achick wrote:
How unusual are over wintering Richard's Pipits in the UK. Is this a first for the Lincs?
A quick search of the
Birdguides database with search critera 'first report' for the months of Dec, Jan, Feb between 01-08 produced the following reports (appended).
Considering the propensity of wintering
'pseudo-vagrant' Richard's Pipits to utilise under-sampled habitats e.g. farmland, coastal saltmarsh, then Britain might support an order of magntitude more winterers than we suspect.
That is still but a fraction of the birds wintering in Iberia and North Africa - comparatively 'well-watched' sites sites as La Crau in Southern France and parts of Sicilly host small flocks, while the site maximum for Morocco is 16...
Dec
12:10 28/12/07 Richard's Pipit Norfolk Terrington Marsh 10:00
1st-winter amongst tideline debris on the coastal side of the sea wall of Peter Scott Walk, about 800m west of Ongar Hill car park; also male Hen Harrier and a Twite over
15:11 22/12/07 Richard's Pipit Aberdeenshire Meikle Loch 12:00
on verge of entrance track at mid-day then flew towards south end and no further sign
08:59 16/12/07 Richard's Pipit Conwy Llandudno 08:30
in long grass on the west shore by the Welsh Water building
12:28 15/12/07 Richard's Pipit Aberdeenshire Stonehaven
on south side at Dunnottar Woods this morning, flew north
23:01 09/12/07 Richard's Pipit Wexford Sigginstown one
21:21 20/12/06 Richard's Pipit Cheshire Heswall one flew south over the marsh at high tide
17:36 20/12/05 Richard's Pipit Cornwall Polgigga
between Bosistow and Arden-Sawah Farm this afternoon
14:56 12/12/05 Richard's Pipit Scilly St. Agnes 14:15
one at Troy Town this afternoon before flying east
14:51 10/12/05 Richard's Pipit Kent Capel Fleet, Sheppey 13:50
one in sheep field north of the Harty road this afternoon
13:01 10/12/05 Richard's Pipit Conwy Llandudno one flushed from the old gas works compound by the Rugby Club this morning flew over John Bright's School and landed on the school sports fields
09:54 10/12/05 Richard's Pipit Somerset Weston-super-Mare 08:45
one on the marsh in Sand Bay this morning
20:22 05/12/05 Richard's Pipit Suffolk Landguard NR 10:15 one flew south mid-morning
13:35 12/12/04 Richard's Pipit Conwy Kinmel Bay
one at Mercury Enterprise Park, northwest of the A548; showing in the 1st rough field from the left from the north entrance
14:21 11/12/04 Richard's Pipit Surrey Staines Moor 14:00
one this afternoon just south of River Colne; park in large layby by King George VI Reservoir on south side of A30
22:33 02/12/04 Richard's Pipit Lancs Mereclough
1+ in fields off the Long Causeway SD875305 between 14.00-15.50 when thought to have gone to roost viewable from the road or public footpath
13:03 07/12/03 Richard's Pipit Conwy Little Orme 12:00
one showing well this morning with Meadow Pipits near the summit from 09:15-12:00 pm at least; also Snow Bunting, Peregrine and Chough
13:06 05/12/03 Richard's Pipit Glamorgan Llanilid Opencast 12:11
one present
16:17 06/12/02 Richard's Pipit Cornwall Sennen
one showing in cattle fields just southwest of the Cove along Maria's Lane and a ringtail Hen Harrier over
18:05 05/12/02 Richard's Pipit Cornwall Land's End
one this afternoon between Land's End and Sennen in fields on the east side of the cycle track by Trinity Cottages
10:19 11/12/01 Richard's Pipit Cumbria South Walney NR
still present by the Observatory buildings, but please view only from the signed trails
18:31 08/12/01 Richard's Pipit Cumbria Walney Island
by the Observatory from 14.30 until dusk, when it appeared to go to roost; also Peregrine, 10 Stonechat, 4 Greenshank, Merlin, 3 Shag
14:38 02/12/01 Richard's Pipit Norfolk Horsey 14:15
Horsey Gap: west of the path behind the dunes 0.5 miles south of the Gap
09:30 21/12/00 Richard's Pipit Cornwall Portreath 20/12/00
in the grassy field to the south of Weston Hill
Jan
16:13 18/01/08 Richard's Pipit Angus/Dundee Auchmithie
one by Windyhills Farm, in partially harvested sprout field by coastal path mid-afternoon NO673433. Park in Auchmithie and walk south along track from sharp bend in road to view. Present for its second day
18:38 13/01/08 Richard's Pipit Lincs Saltfleet one on seabank towards Skidbrook today plus 4 Lapland Buntings, Short-eared Owl and Greenshank
22:26 06/01/08 Richard's Pipit Suffolk Shingle Street
one in crops south of the ruined Martello tower at midday; 2 Jack Snipe south of the bungalow; male Hen Harrier at Westleton & a Great Northern Diver on the Orwell from Nacton shore
20:25 01/01/08 Richard's Pipit Somerset Clapton-in-Gordano 31/12/07 flushed from Clapton Moor yesterday
13:27 29/01/07 Richard's Pipit Cornwall Gribbin Head 25/01/07
reported on Thurs beyond the woodland along the coastal footpath 0.25 mile north of the Head (not looked for since)
16:04 01/01/07 Richard's Pipit Ceredigion Tanybwlch 15:00
one in a meadow behind the south end of Tanybwlch Beach
10:45 21/01/06 Richard's Pipit Norfolk Holkham Gap
flushed from the saltmarsh, it flew off east
12:14 03/01/05 Richard's Pipit Conwy Kinmel Bay still at the Mercury Enterprise Park in rough grass left of the road by Hewden Tool Hire late morning, please view only from the car
15:05 01/01/05 Richard's Pipit Somerset Weston-super-Mare SW
one present today but no further details
16:30 22/01/04 Richard's Pipit E Yorks Welwick 12:00 at Welwick Saltmarsh, also 2+ Water Pipits
09:22 22/01/04 Richard's Pipit Clwyd Point of Ayr a possible with Meadow Pipits for its 2nd day
13:27 18/01/04 Richard's Pipit Cornwall Lansallos one in a large stubble field by the coastal path 3/4 mile west of Lansallos this morning
17:04 14/01/03 Richard's Pipit S Yorks Birley Edge one reported at Birley Edge early afternoon but no further details
Feb
09:23 14/02/08 Richard's Pipit Cornwall Trevollard nr Saltash 08:30 one showing well for 20 minutes at Lower Trevollard Farm around 08:30 at SX385582
11:14 09/02/08 Richard's Pipit Norfolk Stiffkey 10:00 in field west of Stiffkey Fen by house with blue windows
17:10 14/02/06 Richard's Pipit Norfolk Choseley Drying Barns
one reported; also Lapland Bunting still
17:41 22/02/04 Richard's Pipit Norfolk West Runton a probable in clifftop fields here
11:48 28/02/03 Richard's Pipit Notts Langford Lowfields RSPB 27/02/03 present 4.5 miles north of Newark and a mile WSW of Collingham at the north end by the bank of the River Trent between the upturned boat and the gate about 1/3 of a mile south of the anglers' car park at SK810612; access along Westfield Lane from Collingham church
12:01 27/02/01 Richard's Pipit Gwynedd Aber Dysynni 25/02/01
at the mouth of the estuary by the railway at SH562033