The Lincolnshire Bird Club

had a phone call about a dead ringed barn owl on the 20th but did not manage to get to look at it until today -- when it came out of the box I was immediately struck by how dark it was and suspected guttata --when the finder read out the ring number to me (forgot my glasses) she mentioned that it was strange that it said SV Museum Brussels on the ring! -- I have posted some photos on the album -- Paul's paper in BB shows how tricky it can be to confirm a true guttata v an intergrade but this bird had deep buff all over the underparts to the vent and legs, strong dark spotting on the underparts; extensive dark marks around the eyes, broad grey tips to the primaries and extensive grey on the upperparts with broad dark primary bars -- although it could still be an intergrade it looks like it is certainly at the positive end of the scale - in the photos the underparts are a but manky as it had started to go off and had been maggot struck -- it was found in a hay barn in Goxhill --awaiting details of the ring

Although a bit manky, i would put this at the pale end of guttata, and therefore acceptable as such. In addition to the features Graham mentions the underwing coverts are also buff. A Belgian ring would presumably put this in the intergrade zone, but when it looks like this, its a pretty safe ID as Dark-breasted.

Nice one, just a shame its dead.

As Paul says, at the pale end of guttata, but not necessarily for a male. Certainly appears to have more guttata genes than not - a nice bird !
From the photographs, it looks like none of the primaries have yet been replaced, so it would appear to be 2009 raised bird. I assume you will post the ringing details on this site when you get them Graham.?

Alan

What a shame!,would have loved to seen it in the field hunting etc.



Steve.

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I submitted these details the same day via the BTO web site and another source but have received nothing back as yet

It is a shame that responses to ring reports are not a bit quicker as some people are easily put off submitting details when they get no reply;
reading colour rings is a pleasant pastime but I have had numerous ones in the last year, Curlew, Dunlin, LBBGulls and in past years other waders from which you simply do not get feedback -- it is generally not the fault of the organisers but of individual scheme ringers or so it seems; I have had replies to the effect that he never answers reports, his inbox has been full for 3 years, this bird is from a scheme that is not registered etc; it would surely seem to be an appropriate condition of allowing a colour ringing scheme for people to respond to reports of their birds-- it baffles me why they would not want to anyway as most schemes rely on reports by other people; I have good working relationships with some scheme organisers particularly those involved with Black-tailed Godwits and a lack of response is maybe much less frequent than my recent experiences suggest so I still feel obliged to wait 2 hours to get a correct ring combination and urge other people to follow up reports --- always worth looking on http://www.cr-birding.be/ by the way if you find a colour ringed bird

Completely agree Graham, it seems that some of the ringers doing this have a nebulous idea of "resonsibility". I have also reported such birds and have had no reply. I await news of the colour-ringed Common Sandpiper I noted at Freiston in May 4 years ago. A proportion of the ringers operating in these circumstances undoubtedly produce good information but I do wonder how many others waste time by not finishing their projects.

Phil

I have recently submitted 5 colour ring and coded lesser black back gulls all seen in a large roost flock on a beach in the Algarve, , i emailed this data to pete.rock@blueyonder.co.uk ( brit co-ordinator) and have recieved the ringing data from all 5 , 1 Belgian, 1 Dutch, 1 Guernsey, 1 Norwegian and 1 Skomer,
For colour ringed geese, see http//www.cr-birding.be
cheers John.

Hi John

all seems to depend on who is doing what-- I had 6 LBBGulls in the Ancholme Valley this summer and in spite of Peter Stewart trying to get info the majority of them came from people who just do not respond so maybe you were lucky in getting a full set

My friend, Barn Owl expert, Colin Shawyer has looked at the photographs on the website and has sent me the following comments - I will post the photographs he referes to on the 'Discussion Birds' section.

Alan

It is 1st year bird which probably arrived here during September.

Stretched wing - nothing to indicate guttata - we probably experience 10-15 % of female alba demonstrating this colour and density of outer web colour which in guttata is usually rufous-cinamon (ie red-brown rather than golden-brown) (see photo attachment of guttata which I controlled and which was breeding in Norfolk in 2008).

Tail - would indicate guttata

Breast/lower flanks - Golden-buff hue throughout can occasionally be seen on female alba of typical alba parentage and not intergrade (see picture). But buff extending to thighs and legs in Belgium bird, would suggest guttata although normally more rufous-cinnamon (see picture of unringed guttata, one of two found dead during our road mortality study in the mid 1990's).

Back- possibly more grey than most female alba we see but do have a few alba possibly as grey as this.

Face - not typical of guttata which is usually more dusky-cinnamon in young birds (see picture) or dusky-grey (in older birds) We quite commonly see the same extent of dusky-grey displayed by the Belgian bird in a good proportion of female alba most years.

In conclusion if ringed in south Belgium, believed to be an intergrade, but if elsewhere in the country more likely full guttata, but if so, a pale example of this race.

Need to check colour of vestigial 11th primary in the Belgium bird to help diagnose.

Colin