Pipit, August 2020, Queyras (French Italian Alps) (1 Viewer)

[Frank-birding]

Summer last year (4th of August 2020) I saw this Pipit. It was near Rifugio Lago Verde in the Italian Alps right next to the French-Italian border. The location's altitude was 2583 m / 8474 ft, the terrain was a very rocky alpine meadow with large boulders. The bird was busy hunting insects on one such rock.

It's likely that it is a Water Pipit as I saw many on my hike there. But its slender appearance, long orange legs and bill and the bright stripes over its head make me doubt. It looked quite different from a Water Pipit (but there was a lot of variance between all these Water Pipit's plumages and colours of bill and legs, so that might not mean too much). Would it indeed be a Water Pipit?

Regards, Frank

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Frank,
you should trust your ID skills, its a Water Pipit for me, too.

 

[Frank-birding]

Thank you Alexander!