Richard's Pipit... 25th September 2018

I've been a bit nervous about doing this blog and probably should've left it but here we are...
So September had been a success in county birding, and with exams creeping up on me I wasn't really getting out much. I was getting a bit bored and grumpy, not being able to go to a nature reserve or see anything more exciting further away. However, it wasn't worrying me too much as I knew it would be better, for both my birding and cricket, after the exams. 

Walking to school, at just before 8am, is normally pretty productive and I'd had a few Yellow & Grey Wagtail, and Meadow Pipit, on the way to school, as well as finding a m Sparrowhawk's roosting tree. It was decent.

I was dropping my sister off at her friends house on the way to school on a windy yet clear morning on the 25th September and something caught my attention - (birders who know me well will know how awful my eyesight is so I rely on sound at times.) 

The call that caught my ear was a call I'd never heard in Britain before, yet I had heard it in the past.  I picked it up flying towards me from the North with several Meadow Pipit; as it got closer and called once more, it was evidently larger than the Meadows, with a call that was like 'treeup.' The first thought was 'that's a big meadow pipit,' as it went over the houses heading south-west about 20m away from me. I didn't have binoculars on me or anything, and instead of trying to get my phone out in the 7 seconds or so of it being in sight or sound I watched it all the way. 

There was a split second where I thought it could've been a Hawfinch - but after last winter if there's any bird I know pretty well now that is a Hawfinch, with it's gentle 'sip' call only after the dip in the bounding flight. The call sounded more like a Sparrow than anything I could think of but it clearly wasn't - it's size and shape suggested more like a lark at times than a pipit.

At that moment my trip to Malaysia in 2015 came back to me, where I'd encountered several Richard's Pipit near the airport. Everything seemed to match perfectly even if it was a brief encounter, with the call and size seeming pretty good. Yet the only problem being that, as a 15 year old birder, submitting a record without any evidence and little experience - even if I have seen and heard them before - was never going to work out, and I think it would've caused more stress at an already stressful time.

At the time I was certain, and nothing would convince me otherwise. The people I did tell immediately were Calum M and David C. Calum was telling me to submit it but after speaking to the more experienced and knowledgeable David I decided that it was already getting too late to submit something so rare in Surrey. I was just too nervous, especially after getting grief for previous sightings. It was a tough decision but I think it was best to try and forget about it, and leave it as a probable, as 'one that got away.' Personally I saw it as a Richard's Pipit, but I'm very happy to receive criticism and disbelief. 

Of course (ironically,) a month later Peter Alfrey produced some beddington magic and found a Richard's Pipit there, which I dipped. Despite this, it showed well for all those at beddington, and if I'm honest I doubt that the one I'm sure I had was this same bird (although where I saw it was under 2miles from the mound in Beddington!)

Sorry to bore those who might not believe me on this one, nor enjoy all this writing and no pictures. I probably should forget about it altogether but I had to get this out of my system!