American Pipits
Fort Pierre National Grassland
October 5, 2003
Digiscoped by Doug Backlund with Pentax 80ED/XL-21 eyepiece and Nikon 4500 CP
This little flock of 20 or so American Pipits (formerly the Water Pipit) was hanging out at a stock dam. They are very interesting birds to watch. There were several disputes, evidently over foraging areas. The pipits were feeding mostly on moths, which they would hawk or catch off vegetation. It was amazing to watch the entire flock disappear into the dry, broken clay when alarmed. A Northern Harrier flying nearby elicited the same response. When I first spotted them they appeared to fly out of the ground.
I've been seeing a few American Pipits along riprap below Oahe Dam this fall. In past years, I have seen flocks of hundreds at Stone Lake in northeast Sully County, usually around the middle of October.
Good view of white outer tail feathers
Trying to hide, the rest of the flock was doing better than this one!
Battling a lepidopteran, the pipit won, of course.