Although the reddish legs may have been an artifact of the lighting, according to Cin-Ty Lee (referenced at http://www.surfbirds.com/ID%20Articles/Pipits2.html), one of the local subspecies of American Pipit Anthus rubscens pacificus can have pale brownish legs, and he mentions that leg coloration is variable within the subspecies. So the leg coloration in Doug's picture may in fact be close to the actual color (if not a little exaggerated by the lighting conditions). Cin-Ty Lee's notes on other field marks seem to disqualify this bird as a member of the siberian subspecies (the thickness and length of the breast streaking, boldness of the malar stripe). This conversation is actually quite interesting (to me, at least) because I am sure many Siberian Pipits in Washington have gone unnoticed over the years due to the plumage similarities between the subspecies (there are 15 records of Anthus rubscens japonicus from California).

Good Migrations,

Houston Flores
Sammamish, WA::Tucson, AZ
houstonflores AT hotmail.com

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