Tawny Pipit profile
Tawny Pipit
Beach birders
As we drove home from the Whiskered Tern on Wednesday we hadn't seriously considered we would be returning to the same Chessil Beach just three days later. Tawny Pipit is one of those annual birds but you need to be in the right place at right time. There was a really showy one on Scilly last year but it departed a few days before our arrival.
With rain set in for day in the Midlands and what looked better weather on the coast we left the Midlands at around 10am for what was a trouble free drive despite the awful weather. Given the excellent photos on social media & reports this looked like it was going to be an easy bird to see until there was an update saying the bird had flown and was unable to relocate. We were only twenty minutes away and were determined not to be disappointed. £2 was quickly entered in the pay & display, boots on and we were off. We weren't sure why birders had been walking the half a mile down the shingle when there was a grass path on the other and a small bridge to cross over where the bird was last seen. On arrival there were a few gloomy faces including a couple that had given up and were heading back. After a quick scan of the field we thought we would try the original part of the beach where first found. Within a couple of minutes a Wheatear flew across in front of us and then slightly further back was the Tawny Pipit! We waved the other birders over who looked exceedingly pleased and we all enjoyed some amazing views sometimes coming within 20 feet of us. The wind made it difficult to get any video but I got a couple of pleasing record shots. What a few days.........
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