How to raise the bar ?

This is the only Treecreeper I have ever caught at Buckton in 9 years of ringing, caught in fall conditions on October 20th 2002. It was a particularly white and pale washed out brown individual with a broad white supercillium. Buckton is no place for a Treecreeper and this individual does not fit the pattern of post breeding dispersal which takes place in July-August, so there must be a very high possibility it was of Scandinavian origin but short of a ringing recovery how do you prove that?



Above top, this was a first winter female Northern Bullfinch caught at Buckton on October 22nd 2004, the bird had a wing length of 90-91mm - see middle image, well out of the range of the resident British race (P.p.pileata) of Bullfinch which has a wing max length of 84mm. Note the white wing outer primary edges in P3-5, I found this pattern to be identical to several Bullfinches I handled in Kiruna, Northern Sweden in January 2006 - see the male above. I have never seen this primary pattern in any pileata Bullfinches I have caught.

This Lesser Whitethroat was caught and ringed at Buckton on October 11th 2004. It was very sandy brown backed and had a particularly short wing, a great candidate for a bird of Central Asian origin, but how can that be proved ?

Finally, I have always been interested in odd jizz resemblances that can be attached to certain birds, like Leaches Petrels resembling Mars Bar wrappers blowing in the wind. Well how about 1st winter Barred Warblers looking like Great White Sharks.. I will sign off !