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pipit, Vale of Glamorgan (1 Viewer)

marnixR

WYSIWYG
i saw this bird high up in a tree in Henson Woods, Vale of Glamorgan earlier today
sorry for the poor quality but the marking seems to indicate a pipit - since it's in a tree, does that make it a tree pipit, or is it a meadow pipit that just happens to sit in a tree ?
 

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I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this is as you initially suggested a Tripit!...cos I can’t ever recall seeing mipit perched up like that on a tree, a bush yes, but not a tree?

Cheers
 
Although Meadow Pipits can fly into trees/tops of shrubs if flushed, this looks like a Tree Pipit to me - the upper breast streaking ends fairly neatly in a band across the chest, what can be made out from the face pattern is a strongly marked face/malar stripe and the ‘sleek’ shape which all point to Tree Pipit.
 
I’ve just looked at this on a larger monitor, apologies but I’m second guessing myself now - that bill on the first image looks rather thin and pointed! Can you lighten the image at all and do you have any others?
 
I had a go, can't resist this sort of tinkering! My eyes are very sore from screens at the moment (dry eye condition) and I'll have to leave this until tomorrow now, but a very quick glance suggests probably good for Tree.
 

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I had a go, can't resist this sort of tinkering! My eyes are very sore from screens at the moment (dry eye condition) and I'll have to leave this until tomorrow now, but a very quick glance suggests probably good for Tree.

Me too - struggling to focus!

I agree they look like Tree - the face pattern is fine (which I wanted to see). I would have liked a stouter bill though!

Thanks Marnix - that’s helpful!
 
I'm seeing a long, fairly straight hind claw in the pics - Meadow for me.


And yes, Meadow Pipits will readily perch up in trees (and particularly so on dead snags like this), I've often seen them 10 metres up or more.
 
tried to put both pictures through Merlin, but it can't make a decision between meadow and tree pipit - presumably the quality of the images is insufficient to come to a positive ID

pity
 
Agree facial pattern looks reasonable for Tree Pipit.

Presumably Merlin App is AI, but don't think it can pick out/id species from less than ideal photos better than humans ... yet ;) . Good to know it doesn't have to decide though!

I've seen plenty of Meadow Pipit in trees, and more than 10m up, so wouldn't rely on it being in a tree making it a Tree Pipit!
 
one more thing : the place where I saw the bird was densely wooded, something that may not be obvious from the pictures

so this was not a stand-alone tree but part of those woods, at the edge of the path we were walking on

do meadow pipits frequent woods of that description ?
 
one more thing : the place where I saw the bird was densely wooded, something that may not be obvious from the pictures

so this was not a stand-alone tree but part of those woods, at the edge of the path we were walking on

do meadow pipits frequent woods of that description ?

If the pictures are recent both candidate species can end up virtually anywhere, so habitat shouldn't be given much importance for this bird ID, IMO.
I agree with Tree Pipit,

Edit:
(submitted accidentally)
I agree with Tree Pipit, although not 100% sure.
 
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