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Nice
photos Geoff. And shows that the (believed) two different females I have seen
here, are not in juvenile plumage. Only addition is: no, the feathers on the
shoulders are not the secondaries. In most birds when the wing is closed,
the secondaries overlay the primaries so are the most obvious feathers. The
"feathers on the shoulders" (even then, I think you mean forearm, the shoulder
of a bird is completely internal, what looks like a shoulder on a perched bird
is the fold of the wrist joint) are variously a combination of
the secondary coverts, the scapulars and the primary coverts. For
example a Black-shouldered Kite does not have black shoulders, the black is on
the secondary coverts and the scapulars.
(Just
as a Red-kneed Dotterel is named for its red ankles.)
Philip
Barbara drew attention to the
quite different spotting on back of female v juvenile. Barbara is right of
course - very interesting difference. Overall the juv is likely to
be paler esp on the shoulders (is that the secondaries?), being marked in good
light dark on pale rather than white on dark: NJ v NF
below. However in dull conditions like the depths of a leafy tree,
both are going to look medium darkish DJ v DF below. Certainly
something to keep an eye out for.
From: Barbara Allan [
Sent:
Wednesday, 7 March 2012 1:56 PM
To: Geoffrey Dabb
Subject:
he's still here
Re your photos of female v juvenile, surely the more obvious
difference is the clear heavy spotting on the female’s back and wings. Quite
different at least from this juvenile. Plus the calling of course.
b
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