On another thread I reported having seen meadow pipits at Keyhaven on the south coast. After seeing my photos Seymouraves kindly identified the one in my photo as a rock pipit. Excellent - a new bird for me. Thank you seymouraves :-)
I saw three pipits or maybe one three times (?) and would be interested to know what they were.
Here are a few more photos of two of them from different angles to aid ID. Having compared them I am fairly certain they are two different birds.
The first set of four, with darker legs and beak would be the rock pipit, already identified and I saw this on the narrow, muddy beach.
The second set shows a pipit with paler legs and beak and I think this is a meadow pipit. I saw it on a wet, grassy bank.
I was about ten feet or so from both these birds and neither seemed a bit bothered by me standing watching them. They were difficult to photograph as they wouldn't stay still and it was a very gloomy afternoon so the light was poor. Any thoughts on the second one please?
There is something new to learn everyday...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skylark58/
Hi,
these are all Rock Pipits :)
Meadow pipits have bright fleshy orange legs and are browner, - http://www.stephenburch.com/oxonpics/2009/Meadow%20Pipit%2015%20Feb%2009sm.jpg
:))
S
For advice about Birding, Identification,field guides, binoculars, scopes, tripods, etc - put 'Birding Tips' into the search box
Gosh, that was quick! Thank you so much, that means that I saw three rock pipits, which is brilliant as I had never even seen one before. Thanks for the link to that super photograph. I see what you mean, it is a very different colour. Armed with that information the difference between RPs and MPs is quite obvious.
I had a pipit like bird in my garden last November. It was flying with a flock of finches and it arrived with a yellowhammer and they both perched in my lilac tree for a short while. I regularly see flocks of finches flying over the field behind the house and they settle in the trees around us and preen for a while and then fly off over the field again. I took a photograph but it was late in the afternoon and the light was poor so you can't see the colour properly but I think it is a meadow pipit. We do get skylarks in the field so it I guess it could be a skylark but it didn't look like it to me, though of course I'm no expert. Sorry it's such a poor photo but I hope you can make out some detail. I'll try for a better photo next November ;-)
Hi SB,
THAT..... is a Meadow Pipit- you can see the pale flesh legs, thin bill, well defined spots on the underparts and a good solid eyering.
seymouraves said: THAT..... is a Meadow Pipit- you can see the pale flesh legs, thin bill, well defined spots on the underparts and a good solid eyering. S
Note: This answer relates to the pipit in the tree not the ones on the ground at Keyhaven.