59 AUSTRALIAN FIELD ORNITHOLOGY 2003, 20, 59-65 Pechora PipitAnthus gustavi in Australia MIKE CARTER 30 Canadian Bay Road, Mount Eliza, Victoria 3930 (Email:
[email protected]) Summary A Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi was present on West Island, Ashmore Reef, off the northern coast of Western Australia on 4 and 5 November 2001. This paper documents the occurrence, the first record for Australia. lntrQduction During the morning of 4 November 2001, twelve observers (Allan Benson, Rob Benson, Peter Crabtree, Penny Drake-Brockman, Phil Joy, Chris Lester, Jann Mullholland, Ross Mullholland, Stuart Pell, Fred Smith, George Swann and the author) carried out a census of the birds of West Island, Ashmore Reef (12°14'S, 122°58'E). This is about 600 km north of Broome in Western Australia. Apart from the resident Buff-banded Rails Gallirallus philippensis, the only land birds discovered were passage migrants: 4 Oriental Cuckoos Cuculus saturatus, 1 Little Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx minutillus, 4 Sacred Kingfishers Todiramphus sanctus, 3 Rainbow Bee-eaters Merops omatus, 3 Magpie-larks Grallina cyanoleuca, 4 Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava and 2 Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica. In the late morning a small, short-tailed passerine was flushed but not identified. In the afternoon, a small ground-bird was seen walking into a clump ofArgusia argentia. This large sprawling shrub growing to about 5 m tall, with a dome-like canopy embraced by creeping vines, is confined almost completely to the fringes of the island where it is the dominant vegetation. In spite of a prolonged attempt, we were unable to identify the bird before nightfall, but the views obtained were sufficient to suggest that our quarry was a pipit Anthus sp.