these little birds but the eyebrow and the spotted bellies reminded me of redwings. besides the spots on the underparts they also seemed to have a stripy backs, which redwings don't have.

actually we have rather a lot of details which should help to rule out a lot of alternatives. unfortunately the camera is not focused to short distance so most of the picture is rather blurred. only the top part is rather focused.

i wish that vainamoinen would have time to take a look at these birds.

edit: it came to my mind that maybe they were siskins?

[Fleur]

that could be Ame. Good option

https://www.google.nl/search?q=siskin&e ... B600%3B400

[airras]

good afternoon to all.
Fleur a lugano? Siskins-Siskins? Often more for mountain forests, never seen by the coast, at least not here ... a starling. appears to have the sharpest beak and long, the truth is not that bird can be ...

[ame]

Airras
yes, that is right, i meant siskin = Carduelis spinus.

it is not so improbable because at this time of the year almost any forest bird can be seen on outer island in the sea because they are migrating. in that way they may be seen in environments where they are usually never otherwise.

i think that it might be even more probable to see a strict forest-bird on an island because they will feel safe on any land, better than above the sea. see any small piece of land on their journey across the sea might make them land.

[airras]

hi Ame,Here in Spain most finches, as carduelis.carduelis, Serinus carduelis, Carduelis espinus, cloris carduelis, Carduelis cannabina ... not migrate, are resident, some if you can see on the coast, buts Siskins have not seen munca, goldfinches and linnets if ...

[ame]

hi airras

almost none of these finches can survive in Northern Europe including Estonia over winter so they migrate to for example Spain and this is exactly the time for their migration. -of course some individual stay and try to survive over winter, but that is dangerous. some do survive if the winter is not too hard.

[aita]

siskins have yellow,
maybe from pipit species
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Rock_Pipit

[alice44]

siskins have yellow,
maybe from pipit species
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Rock_Pipit

http://www.arkive.org/eurasian-siskin/c ... 22405.html
Also, I think the siskens have short thick bills. The pipit has a longer more elegant bill, which is more like the birds in your pictures.

[airras]

SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER.
good morning to all
the camera is working, we can hear the sea
7:43

[Fleur]

good morning all

Have a nice day

[Fleur]

8:22
Eagle sit on cam, and call

[airras]

eagle call, very short and as tune