Meadow Pipit

 

Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)

On December 7th I found this inconspicuous pipit foraging among the weeds in the bottom of an irrigation pond. Thanks to recent rainfall, there is now a shallow layer of water in several of the abandoned ponds in Las Martelas (Los Llanos de Aridane), and vegetation has started to sprout in the mud.

Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)

It was difficult to get clear views of the bird as it crept in and out of the undergrowth at the foot of the inner walls of the pond, and I first assumed it was a juvenile Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus), based on previous observations in the same area. 

Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)

This was not the case, however: despite the bird's worn plumage, the photos clearly show the key field marks of a Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis). 

Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)

Meadow Pipit (A. pratensis) has been recorded a number of times on La Palma, typically by visiting observers at the Laguna de Barlovento in the northeast of the island, where more suitable habitat for this species is found.

Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)

This pipit is classed as a regular winter visitor to the Canary Islands in general, and this is my first record for La Palma.