Subject: Re: Water Pipit
Date: Jul 31 16:21:41 1995
From: Mike Patrick - mike at violin1.radonc.washington.edu


On Monday Charles Vaughan asked:

> I have never seen any discussion of Water Pipits even though they are
> supposed to be common. Any comments or stories from the Tweeters?

Well, the story I have to tell isn't one I'm proud of....

When my wife and I moved into our first home in Chino Hills, California
(just north and east of the Santa Ana mountain range, arid grass-lands,
basically transition zone into desert) I was sure I was seeing Bewick's Wrens
feeding in small groups on the new lawns. Upon some *real* examination, over a
several week period, their true identities turned out to be the American Pipit.
Now that I *know* what a Bewick's Wren looks/behaves like I'm incredibly
amazed at how wrong I was!

The part I'm really not proud of is that our housing development was clearly
built on the pipits' wintering grounds :-{ Another instance of how our life-
styles impact birds.... I'll make a point to look for them this winter when
we're back for the holidays, but I fear we pushed them out (the Lesser
Goldfinches, Say's Phoebes, and Black Phoebe's have done well though).

--
Michael Patrick
Radiation Oncology
Box 356043
1959 NE Pacific St.
Seattle, WA. 98195
mike at radonc.washington.edu
(206) 548-4536