Blashford Lakes

Great photo's, Strongylodon!! It always cheers me up to see our wildlife doing well. Maybe you can help me.
Last year while fishing just outside Peterborough in July a small bird. the size of a wagtail, sat on my rod for several minutes. I had time to look at him, and he at me, but I was struck by his plumage being different to the norm! His beak was of the flycatchers type while his plumage, I'll try to describe it as clearly as possible, was that of a completely black bird splodged with white paint or visa versa! The chest was marked like that of a Thrush. Being a fisherman over years I have got familiar with all British birds and visitors being they'll come and pinch my bait if I let them [and I do!}, but this particular bird has got me stumped! I've looked in the books to try to identify it but no joy. The nearest was a Snowbunting but I'm sure it wasn't that!!

 

Hi Ziggy, It was very much like that but the dark upper body had splotches of white all over to the extent of almost 50/50. The chest is exactly like the bird I saw. What's "thrown" me is that white splodging, that's what marked it out as a bird I'd never seen before. I had plenty of time for look at it as it sat on the rod and so I remember it well because I knew it was something I'd never seen before. Luckily for the both of us I didn't get a dip of the float while it was sitting there!! Thanks for the pic, close but no cigar!! It's bugging me because I know my wild birds and I can't pin this one down. I'm fishing there again in July this year so I'll keep my camera handy. Having said that, I've got a feeling had I reached for the camera at the time it would have flown off!

 

Thanks, Ziggy, I went on the site and there are a lot of suggestions including a pied wagtail. As I said it was the size of a pied wagtail - but it was most definitely not one! I've seen too many wagtails in my time to know that it wasn't one. It's a strange one. Thanks for the help!!