Meadow or Tree. (1 Viewer)

[Geoff Pain]

Busy foraging in the river, Meadow or Tree Pipit ?

 

[KenM]

I think I’d go with Tripit on this image, overall ground colours and perhaps head pattern with a relatively short bill.

Cheers

 

[pianoman]

Someone once said that for Tree pipit, the flank markings are like pencil strokes, whereas for Meadow they look like ink. Although few in number, the markings look inky to me I'll be interested to see what others think and if I need to abandon that theory

 

[alanc]

A tricky one. As Ken says, the overall markings look good for TP but to me the bill seems rather fine, albeit short.

Its a fine quality photo so no doubt someone will come in with a positive id

date and location would be nice

cheers alan

 

[Mark Lew1s]

This looks like a meadow pipit to me. Flank streaking is not fine enough (little contrast with the strength of the breast streaking), no pale/dark ear covert spot, quite a fine bill, no buffy wash to the breast contrasting with a white belly, and the leg colour is much better for meadow pipit.

 

[KenM]

This looks like a meadow pipit to me. Flank streaking is not fine enough (little contrast with the strength of the breast streaking), no pale/dark ear covert spot, quite a fine bill, no buffy wash to the breast contrasting with a white belly, and the leg colour is much better for meadow pipit.

I’m not fussed either way, but if you go on the web you’ll see some variable Tripits, some with deeper bills and some not unlike the OP’s bird.
Regarding flank streaking there can be none, or the classic with fine pencil streaking and some with “almost” equal strength to the breast but clearly Tripits.
Head pattern can be not unlike a weak OBP or almost faint not unlike the OP’s, with such variability, shots like this will always be open to a degree of speculation no matter by whom, one things for sure...I certainly wouldn’t put any real money on either.

Cheers

 

[Butty]

I know my place.

 

[KenM]

I know my place.

Would that be a large seat?😂👍

 

[Redmist]

Another vote for the meadow camp here for the reasons outlined by Mark above (bill, streaks, legs, spot), plus the lack of a dark line in front of the eye. So in general more things pointing towards meadow than tree for me.

 

[Grahame Walbridge]

To expand on Marks comments, the heavier bill of Tree is always distinctly pink in tone as are the legs, including toes and claws-compare the OP, bill and leg colour is wrong + you can see the dark claws. Note also the birds lores are unmarked, whereas Tree typically shows a dark loral line, rarely absent. Judging the bill structure from this angle is a trifle harder, tilted slightly downwards (full profile would be easier), but the bill is not heavy enough for Tree IMO, which is both deeper and broader based (no overlap in depth), more triangular in shape.

Grahame

 

[Butty]

... and we never did get the date or location.