[JTweedie]

I didn't want to put this in the ID forum as this is more of a general enquiry.

I was out early this evening at a small SWT reserve called Cathkin Marsh. It's a very small marsh/fen right on the southern edge of Glasgow.

Tonight I noticed a group of around 7 pipits flying around from tree to tree. The trees here tend to be quite small, certainly nothing any bigger than 10m. At first I thought of the easy option of Meadow Pipit, a bird I've seen many times, but when I normally see them they tend to land on the ground, but these birds were almost exclusively sticking to the trees, although they did land on the ground once.

I wasn't able to get close views of them, but is there a chance these could be Tree Pipits? They weren't calling at all. I've only seen a Tree Pipit once before on Mull and that was a bird on its own, do Tree Pipits ever form small groups like this?

It also appeared that there were some Twite associating with the pipits, these birds kept landing in the same trees but lower down but again I couldn't get close enough views to confirm that was what they were - do pipits and Twite, or other species associate like this? I'm aware of mixed flocks of finches and tits in winter, but I've not been aware of other small birds doing this outside winter.

[Xenospiza]

I don't think I've ever seen a flock of Tree Pipits on the ground, not even on migration, although I've seen multiple birds at the same time flying overhead.
Meadow Pipits do land in trees at times and I've definitely seen flocks of Meadow Pipits do this. I would assume this is the most likely option for what you've seen.

[Adin 92]

i ve seen tree pipits roosting on ground and i ve seen tree pipits joining red throated pipits or meadow pipits in late march

[G Anderson]

Hey JTweedie,

Tree Pipits normally call when they are just coming in (now), and aren't so keen on flocking, like Mipits. Both perch on trees but Tree pipits much more so, on breeding grounds.

Cheers G

[JTweedie]

Thanks for this, I knew Mipits did land in trees, just not as often as Tree Pipits, but I think you're right that these were more likely to have been Mipits.