Migrating American Pipits

American Pipits have been migrating through my area for several weeks now so even though they’re common and inconspicuous I think they’re fully deserving of a closer look.

 

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1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in

I suspect most folks aren’t even aware they’re here. Even though they’re found in fairly large flocks they’re hard to spot because of their cryptic coloration, small size, secretive ways and soft calls. I find them difficult to approach but 12 days ago I found a few of them foraging for insects in the dried mud at Farmington and eventually a few of them came in fairly close to my pickup in their quest for food.

This bird has an insect in its bill that it held on to for some time before gulping it down.

 

 

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1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in

Mud doesn’t provide a very attractive setting for photography but occasionally one of the birds would land on a more appealing rock, though they were usually far away when they did so.

 

 

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1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in

This rock isn’t particularly attractive but the bird was close and has a clean background (though I’m not especially fond of the shadow at lower left). This image is full frame (uncropped).

 

 

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1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in

Typically these birds would forage for a while and then hop up on a slightly elevated perch for a few moments and look around. Here the perch is a pile of dried mud.

 

 

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1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in

Most of the poses I got were similar because the birds were partially side-lit and they were usually facing the same direction when I’d get good light on the entire body. But this one gave me a momentary noble pose that I appreciated.

LBJ’s (little brown jobs) like American Pipits don’t normally get a lot of attention from photographers so I thought these birds were deserving of the “15 minutes of fame” predicted by Andy Warhol for most everyone else…

Ron

 

 

19 Comments

  1. Marvelous series Ron!

    C9

  2. Love the calls.
    And LBJs OFTEN pay dividends for a closer look. Muted colours perhaps, but rather a lot of beauty.

  3. “LBJ’s”–Ellie Baby is immortalized! I love it!!! Although these sleek little birds are described as “drab”, I find them subletly beautiful…their body shape alone qualifies them for that. Hard to pick a favorite…like them all….

  4. I wonder how many of these I’ve flushed without knowing it. They winter in our area, and we have lots of small birds out at Hueco Tanks that I can never see long enough to identify. Even though they are LBJs, they have distinctive markings, so I’ll have to try to see better who is flitting around. This whole series should be really helpful for identification purposes.

    • Susan, these guys often call when they take off and that call, though not very loud, can be used to ID them. I think it’s often a more accurate method than trying to ID them visually, especially in flight.

      • Would that I had reasonable hearing. Even though hearing aids are wonderful things I don’t hear a lot of the birds that other people hear.

  5. LBJ’s do tend to go unnoticed for sure or, with a quick glance one just thinks they are “another sparrow”. With a closer look they certainly aren’t “just another sparrow”.:) They are pretty little birds and, as we’ve seen previously, the background REALLY makes a difference. You did them justice. 🙂

    • Judy, Pipits are often described as “sparrow-like” and many folks use their slender bill and habit of bobbing their tails as a way to distinguish them from sparrows.

  6. Thank you for showing that even LBJs are worthy of their own photo shoot! I know that I often take these little guys for granted, so I appreciate the reminder as to how special they are.

  7. I keep learning!! It’s sad to say but I didn’t even know what an American pipit was until now. Ron the teacher keeps teaching. I learned yesterday how backgrounds can make or break a picture. These pipits would look so different in a different setting. Yesterday I photographed some cuties( coots) in a pond surrounded by yellow cottonwoods and some bright red brush with mirror reflection on water the results were stunning!!

  8. LBJ’s are always some of the toughest subjects to get quality photos and these examples deserver at least 15 minutes. Love the one who posed.

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