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American Pipit
(formerly Water Pipit)Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
A cool, foggy morning at Island Cottage Woods was brightened considerable for 18 birders almost as soon as they gathered at the parking lot for a field trip on 2 May 2004. Several “sparrow-like” birds were spotted foraging in the parking lot. “We were very surprised and excited to realize we were treated to a flock of up to 34 American Pipits, life birds for several of us,” field trip leaders John Olson and John Lehr later recounted. The “assembled arc” of birders put scopes and cameras on the birds to make the most of “easy viewing at close range for several minutes.” (LG June 2004) “When on the ground or perched, the wagging tail is a good mark, but the bird is so nearly the color of the ground that it is easy to overlook,” Edson cautioned. In flight it gives a “thin ‘jee-jeet’ note” and follows a “dipping up and down course similar to the flight of the goldfinch.” (WBR, 27 September 1948)
Background
This slender, inconspicuous songbird nests at the extremes: in high altitude alpine meadows in the western U.S. and Canada, and in sea-level tundra across northern Canada and Alaska into eastern Asia. It winters primarily across the southern U.S. and in Mexico and Central America. There have been significant long term declines in the numbers of this species recorded on Christmas Bird Counts, but it is not clear if this is because the circles are becoming increasingly urbanized, and thus less suitable for wintering pipits, or if it reflects a true decline in this species. It is not considered threatened or of special concern anywhere in its range. However, global warming could reduce amount of alpine habitat, as tree lines extend to higher altitudes, perhaps leading to extirpation in some areas. (BNA 95: 1, 13-14)
Local history
Eaton (1910) considered this a common transient in Monroe (especially in fall) and Wayne counties, but gave no indication of its occurrence in Livingston. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated single birds were the norm in spring, with a maximum count of only six, on dates ranging from 4 to 13 May. In fall, counts averaged two to six birds, with a maximum of eight, on dates ranging from 13 September to 20 October. Edson in 1939 considered this a “casual visitor. Frequently a year or two passes without a single report.” (WBR, 22 May 1939) However, he also noted that this was in part due to its cryptic plumage and “doubtless because the localities they frequent are so unpromising of results that the bird students seldom look in such places.” (“Pipit Appears More in Fall Says Edson, Bird Observer,” D&C, 23 October 1933) In 1948, he noted that “it is strictly a migrant and in recent years most of our records have been but one or two birds” and “much less frequently” in flocks to 50 to 200. lt had been seen “on plowed fields or other open ground, often along the shores of Lake Ontario and around ponds and bays.” (WBR, 27 September 1948) Watch open fields closely enough, Edson advised, and “sooner or later a flock of 10 to hundreds” of these spring and fall migrants will be seen flying erratically low over the ground. (WBR, 10 October 1955)When Leo Tanghe examined 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-1954, this species was reported 98 times, with 42 records the first three weeks in May, and 35 in September and October, with one sighting during the last half of December. Average counts of 70-100 were reported in spring. (KB 5: 69: 5A-5B) Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, fairly common spring and fall transient and an occasional, rare summer visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a sporadic rare winter visitant, and a (presumably regular) fairly common to common spring and fall transient.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 19 February to 15 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 25 March to 27 April. In most years had departed by 30 May, with a late departure date of 7 June (1952, 1978). Subsequently, one from 16-20 June 1995 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach SP was record late. (GOS, September 1995) This species can be very unpredictable, with numbers fluctuating widely from year to year.
Spring maxima: 3,600 on 31 March 2005 (Symonds, D. Tetlow) at Braddock Bay when the “flood gates opened” for a delayed spring migration. (LG, May 2005) 548 on 8 April 2007 (D. Tetlow) Parma to Carlton when record snowfall forced grounded migrants to bare roadsides. (LG, June 2007) 700+ on 22 April 1999 (D. Tetlow) in Kendall. (LG, June 1999) 500 on 5 May 1953 (VanBeurden) along the lakeshore. (GOS, May/August 1953) 500 on 1 May 1954 (Schaffner), no location given. (GOS, May/August 1954) 1000 on 12 May 1959 (Listman) at Manitou. (GNR)
Summer: Stragglers have been reported throughout the summer months. Though one from 16-20 June 1995 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach was considered record late in departing (GOS, September 1995), one was at Braddock Bay (Davids) on 28 June 1979. (LG, July 1979) One at the water’s edge in front of Walt Listman’s house on Manitou Beach 23 July 1977 (BA, 27 July 1977) reportedly set a record early arrival date for the entire state (KB27: 218); that was eclipsed when one was at Perinton (F. and R. Dobson et al) on 13 July 1980. (KB30: 230) Also early: one on 2 August 1965 (Listman) at the west spit. (GOS, October 1965) Interestingly, Monroe County AL apparently treats these as summer visitors, giving the extreme early fall arrival date of 19 August. Another on 18 August 1999 (D. Tetlow) was at Hamlin. (GNR)
Summer maxima: 23 on 31 July 1978 (M. Peter) at Greece. (KB28:239; GOS, September 1978)
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 19 August (1980) to 16 October with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 9 to 26 September. In most years had departed by 20 November, with a late departure date of 28 December.“This bird seems to pass overhead, often heard but not seen,” Fox observed. (Fox, p. 78)
Fall maxima: 100 on 31 August 1952 (Tanghe et al) at Ling Road. (GOS, September/October 1952) 1,050 on 17 October 1999 (Kimball) at Geneseo. (LG, December 1999) 200 on 24-25 October 1998 (Kimball) Geneseo. (LG, December 1998) 400 on 24 October 1999 (Kimball) at Geneseo. (LG, December 1999) 200 on 30 October 1987 (S. Carlson) at Rush. (LG, November 1987) 300 on 17 November 1998 (Kimball) Nations Road area. (LG, January 1999)
Winter: This species makes sporadic appearances in winter. There are at least four January records: 3 on 3 January 2002 (D. Tetlow) at Elba and one on the 8th (D. Tetlow, Symonds) at Byron. (LG, March 2002) D. Tetlow found one at Elba on 11 January 2005 (LG, March 2005) and again the following year on 19 January 2006. (LG, March 2006)Another was found near a Common Snipe and a Killdeer at a small open stream along Dalton Road in Lima on 12 February 1978 (BA, 22 February 1978; Fox, p 78) and stayed until at least 13 March. “It likely overwintered successfully,” Fox notes.
Winter maxima: 12 on 3 February 1991 (R. Spahn) Retsof. (GOS, April 1991)
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