More Help Please (1 Viewer)

[wookie7062]

Out again today and our combined lack of knowledge was showing again. Thank god for the camera or we would never know what we saw. The birds were all shot at whiteadder burn about 20 miles from Edinburgh. They were all on or about the water and the land was covered in scrub and heather.

The first couple of pics are a pippet of some sort. We think! We got some great closeups of a meadow pippit and thought at the time this may be another one. The colouring and some of the marking are different so we thought we would ask the experts.

The next pics is we think a redshank. Sorry about the quality.

The next pics is a bit better but I can't get an ID from my book. The upturned tail doesn't appear on any of the waders in said book.

Thanks in advance.

 

[osborne]

1. Meadow Pipit
2. Meadow Pipit
3. Redshank
4. Meadow Pipit

 

[wookie7062]

Thanks Osbrne. I take it the tail is upturned because the bird is running. (pic 4) The first two pippits really do look different to the meadow pippits I have seen before. They were paler with a white streak a little below the eye. I will keep trying and must learn the songs of the birds as this seems a more reliable way of identifying pippits.

 

[osborne]

Hi Wookie,
Meadow Pipits frequently display, so it's well worth watching out for that. If you ever go up to Arthur's Seat you'll see and hear loads displaying up there. They rise up usually from the grass but sometimes from a small bush (never from a tree)whilst making a 'see see see see see' type of noise. They rise fairly high and then descend head first making a sweet sound as they go down like a parachute. Careful not to mistake them for Skylarks, an easy mistake for beginners to make. These tips should help you :

1. Skylark's song is much sweeter, a lot more musical and a lot more varied.
2. Meadow Pipit only rises up approximately 40 feet in the air whereas a Skylark reaches incredible heights; sometimes the observer loses them in the clouds.
3. Meadow Pipit's entire display only lasts 10 -15 seconds whereas a Skylark is rarely airborne for less than a minute. In fact it is usually in the air for about 3 minutes but often a lot longer still. I once gave up after counting it in the air for 7 and a half mins.

Both species occupy similar habitats and look rather alike for a beginner. Also Rock Pipits occur at the coast and Tree Pipits begin their display from the top of a tree.I've heard they have a different song too but I wouldn't know as I've never observed or heard one.