Water Pipit in the Romanian mountains.

Another bird that breeds in the high mountains is the Water Pipit. This somewhat inconspicuous little bird can sometimes be seen wintering in the UK down near water or in coastal meadows. In the Brecon Beacons there have been birds wintering regularly on the wet spillway and dam of a local reservoir. It’s humbling to imagine the journey these flimsy little birds make from their high altitude breeding grounds right down to damp areas in the UK. We could see one bird regularly singing from a rocky outcrop at the same site as the Alpine Accentor. We were again in the High Carpathian mountains in Romania, so you get an idea of the elevation they breed at. It was coming to look for insects in the low vegetation near the roadside. We again parked the vehicle close to this vegetation, using it as a hide – it had worked before! It wasn’t long before the Water Pipit began to forage for food and we had great close – up views.



Feeding on insects amongst wild sage growing near the road side.





I wonder if this little wanderer will come anywhere near the Brecon Beacons this winter – you never know!!