ML618602710

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Saw this bird as I was walking from the parking area onto the pond area. The bird was in front of me in good lighting about 20 yards away. When I initially observed it with just my eyes, it appeared so white I thought it maybe a White Wagtail. With my bins I could tell it was a pipit with pure white underparts. This caused me to study it closely. By all accounts, it appeared to be an American Pipit with white underparts which set off the very prominent streaking across the breast. Aware this could be the Siberian form of American Pipit, "japonicus", I looked closely for the features I recalled that aid in its identification. The legs indeed looked flesh colored rather than darkish. They weren't bubble-gum pink as some are described, but definitely pale compared to dark. The malar stripe was bold and flared conspicuously towards the auriculars, and appeared solid black rather than spotty. The streaks across the breast were bold and formed a neat neckless. There was streaking along the sides and flanks, but not extensive, as in Fall. This is pretty much true for all Am Pipits this late into the Winter. However, the streaks that were present were prominent and crisp, especially along the flanks. There were bold white wingbars, with the wingbar formed by the median coverts as bold, if not bolder, than those of the greater coverts. Because of the white base color of the bird, the eyering was quite prominent. When I reached for my camera, the bird spooked and flew about 50 yards down the levee road towards the sun. My camera couldn't take anything against the sun. With my scope I was able to obtain some very poor digiscoped shots. But they do show some of the important features. Nearly all California records of "japonicus" are during the Fall months. And those birds tend to be much bolder since in fresh plumage. This bird was obviously in worn late Winter plumage. However, I noted quite a few winter records with pics down in Baja on eBird. And this bird matched up well with those individuals. The lack of Winter records of "japonicus" in CA could have to do with the fact most are observed when birders are looking for vagrant Red-throated Pipits, and after they have passed through less attention is paid to American Pipits. Thus, they may be overlooked. This would appear to be the first record of this form in San Joaquin County, and perhaps one of few, if any (?) for the Central Valley.

Technical information

Model

DMC-ZS3

ISO

80

Focal length

4.7 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/3.4

Shutter speed

1/200 sec

Dimensions

640 pixels x 480 pixels

Original file size

132.87 KB