Sunday 14 December 2014

Scandinavian Rock Pipits

Came across what appear to be a couple of small groups of Scandinavian or littoralis Rock Pipits yesterday. Lacking the sulphury tones of our normal form of Rock Pipit yesterday's birds had browner upper parts and obviously paler underparts. The birds appear similar to Water Pipits but aren't as obviously brown and white, have quite strong streaking on their backs and their underpart streaking isn't as sharp. Their heads also lack the strong superciliums of Water Pipit. There was a group of 4 birds feeding alongside the foot path between the beach at Llanrhystud and the lime kilns and possibly as many as 6 feeding on the ploughed fields at Llanon. Yesterday's other highlight was a Little Egret flying passed New Quay Head on its way north.