Tree Pipit - Dhahran Hills

A Tree Pipit has been visiting our garden in Dhahran Hills the last couple of days and yesterday I mananged to get a good photograph of the bird. From the photo you can see the short and curved hind toe, which would be longer and less curved in Meadow Pipit. This feature is extremely difficult to see in the field but can be seen sometimes in photographs. Other features from Meadow Pipit are the white belly contrasting with the warmer toned breast and flanks, the streaking being finer on the flanks than on the breast (it would be the same or similar in Meadow Pipit) and pinker coloured legs and basal part of the lower mandible. Birds seen on the 'patch' in the last two days include a Southern Grey Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Northern Wheatear and Isabelline Wheatear on the spray fields and four Garganey, three Common Redshank, two Green Sandpiper, two Wood Sandpiper, three Common Snipe, one Little Egret on the percolation pond. A Spotted Flycatcher and Great Reed Warbler were in the trees around the edge of the pond.

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

Southern Grey Shrike