laujs
January 24th, 2010, 03:49 PM
Hi All,
Today, I photographed a paddyfield-like pipit that doesn't sound like one. (May be due to my ignorance of the paddyfield's variety of calls)
Initially, I thought that it was just another paddyfield pipit because it really looks like one - only a little fatter and shorter looking. But, out of caution, I decided to take some record photos of the bird.
Chasing a flock of 20++ raptors (Black Kite, Brahminy kites, white-bellied sea eagle and probably booted eagles), I flushed the bird unintentionally. It called a metallic "tun-it tun-it" followed by a series of melodious whistle. All these were called during flight. The moment I heard the bird's call, I was rather puzzled.
Remembering a previous email from David Bakewell, based in Malaysia, I tried my best to remember the pipit's call. The closest call I found was the metallic chu-it call in http://www.tarsiger.com/mp3/linad/Antgod071025_Hanko_AL.mp3 .
Other than the call, I, honestly, can't remember any of its features (e.g. its breast streaks etc). Then, the raptors were more interesting and the pipits ,which I barely know how to differentiate - let alone know what to look out for, was second priority. Just out of curiosity, I noted the calls of the pipits that I flushed and where they went. All called the typical swi-ii/swi-it call of the paddyfield pipit and did some form of triangular flight path, up-and-down.
Thus, for the features of the bird, I have nothing more to add except for those that can be seen on the photos:
- broken eye-ring
- buffish supercilium
- obvious continuous malar stripe
- nicely defined brown face-patch that starts from the gape and ends at the ear-covert, forming a brown tear-drop shape face patch.
- Streaky crown, mantle (looking closely at the blurry mantle)
- Buffy fringes on wing coverts
- 3 downward-pointed, black-centred lesser converts, surrounded by buff
- Black elongated, black-centred (streak-like) median and greater coverts
- Buff-fringed tertials and primaries
- Grey-fringed uppertail feathers, except for the outermost tail feathers which have a partial white edge
Please guide me along on how to identify the pipits.
Cheers,
Jia Sheng
Singapore
Today, I photographed a paddyfield-like pipit that doesn't sound like one. (May be due to my ignorance of the paddyfield's variety of calls)
Initially, I thought that it was just another paddyfield pipit because it really looks like one - only a little fatter and shorter looking. But, out of caution, I decided to take some record photos of the bird.
Chasing a flock of 20++ raptors (Black Kite, Brahminy kites, white-bellied sea eagle and probably booted eagles), I flushed the bird unintentionally. It called a metallic "tun-it tun-it" followed by a series of melodious whistle. All these were called during flight. The moment I heard the bird's call, I was rather puzzled.
Remembering a previous email from David Bakewell, based in Malaysia, I tried my best to remember the pipit's call. The closest call I found was the metallic chu-it call in http://www.tarsiger.com/mp3/linad/Antgod071025_Hanko_AL.mp3 .
Other than the call, I, honestly, can't remember any of its features (e.g. its breast streaks etc). Then, the raptors were more interesting and the pipits ,which I barely know how to differentiate - let alone know what to look out for, was second priority. Just out of curiosity, I noted the calls of the pipits that I flushed and where they went. All called the typical swi-ii/swi-it call of the paddyfield pipit and did some form of triangular flight path, up-and-down.
Thus, for the features of the bird, I have nothing more to add except for those that can be seen on the photos:
- broken eye-ring
- buffish supercilium
- obvious continuous malar stripe
- nicely defined brown face-patch that starts from the gape and ends at the ear-covert, forming a brown tear-drop shape face patch.
- Streaky crown, mantle (looking closely at the blurry mantle)
- Buffy fringes on wing coverts
- 3 downward-pointed, black-centred lesser converts, surrounded by buff
- Black elongated, black-centred (streak-like) median and greater coverts
- Buff-fringed tertials and primaries
- Grey-fringed uppertail feathers, except for the outermost tail feathers which have a partial white edge
Please guide me along on how to identify the pipits.
Cheers,
Jia Sheng
Singapore