Mike Buckland

Absolutely, the subtle plumage tones on all three change depending on light, shade & angle & my impressions of each have been formed over hours of observation on different days & conditions. The photos used confirm their general field appearance. As you say similar to a Sibe Chiff in this regard.

Hume’s Leaf Warbler (left two) and Yellow-browed Warbler (right two) showing the subtle but distinctive differences between plumage tones and patterns.

A comparison of Hume’s Leaf Warbler (Wells Woods), left, and Yellow-browed Warbler (Holkham), right, from the last two days. Subtle but distinctive differences between these two similar Phylloscopus species supported by their quite different calls. #NorfolkBirding

Juvenile Red-throated Diver shows a typically white face and gently upturned bill

Juvenile Great-northern Diver, big, dark with a bulbous forehead and dagger-like bill. The square block on the side of its neck also distinctive

Divers spend a lot of time under salt water and therefore frequently flap their wings to dry off

Some great views of Divers at Wells-next-the-Sea over high tide this morning included a juvenile Great-northern and a couple of Red-throated nearby. #NorfolkBirding

Three Hume’s Leaf Warblers are currently inhabiting the Holkham NNR and unlike the consistent looking Yellow-browed Warbler show a variety of plumage tones, which seem to change tone in different lights and at different angles. Of the two in Holkham Pines one is grey/greenish above and a bit scruffy (top left), one is buff/cream and clean (top right), and the bird at Wells (bottom) is grey above with lovely contrasting yellow/greenish secondary edges and a pale central crown. Such lovely birds well worth putting in effort to see.

Hume’s Leaf Warbler is a variable bird. The 3 currently inhabiting Holkham NNR all look different. The two I found on 16th: a grey/greenish rather scruffy bird (top left), & a buff/cream clean bird (top right) & Ash Saunders’ Wells bird is grey with contrasting green secondary edges #NorfolkBirding

Ah, ok. The scaling and white feather edges clearly apparent in your boc, which for some reason are not at all visible to me in the original video? Thanks for sharing the better image.

A remarkable coincidence in pattern on the chest but this is surely a leucistic male Blackbird. A Ring Ouzel would have a different jizz, longer profile, and the feather edges on the wing would be white. It would also show some scaling on the underparts particularly at this time of year.

Thanks.

A Hume’s Leaf Warbler showing its distinctive muted shades, buffy supercilium and wing bars was joined in a flock at Holkham Pines in Norfolk by a Pallas’s Warbler, a Yellow-browed Warbler, a Siberian Chiffchaff, 3 Common Chiffchaffs and a Firecrest! Norfolk November birding at its best.

Yesterday with Sibe Phylloscs all around the best I could find was a late Willow Warbler. Today at Holkham I made up for it: first up a Hume’s was soon followed by a Pallas’s and concluded when they were joined in a flock by a Yellow-browed, a Sibe Chiff, a Firecrest & 3 Chiffchaff! #NorfolkBirding

Great find after a lot of effort. Well done matey.

Great find Phil, lovely reward for your efforts on your patch! Well pleased for you 😁

The juvenile American Golden Plover at Titchwell RSPB briefly lands beside a roosting Northern Lapwing on the saltmarsh beside the main path. The darker, greyer plumage, small size, long wings and bright white supercilium contrast with the more golden European Golden Plovers it is associating with.

A distant, cropped and out of focus phone scope shot which captures the dark grey underwings of the juvenile American Golden Plover, contrasting with the bright white underwings of its European cousins.

After hearing the American Golden Plover was showing well I popped in to Titchwell but it had gone missing. Managed to find it distantly showing just its head above a bank before the flock flushed and it landed close to the path. Four hurried phone scoped shots later it was gone. #NorfolkBirding

Two Isabelline Wheatears today and a Desert Wheatear yesterday. So just how lucky were @jameslowenwild.bsky.social and me when late this afternoon we found a Northern Wheatear beside the golf course at Brancaster 😢 #NorfolkBirding

That’s some garden. I can only imagine what it will produce when you’re there full time and not distracted by chores…😜Good luck getting the jobs done tomorrow!!

A Yellow-browed Warbler quickly moving along a coastal hedge at Warham Greens showing a double wing bar and long supercilium

A very elusive Dusky Warbler eventually gives a brief view. Mainly heard ‘tacking’ and ‘tucking’ from a dense Ivy and Bramble hedgerow behind North Point Pools

A very elusive Dusky Warbler eventually gives a brief view. Mainly heard ‘tacking’ and ‘tucking’ from a dense Ivy and Bramble hedgerow behind North Point Pools

A very elusive Dusky Warbler eventually gives a brief view. Mainly heard ‘tacking’ and ‘tucking’ from a dense Ivy and Bramble hedgerow behind North Point Pools

A nice end to what had been a fairly quiet walk around Warham Greens when I got back to North Point and in very quick succession a Yellow-browed Warbler was quickly upstaged by a calling Dusky Warbler #NorfolkBirding #UKBirding

Gyr Kestrel!! Wow. That is quite stunning.

Has anyone got or seen a photo of the 5x reported adult female Pallid Harrier around Warham Greens and North Point over the last 10 days? #NorfolkBirding #UKBirding

This gorgeous Jack Snipe was hunkered down out of the wind while trying to warm up in the morning sunshine outside Bishop’s Hide at Cley NWT. #NorfolkBirding

This beast of a juvenile Glaucous Gull was patrolling the Cley beach this morning, giving several close fly pasts as it searched the tideline for food. #NorfolkBirding

A Eurasian Woodcock, intricately marked in hues of brown, reaches the beach at Cley after a lengthy sea crossing in rough winds only to be met by a hunting Peregrine.

The Peregrine knocked the Woodcock into the sea where it initially floated while the Falcon tried to pick off its prize, but ultimately lost its life in the surf

The juvenile Peregirne Falcon gives up on the hapless Woodcock and leaves with just a tail feather as a reminder of its efforts.

The cruelty of bird migration laid bare at Cley this morning as a tired Woodcock reached the end of its sea crossing to be met by a hungry Peregrine. Knocked into the water the Woodcock ultimately succumbed to the rough breakers while the Peregrine left with just a tail feather. #NorfolkBirding

It was surprisingly heavy and very alert. I walked it c 1/2 mile to a wide protected sea channel where it quickly went about bathing and cleaning up, so hopefully ok. Gave it a decent chance anyway. 🤞

Still (sadly) at least that annoying Sparrowhawk won’t be chasing any more migrant passerines that arrive here exhausted. Looks like it lost a scrap with the local Peregrine! #norfolkbirding

It was like AI birding today. I got exactly what I asked for, but not quite what I had in mind… an offtrack oddity blown of course and sheltering under a coastal bush 😫 #norfolkbirding

The tiny and highly camouflaged Sand Running-Spider Rhysodromus fallax is almost invisible when stationary. It moves very quickly running briefly before pausing and its markings blend incredibly with the sand.

While clearing rubbish I happened upon an interesting looking, camouflaged, fast and tiny spider. I was surprised to learn I’d seen a Sand Running-Spider, Rhysodromus fallax, a Nationally Rare and Threatened Arachnid, found only at a few sites in coastal Norfolk and Wales @norfolknats.bsky.social

Today was largely spent clearing rubbish from East Hills. Some was the inevitable flotsam from fishing boats, but so much left by inconsiderate visitors - I don’t understand why people go to enjoy the beauty of a place only to leave all their rubbish for others to ‘enjoy’ (and clear up!).

A juvenile Red-backed Shrike sat in an Elder in the sunshine

Lovely views of the juvenile Red-backed Shrike between Stiffkey and Morston yesterday afternoon. A very confiding individual with patience. #NorfolkBirding

Those are Grey Plover. Sanderling much smaller and likely to be running around on the tideline.

An evening walk at Holkham produced my first flock of Pink-footed Geese for the autumn, but the surprising highlight was this stunning ‘Silver’ Hare near Meals House!

Native breeding population in Scotland, a wing-clipped migrant pair (presumably from European range) in Norfolk in 1850, and a rapid spread from the 1950s - source the BTO website - www.bto.org/learn/about-....

This composite might help with side by side comparison, easier than separate photos.

I think BirdGuides were giving them away with a years’ subscription?