Strange pipits

It's a strange thing when some birds can't be identified to species level without DNA. As our knowledge increase more and more cryptic species are being uncovered and 'identified'. I don't know how I feel about this to be honest as some of the recent splits seem arbitrary to say the least - the Western form of Eastern Yellow Wagtail can be confused with the eastern forms of Western Yellow Wagtail. It feels almost as if every birders kit will have to include a DNA sampling kit in the future.
When a strange Pipit turned up in Cornwall recently that didn't appear to conform with any of the known vagrants everyone was left scratching their heads. A sound recording was analysed and unbelievably came back as Paddyfield Pipit - as species never recorded before in the western palearctic and a normally sedentary, or at best, short distant migrant in its range of India, Malaysia, Thailand & Indonesia? A faecal sample was collected and sent off for DNA analysis and the results are still being awaited..........

Questions have been rightly asked about how on earth this bird got here - 6,000 miles from its normal range. It was in heavy moult with very abraded out er primaries so there were theories that it was an escape. The moults not a problem, I've seen Meadow Pipits with similarly worn outer primaries at the end of the breeding season and Paddyfield Pipits normally undertake their post breeding moult in November on their wintering grounds.

So, what is it? Paddyfield Pipit seems so extreme that I couldn't bring myself to believe it was one. Surely the sonogram must be wrong? But, apparently, sonograms never lie...........

I couldn't really summon the enthusiasm to go all the way to Sennen to see a bird I had no idea what it was and resisted for several weeks until Fred decided he was going and offered me a lift.

Thats how I found myself at stupid o'clock in the morning (2.15 am) heading along the M56 to meet him at his office before heading to Cornwall in his car. We spent a leisurely journey reminiscing about other twitches with numerous stops before arriving on site at around 09.30 to be met with some glum faces. Incredibly nearly 3 weeks after the bird had appeared we weren't the only ones still looking. The bird wasn't around but realising we were probably in the wrong area we moved to an area where the bird had previously seemed to prefer and within seconds we'd seen it! Waving the others over we pored over  the bird trying to make our own minds up.

To me it looked more like a Tawny Pipit than a Richards Pipit. I'm not sure if the crown streaking is to heavy for Paddyfield Pipit and yet the newly moulted median coverts looked good for Richards Pipit. In short, I still don't know what it is but if the DNA confirms the sonogram as Paddyfield Pipit its an incredible record.

Unfortunately, a day or so after we visited, it appears the bird had a run in with  a local cat. Although it seemed to have escaped it wasn't seen the following day so it appears that the moggy had another more successful attempt.