Champions of the Flyway!

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Rock Pipits, South Landing, Flamborough - 30th Jan '23

Norwegian colour-ringed Rock Pipit, South Landing, 30.01.23 - ringed at Makkevika OS (62*30'29''N- 006*01'37''E) Giske, Giske, Møre & Romsdal, Norway at 1400hrs on 18th August 2021 (as a male). Almost exactly 1000km SSW, and one year, five months and twelve days from its time and place of ringing; the first observation since then. 

I spent a pleasant lunch hour at a sunny, sheltered South Landing (on the south side of Flamborough Head) the other day. With the tide high and all the birds pushed up onto the strandline, the conditions were ideal for getting up close to the twelve Rock Pipits feeding among the Turnstones on the seaweed-dwelling invert bounty.
Metal-ringed Rock Pipit (ring ending in 69)

No fewer than three were ringed - two by the Flamborough Bird Obs team (ending in 69 and 07, for ref - more details to be added when I have them), and one from a little further away.... well, about 1000km further away as it happens, on on little island a long way up along the coast of Norway (details above).
Same bird as above

Thanks (again!) to Kjell Mork Soot, who enthusiastically supplied the information on the colour-ringed bird from his widespread Norwegian Rock Pipit colour-ringing programme within just an hour or two of recieving the details... imagine if all CR projects were as professional!
Unringed Rock Pipit

I've posted a selection of pics here for reference, and will stop short of delving into the murky waters of subspecific ID - save to say that, again, the only 'provable' littoralis (Scandinavian) Rock Pipit was arguably the dullest, least promising of all those present on plumage features.
Metal-ringed Rock Pipit (ring ending in 7)

And here's one I made earlier, from the south side of the Humber, in December -
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