Calling any twitchers...

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papercorn2000

Senior Member
I spent a very pleasant week in the Cairngorms over New Year. In the garden of the house were loads of squirrels (red), a couple of crested tits and loads of other birds. Anyway, I also spotted a strange looking bird in the garden. It was starling sized, black and it had a thin pointy beak which was dark coloured. It also had a woodpecker-like crest.
I thought "woodpecker" but it doesn't correspond with any woodpeckers in my bird book.
Can anyone shed any light on what it might be?
 
Great spotted woodpecker is the obvious suggestion but woodpeckers don't have crests. Was the impression, black, white and red?
 
papercorn2000 said:
Is that not brown and white?

In the field in winter plumage, it looks at a distance like a slightly gray starling, albeit bigger and chunkier. Closer, you can see the white markings. They never look anything like the photos.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Maybe a juvenile starling or blackbird on a windy day?
 

Paulus

Started young, and still going.
Location
Barnet,
I've just looked through my book and the best I can come up with is either a Nutcracker, or a juvenile male Blackbird. In their first year they are a darkish colour, but not black and have a dark beak.
 
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