Bird of the Week – American Pipit

American Pipits breed on the alpine tundra, well above tree line. Unless you visit the Denali Highway, or Eagle Summit on the Steese Highway, or otherwise get to those higher elevations, you’ll only see these birds in Spring and Fall migration. This bird is already in winter plumage, losing the buffy-orange chest of breeding plumage in favor the less-conspicuous heavy streaking you see here. Soon enough, this bird will leave for southern Arizona and New Mexico for the winter. Camera geek stuff: Canon 5D Mark II, 500mm lens with 1.4 teleconverter; f5.6, 1/1250, ISO 200. For more bird photos, please…