In the early morning hours, when the meadows are still covered in dew, meadow pipits (Anthus pratensis) are particularly active. The dew protects their food – mostly small insects and spiders – from drying out, making them easier to find. The coolness of the morning means they are still quite damp. Meadow pipits move skilfully through the meadows, using their slender beaks to pick insects out of the grass. The meadow pipit’s main diet consists of insects, spiders and other small invertebrates. Only in autumn and winter do they supplement their diet with seeds and berries. The moisture of the morning dew plays an important role, as it increases the activity of the prey and thus provides the meadow pipits with plenty of food.
The young meadow pipit in the picture is itself still quite damp from the night and is crouching on a dried branch of a Hedge Rose (Rosa corymbifera). It can be observed and photographed very well and very closely in the early morning hours. Perhaps it will later search for food in the dew of the meadows.
The juvenile Meadow Pipit is easy to recognise by its brown-grey plumage and the distinct stripes on its breast and flanks. Young birds often have slightly duller plumage compared to adults. The legs are pink and the beak is slender and pointed.
Meadow Pipits prefer open landscapes such as pastures, wet meadows and moors. They are particularly found in regions with low vegetation, where they can easily forage for insects and other small invertebrates.
The images were taken with a Canon EOS R5 and a Canon EF 400mm 1:4 DO IS II USM lens at exposure times of up to 1/160 sec. The photos were taken on the south-eastern tip of Ireland, very close to a tern colony – namely the one on Lady’s Island. The area is a brackish water body and has many other interesting birds such as the Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii), the Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea), the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), the Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) and the Common Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus).
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