Water Pipit OR Meadow Pipit (1 Viewer)

[traceyj]

Not the best of pictures - BUT can you take a look at the attached photograph and let me know your thoughts around whether this bird is a Water Pipit OR Meadow Pipit. Seen this morning (28th Nov) at approx 7.50am on the RSPB Reserve, Brading Marshes, Isle of Wight. This specific bird was with a number of Meadow Pipits but looked different due to Supercilium and pale belly and thin streaking from the flank to belly. The bird also has pale wing bars which all point to Water Pipit. On the other side - legs are pale which points to a Meadow Pipit BUT that may just be the direction of the sun. Any opinions / observations welcome - thank you

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

Looks good for Water Pipit. Legs are probably light looking due to the sun being behind the bird, though I have seen genuinely pale-legged 'littoralis' Rock Pipits, so I imagine Water can at times have pale legs. (Of course there is always Siberian Pipit to consider with pale-legged birds, but you will probably need more/better pictures and even a sound recording to open that can of worms)

 

[traceyj]

Looks good for Water Pipit. Legs are probably light looking due to the sun being behind the bird, though I have seen genuinely pale-legged 'littoralis' Rock Pipits, so I imagine Water can at times have pale legs. (Of course there is always Siberian Pipit to consider with pale-legged birds, but you will probably need more/better pictures and even a sound recording to open that can of worms)

Thank you so much for your input - I really appreciate it

 

[kuzeycem]

Meadow Pipit for me. Legs too pale and underparts streaking too well-defined for Water IMO.

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

Personally I think it is a slightly odd Meadow Pipit. It is true that 1st-winter Rock and Water Pipits can have paler legs, but these are really pale and seem too pale for Water Pipit. The upperparts seem greyish and looking at the head pattern I have photos of Meadow Pipit that can show a fairly obvious, pale supercilium like this bird.

In late autumn/early winter the Water Pipits I have encountered have a thick loral-stripe and normally have mid-brown upperparts, generally plainer/diffuse on the mantle than this bird, and also have a comparatively longer and stronger bill than Meadow Pipit and the underpart streaking is fairly diffuse and not as sharp. Also both Rock and Water Pipit would stand out among Meadow Pipits as being much bigger. Also shape-wise it doesn't feel right for Water Pipit, but that is harder to explain.

I think the white eye-ring is unbroken at the front in Siberian Pipit, as it is for American Pipit so they can both be excluded from what I can see.

 

[traceyj]

Thank you to everyone who has responded and all the details that have been provided - it has been most interesting. I will go with a Meadow Pipit taking into account the detailed response from Southern Frogmouth and Kuzeycem. Thank you all once again for taking the time to look at my picture and share your knowledge.