I have fond memories of water pipit. Whether it’s tracking them down at Stoke Water Meadows, near Guildford, to add them to my Surrey list; or trying to and then succeeding finding a passage bird at Tices Meadow on the edge of Farnham. Each time I see one, I am taken back.
So I thoroughly enjoyed watching a bird feed for 15 or more minutes during a late afternoon / early evening walk at Grove Ferry/Stodmarsh. As I arrived at the hide, I was greeted by three lads and the distinctive smell of ‘weed.’ They were friendly, with bins and it looked like one of them was a pretty good artist. I enjoy the way nature can bring different people together, and that we can enjoy our hobby in different ways.
What I didn’t know, until I did a bit of research after my visit, is that “water pipit is largely monogamous, with pair bonds often extending into the winter when male and female can loosely associate on seasonal territories” (Bird Guides, 2021). The Bird Guides article continues by saying that birds use contact calls and follow each other in flight. I was also surprised that the winter population estimate was so low, at 205 birds in 2012-2017 (BTO website).
I stayed at Grove Ferry until it was almost dark to see what came into roost. Whilst I got to the viewing mound fairly late, five marsh and one hen harrier gracefully passed by. Winter thrushes (mostly fieldfare) came into the reeds. After pre-roost feeding, a great white and little egret eventually left for somewhere more secluded as swans arrived in the fading light.
Water pipit, non-cropped images.
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