Tuesday 20 October 2009

What?

"St Mary's: Black Redstart - one of the paradoxus morph at Old Town today."

What in the name of fuck is the 'paradoxus morph' of Black Redstart? A red one with a black tail? Or is it more likely yet another 'trying too hard to turn a common bird into something interesting because we've run out of things to tick/write ID articles about in Birding World' type of thing?

Just stop it please - I'm too old to learn anything new. I don't want to know about Daurian this and Caspian that and weird new made-up 'morphs' of birds. And I don't like the ducks being at the beginning either. Everyone knows divers come first, then grebes. Ducks are somewhere in the middle of the non-passerines, just before the raptors and just after the herons.

And talking of herons (I knew there was some point to this rambling nonsense), there was a rare heron in Leicestershire yesterday, and it wasn't there today. Arse. I think I'd better go to bed now.

11 comments:

Alan Tilmouth said...

Agree entirely, divers back to the beginning where they belong, anyway off to write up notes on my whistleri Meadow Pipit, for scientific interest purposes you understand.

The Leicester Llama said...

See also John's recent 'Ehrenberg's Dunnock' on the Drunkbirder blog!

Mark said...

Hear hear Mr Llama. Divers first etc. The only Morph I'm familiar with is made from plasterscene.

I see Mr Bentos found a rare yesterday, though he doesn't appear to be making a fuss about it.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget that Siberian/Daurian Reed Warbler as well... I'm surprised no-one took the Dunnock seriously really. Maybe I should have posted it on Turd Forum.

abbey meadows said...

We've had a halimodendri central asian sylvia warbler up here. Lesser whitethroat does for me.

The Leicester Llama said...

I assume from the total lack of 'don't be an idiot - everyone knows what the paradoxus morph of Black Redstart is' comments that I'm not alone in never having heard of this.

Bonsaibirder said...

Apparently it's a first winter bird that looks like a male – most first winter males and females look the same (like adult females) apparently.

The Leicester Llama said...

Well there you go. Thanks for that, Bonsaibirder.

I was vaguely aware (probably from ringing them years ago) that some 1st-winter males looked superficially like adults, but I didn't know they had a special name.

Rob said...

Why can't |I leave a comment on your pet portrait advert post thing? Sparky has said that you haven't asked permission to use his portrait and has demanded you remove it immediately.

P.S. The word verification thing for this comment is "FACKING". Facking marvellous I say.

Harry said...

It's strange when something that isn't even a subspecies should get a scientific-type name: even speaking as one with an unhealthy interest in feather detail, would it not suffice to simply state 'most 1st-w male Black Redstarts look like females, but a minority are recognisably male-like'?
Think I may have seen 1-2 'parodoxus' over the years, the only singing male Black Redstart I have seen in Ireland was one of the more typical 1st-winter birds, as it was only sexed due to full territorial song...

Steve said...

paradoxus morph of Black Redstart!!! What the fuck is that!

And dont get me started on sequences. I'm the one who gets it in the neck when the taxo brigade tinker with the list. Talking of which, wait until you se the