Tree Pipit or Meadow Pipit Scotland. (1 Viewer)

[Baldoon57]

To begin I thought this was a tree Pipit as it kept flying up in the sky then coming back down and always landing on a small tree, but now I'm thinking it could be meadow pipit as the hind claw looks long, picture was taken in April.

 

[Butty]

Could you give the actual date and location, please? Thanks.
Subject to the above making sense... If it's not a tree pipit I want my money back: not-absurdly-long hind claw, fine-streaked flank (not that that feature's worth much).

 

[Baldoon57]

Could you give the actual date and location, please? Thanks.
Subject to the above making sense... If it's not a tree pipit I want my money back: not-absurdly-long hind claw, fine-streaked flank (not that that feature's worth much).

It was taken on 25/04/2022 near Newton Stewart Scotland where there is a lot of hilly ground with small trees etc, my first thought was always tree Pipit because of it always landing on a tree.

 

[Stonefaction]

I'd go with Tree Pipit too - colour of legs and the bill (though that is harder to determine but doesn't look yellow), as well as general shape of the bill, thicker than Meadow. Also flank streaking and behaviour would appear to support Tree Pipit too. I always think Tree Pipit looks a bit short tailed (as here) and as Butty says the hindclaw isn't overly long either.

 

[Simon G]

Could you give the actual date and location, please? Thanks.
Subject to the above making sense... If it's not a tree pipit I want my money back: not-absurdly-long hind claw, fine-streaked flank (not that that feature's worth much).

Does the contrast between the fine streaking on the flanks and heavier streaking on the breast not still count for anything then? Also, what about the dark loral line splitting the eyering, a feature I learned from birdforum several years ago but generally can't see in the field?

Should there be a sort of celebrity death pool for exploded field characters?

 

[Baldoon57]

Thanks for everyone who posted.