hopster
Well-known member
Hi all
Relatively new to careful bird ID'ing of less obvious species and realising how many different smallish, brownish birds there are!
On the meadow above a sea cliff in the Vale of Glamorgan just West of Cardiff in South Wales. I saw a pair of birds walking around studiously in the long grass finding and eating food - primarily crane flies which got gobbled up with some enthusiam. At first look I though they might be thrushes because of their approximate shape and dappled brownish upper bodies. Once I got the binoculars onto them I realised they were a bit smaller and more slender, and with a cream or pale lemon chest and underside, with the same colour running in a band along the eye. When they take off they have a high-pitched and very short "chip, chip" which sounds a bit like an alarm call. Perhaps like Blackbird but quieter, shorter and less metallic in tone.
Looking through a couple of bird books I am wondering if this is a Pipit of some kind; maybe a Meadow Pipit. Other possibilities I think might be some kind of Wagtail or Lark. Any other thoughts?
TIA
M
Relatively new to careful bird ID'ing of less obvious species and realising how many different smallish, brownish birds there are!
On the meadow above a sea cliff in the Vale of Glamorgan just West of Cardiff in South Wales. I saw a pair of birds walking around studiously in the long grass finding and eating food - primarily crane flies which got gobbled up with some enthusiam. At first look I though they might be thrushes because of their approximate shape and dappled brownish upper bodies. Once I got the binoculars onto them I realised they were a bit smaller and more slender, and with a cream or pale lemon chest and underside, with the same colour running in a band along the eye. When they take off they have a high-pitched and very short "chip, chip" which sounds a bit like an alarm call. Perhaps like Blackbird but quieter, shorter and less metallic in tone.
Looking through a couple of bird books I am wondering if this is a Pipit of some kind; maybe a Meadow Pipit. Other possibilities I think might be some kind of Wagtail or Lark. Any other thoughts?
TIA
M
