Any ideas as to what this could have been?

Joey Eccles · Status: Offline

RE: Any ideas as to what this could have been?

JasonAtkinson · Status: Offline

Could be from an over excited game of cowboys and Indians?

Cheers
Jason

Nick Hilton · Status: Offline

They have developed blue "morphs" in a number of parakeet species and the feather colour appears consistent with this mutation. Try google images of "Ring Necked Parakeet Blue" and "Bourkes Parakeet Blue". Size wise, I would suggest Ring Necked as well.

John Doherty · Status: Offline

I doubt it Joey, knowing Alkrington Woods and what it turns up on a normal basis

'You never know' but the likelihood is something ornamental, although quite what I don't know. What about some kind of Parrot, say a blue Macaw?

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Hi Joey, seeing as you've asked, let me answer that question by asking a couple more of my own, if you see what I mean

Take a look at the length (given accurately fortunately) and colour of the longest feathers and tell me from which tract of either Roller or Bee-eater they could have come from?

Then look at the colour of the them once again and are Steller's Jays really that turquoise? Could Steller's Jay actually seriously ever make it as a vagrant to these shores given its restricted western USA range and non-migratory status do you think?

More questions than answers it may seem, but they're in there I promise

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 15th of April 2012 10:05:32 AM

Joey Eccles · Status: Offline

Ian McKerchar wrote:

It's certainly an exotic escapee, though which species is open to speculation. There are many at large in the county and they often fall prey to predators.

Interestingly, Ring-necked Parakeet has a completely blue form and there was one at large in the Birtle area in 2010.

Forgive me if I'm missing the point here Ian, but what's stopping it from being a vagrant individual of a non-native species? I understand that it is a very unlikely occurrence, but I'd like to know why you have ruled it out completely.

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

It's certainly an exotic escapee, though which species is open to speculation. There are many at large in the county and they often fall prey to predators.

Interestingly, Ring-necked Parakeet has a completely blue form and there was one at large in the Birtle area in 2010.

Joey Eccles · Status: Offline

Roller or Bee-eater? Stellar's Jay is also one to consider.

Kaz Horrocks · Status: Offline

Hi Nick,
that was a consideration, but going from the Tailfeathers website for ornamental birds Budgies are 7" to 9 3/8" in length from the top of the bill over the head to the tip of the tail. Give or take a few. The tail itself measures 3 1/8" to 4 1/2" The sheer size of these (pushing 6 1/2") would probably exclude Budgies, as would the amount of grey in them also.

I also ruled out Ring-necked Parakeet as there was no hint of green in any of the feathers.

Kaz

Nick Isherwood · Status: Offline

My guess would be a blue budgie.

Kaz Horrocks · Status: Offline

Norwegian Blue? Can you ID this ex-bird?

I came across this pile of feathers today whilst in Alkrington Woods, but am baffled as to what they could have belonged to. All the feathers were either this delicate bluey-turquoise or grey. They were not iridescent, and had no spotting or speckling. To help with size/scale, my Monocular is 5 1/2" or 14cm, the two feathers next to it were both a good inch longer.

I know of no native UK bird which they could have belonged to.

Any Suggestions??

Kaz