This must be getting quite confusing. I was having a conversation with Caroline about
the identity of the ‘Rufous Songlark’ given that it would seem to
be a first record for the season. Caroline kindly sent me pic x2 below
which seemed to me a possible bushlark, given relative dumpiness, short bill
and rustyish shoulder patch, and previous presence of the species there. (Was it
last year?) Caroline since sent me x1 and x3. X3 in particular looks a
lot more like a pipit, which the bird in question seems to be. I find
that HANZAB devotes considerable space to separating the bushlark from the
pipit. The shoulder colour is important, providing yet another example of
the danger of colour-enhancing bird photos. (Not that I’m
suggesting yours were, Caroline - some lightings can be just as misleading.)
B1 is a bushlark from the NPI book. B2 is the HANZAB illustration of the
local race of the bushlark. P1 and p2 are snaps of a pipit from
elsewhere.
-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Wenger [
Sent: Tuesday, 10 August 2010 9:43 AM
To:
Subject: Pipits, bushlarks and chats
