On recent trips to the Olympic Forest Park and Shidu, I encountered wintering Water Pipits, described by my companions as the epitome of LBJs (little brown jobs)! There are several races of Water Pipit and, in the Beijing area in winter, we see the blakistoni subspecies. In the field they strike me as rather grey-headed/naped and brown-backed.
Water Pipit ssp blakistoni, Shidu, Beijing, 11 February 2012
Water Pipit ssp blakistoni, Olympic Forest Park, Beijing, 7 February 2012
Water Pipit ssp blakistoni, Olympic Forest Park, Beijing. Same individual as above.
Attractive creatures….it’s hard not to like pipits.