Mistakes in ID: Episode s 155 & 156

I went back to Ferrybridge to revisit the Curlew Sandpiper fiasco. 5 Wheatear, 1 Knot, 4 Sanderling, and a wader that looked like a massive over-size Dunlin which I confidently told myself was the Curlew Sand from last week. In fact I wandered round to a chap with a scope and confidently told him that, and he quietly said no its just a big Dunlin. And as soon as he said it I thought yes that's obviously what it is. So there we have it, back to where we started. Dunlins are variable in size. Some are quite small and some are the size of small industrial units.

More ID confusion the following day. This is an old one and to be honest still not fully resolved. Back to Stour Bridge at Wareham Forest and a Common Redstart doing Common Redstart things, namely singing briefly like a Common Redstart, and being territorial like a Redstart and just looking like one, mostly. Plumage has progressed to a couple of white wing flashes, greyish back, black face, but then things get a bit complicated. There is no white flash over the eye and the breast is mainly dark grey. But there is quite a lot of orange on the belly. So not a Black Redstart, yet not a classic Common Redstart, more a Blackish Common Redstart.

A quick google of male common redstart images does reveal a bit of variation. None quite like this. So put this one in the 'interesting' file.