New Bird

[Ashy]

I have seen a bird and I wonder if anyone can help to identify it.


A bit larger than a robin or sparrow, walks rather than hops. It is white and when viewed from behind has black chevron markings on its back.


Any ideas welcome. sorry no picture at this stage.

[Fred Smiff]

If it walks then it certainly ain't the ooommeeegoollee bird   

[Floydian]

Wagtail?

[Ashy]

Thanks, but the wagtail usually has black markings all over and a black bib. This bird may be an odd ball, I don't know. I didn't notice a long tail like a wagtail either. Im hope I can see it again and take a picture.

[Floydian]

Btw, are you plagued with ladybirds where you are? There seems to be loads here today, maybe it's this warm weather?

[fortyone]

There aren't that many white birds that size so I'd guess at it being an albino of a common species such as a blackbird but the black chevron sort of belies that.

[Ashy]

I can't say I have seen any ladybirds this year. And yes it could be a mutant of a more common species although I don't know which one. He seemed quite friendly.

[Scrumpy]

No Ladybirds here.  Nor unusual birds..
 I haven’t seen many Starlings either.. Perhaps it is too early for them to gather ready to migrate.. Or perhaps they are staying here longer because of the warm climate.

[fortyone]

Just the single ladybird seen in Sunny Hunny today. I remember a day out there years back when a monster storm of them blew in. They were up to a foot deep against shop walls along the front and the shopkeepers were having to sweep them out of the doors with brooms.

[fortyone]

I can't say I have seen any ladybirds this year. And yes it could be a mutant of a more common species although I don't know which one. He seemed quite friendly.

A quick google shows this story about an albino blackbird. The pictures shows that it does still have some black feathers (I thought an albino would be all white).
https://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/763733/White-blackbird-British-garden-rare-photograph

[Michael Rolls]

No Ladybirds here.  Nor unusual birds..
 I haven’t seen many Starlings either.. Perhaps it is too early for them to gather ready to migrate.. Or perhaps they are staying here longer because of the warm climate.

As I understand it from my reading of Wiki, European starlings in the UK don't migrate - the natives get joined around this time of year by starlings from further north. (But the article is a bit ambiguous)
Mike

[fortyone]

We've been seeing quite large murmurations of starlings for some time now in North Norfolk.
Pretty terrible phone photo of them gathering on power lines ready to rock n' roll taken the other day...

[little bob]

Btw, are you plagued with ladybirds where you are? There seems to be loads here today, maybe it's this warm weather?

Scores of Ladybirds up here Floyd --kitchen infested with them this afternoon.

[fortyone]

strange things ladybirds - they don't seem to cause the same sort of YUCK reaction many other beetles do. May bugs anybody? Stag beetles?

[crabbyob]

on the golf course today there were millions of odd ladybirds, sort of black and yellow, i am not aware of being bitten but anytime i looked down there would be between three and six on my pullover, and on my neck... and even on the golf ball...but no-one else at home was even aware of them...