UTVs

You're pretty sure what you've just seen, but couldn't quite clinch it...

UTVs. Untickable views.

Definitely one of the most frustrating scenarios in birding, especially if the bird was potentially a bit special. What to do in such cases? Unfortunately there is only one sensible option. You might report a 'possible' this or 'probable' that, but essentially you have to let it go.

Just occasionally though, such birds can be recovered. This has certainly happened to me. A couple of local seawatching UTVs spring to mind: Long-tailed Duck and Pom Skua. Both were picked up by others along the coast, and the IDs confirmed. But supposing your bird is never seen again? Mostly, that will be goodnight Vienna, but not always...

At lunchtime yesterday I braved the West Bay half-term crowds and went hunting for my first Black Redstart of the autumn. I tried all the obvious spots, but without success. However, while scanning likely hangouts from the far west end of the promenade, I noticed a bunch of Rock Pipits about 60m away on boulders at the base of the seawall. They were flitting around busily, too distant to check for rings but entertaining all the same. Suddenly I realised that one of them had incredibly pale underparts. Sideways on, its belly looked white. Seaside rocks are hardly classic habitat for the species, but it couldn't be a Water Pipit could it? I would imagine they're like hen's teeth locally, but what else could it be? The birds were a bit too far away for bins, but a photo would nail it. With one eye on the pipits I dug out the camera. They were bouncing around the rocks like mad things, in and out of view. Finally the camera was ready. I found the bird again, then tried to get it in the viewfinder. Yep...that's it. At least, I think so...

I managed three quick bursts, then had that horrible sinking feeling which goes hand-in-hand with photographing the wrong bird. Bang in the middle of the frame was a Rock Pipit. I cast around with the bins to relocate it, but pipits were already flying off in twos and threes. Very quickly they were all gone, and I never saw it again.

What to do?

Let it go, Gav. Let it go. I messaged Tom and Pete that I'd just had a 'v good candidate for Water Pipit' blah, blah, and then did exactly that. All I'd seen on it was a pale belly. Goodnight Vienna.

So, this morning's vismig was all Woodpigeons and no punchline. Apart from the Woodpigs there were dribs and drabs of other species, but no outstanding highlights. Perhaps recent scarcities have spoiled me and I am expecting too much? There was one 'interesting bunting' to investigate on the recording when I got home, but even that proved to be a damp squib because I'd somehow managed to switch off the recorder after only nine minutes. Strewth...

Thank goodness for this...

My first Black Redstart of the autumn. Encountered in typical habitat as I walked back into West Bay after the vismigging, unfortunately it didn't hang about for better shots.

When I uploaded the camera's contents to the laptop, I included the pics taken at yesterdays pipit fail. To be honest, apart from a quick check on the back of the camera that confirmed my cock-up, I hadn't looked at them very closely. Here is the very first frame from the initial burst of three...

Full frame at 1600mm zoom. Four obvious Rock Pipits and...er...what's that pale-bellied thing flying out of shot, bottom right?

With hindsight I suspect that I did actually point the camera at the correct bird, but assume it immediately flew, and was perhaps replaced(?) by a Rock Pipit. Whatever, that bird is not in the other two shots. The next burst - just seconds later - features only the Rock Pipit in the middle. And the final burst ditto. Or so I initially thought...

First frame from the final burst. 2000mm full zoom. Wait a sec! What's that bird on the left, peeking over the top of the rock?

It looks remarkably like a Water Pipit!

Despite already suspecting that I was papping away at just a Rock Pipit, this burst comprises six shots. Thank goodness for that! Here are two of the others...

It is a Water Pipit!

Jammy or what?!

Jammy it may be, but so satisfying to have those initial suspicions confirmed. It does make me wonder how many of the countless other birds that I've let go in the past were exactly what I thought them to be. Perhaps I should no longer worry about UTVs? Just count them all, common and scarce alike? Not rare stuff though, birds that need a description. But wait a minute. Even then, I know what the bird would have looked like if I'd seen it properly, don't I? So I could certainly write a convincing description, couldn't I? Yes, of course I could. Nothing wrong with that at all.

In the next post: How to Cope with Ostracism from the Birding Community