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Parachuting Pipits. How to differentiate them? (1 Viewer)

Andrew

wibble wibble
Today I watched a Pipit fly up and then parachute a fair way down to a hawthorn tree. It was not quite a vertical drop (more like a float). I tried to scope it but the haze made it difficult. I know Meadow Pipits do some sort of 'parachuting' but could mine have been a Tree Pipit. How do you tell whether you have a parachuting Meadow or Tree Pipit? (Please imagine you are deaf like I am.)
 
Tree Pipits (and Rock and Water apparently) do the parachuting as well as Meadow.
The fact that it started and finished on a tree would point to Tree,as Meadow normally starts from the ground.
That is only my limited experience,though so hopefully one of our experts will confirm.
 
Thanks Trevor. Just looked them up in all my books. Most of them (good ones) point to Tree Pipit cos of the action.

Another thing is when flushed Meadow Pipits fly from the ground and over to another patch of ground, they do occasionally go to a tree but this one seemed stuck to the tree whenever it did something.

Two things put me off Tree Pipit is the 'Birds by Behaviour' book suggests Tree Pipit parachutes in a spiral motion. This one did not. Another thing is the pine trees were a fari way off and I have always seen my Tree Pipits coming down to a Pine tree apart from in the Scillies.

When I scoped it it did appear quite white but like I said it was hazy so I could be wrong.

Looks like I will have to make another trip out for Tree Pipit, probably Yarner Woods.
 
I'd be very careful.. I've not watched Rockits displaying, but All the Meadow Pipits I've seen displaying this week have been parachuting from bushes, trees, rooftops and fences! Some Mipits are habitual tree perchers too. Look for the long pointed wings and shorter tail of Tree Pipit - they look to me almost like Spotted Flycatchers in this respect....
 
Jane Turner said:
I'd be very careful.. I've not watched Rockits displaying, but All the Meadow Pipits I've seen displaying this week have been parachuting from bushes, trees, rooftops and fences! Some Mipits are habitual tree perchers too. Look for the long pointed wings and shorter tail of Tree Pipit - they look to me almost like Spotted Flycatchers in this respect....
Jane,

Will a Meadow Pipit start from a tree and return to a tree?

As for the other comments you gave, thanks very much.
 
Would agree with Jane on the problem of Meadow Pipits displaying from pretty much anything available. I guess if they're parachuting then they should be singing, so that should be the most significant clue. Tree Pipit's song is far more elaborate then Meadow's and they usually include a 'Seeya-seeya-seeya' phrase which is very distinctive. Meadow's song is mostly just the same note given over and over and is much less varied.
 
Andrew said:
Jane,

Will a Meadow Pipit start from a tree and return to a tree?

As for the other comments you gave, thanks very much.

The one I have displaying off my roof just now goes back to the same place....yes!

Look for the wing shape - there a 4 more or less equal primaries in Mipit's rounded wings whereas Trees have 3 in the wing point. I routinely use this to ID non-calling overhead Pipits.... and just once to prove that a Red-throated Pipit wasn't a Tree (it was my first ever heard). It doesn't sound that much, but it means that the outer part of a Tripits wing is 3/4 the width of a Mipit.
 
I agree with Jane, I've been watching Meadow Pipits all weekend, they are all parachuting like mad, from trees, fence posts, rocks, the ground, in fact anywhere. They are usually giving out a marvellous display trill as they are descending. I think it's probably a wee bit early for tree pipit display just yet, most of them have only arrived in the last few days.

nirofo.
 
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