[TN-Bird] Lapland Longspur Bonanza

From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 18:36:23 EST
Dec. 28-29, 2002
Dyer - Lake Co. TN

Having but a few days left in the year and getting reports of dwindling 
numbers of birds at Pace Point, I decided to concentrate on the open fields 
and search through flocks of Lapland Longspurs and Horned Larks for either a 
Snow Bunting or another type of longspur.

My time was rewarded with plenty of brightly colored Laps but no Snow 
Bunting. We did have an ID adventure with one bird that certainly did exhibit 
most of field marks for Chestnut-collard but the bird flushed before a photo 
could be taken. A most interestingly colored immature that fit the 
coloration, field marks, even the bill size and very short primary extension 
in direct comparison to the many Laps.

I spent a great deal of time with each of the flocks that I found, up to 2 
hours gleaning through each of them. The feather wear on the males is well 
along, with many bright males showing all black bibs. I took some portrait 
shots of their heads and breast in mottled condition.

I counted blocks of birds and then marked off areas coming up with some hefty 
numbers. Nancy Moore spent some time Sunday with me and she can verify that 
at some locations as she put it, "the field was crawling with Laps". If they 
don't get up and you are not mindful of the habitat, you can drive right by 
1000s and never know they are there. Even at great distances these birds are 
IDable in the air as they move around, so you must keep your eyes attuned to 
distant movements of birds. At Mooring, I position our truck so that the huge 
flock would feed right up to us and we sat for an hour viewing these little 
field gleaners and listening to their various calls and rattles at close 
range.

Here is a list of the best areas found on Saturday and Sunday along with 
fairly accurate numbers. West of Bogota in Dyer Co. I found a split flock 
with 1400+ and 900+ birds off Spence Spur Road. North of Owl Hoot on Owl Hoot 
Road in Lake Co. 300+, south of Mooring in Lake Co. 1000+, west of Wright off 
78 Highway on Van Works Road 1200, and slightly west of there at Estes Pond 
on Proctor City Road 250+. West of New Markham at the Great River Road 450+, 
west of the Air Park area on Phillippy Road 200+ and just north of the KY 
line on 94, 1300+. All these birds were in corn stubble nibbling the waste 
corn. Some fields had been rolled, some turned and others put into winter 
green crops. Small numbers were seen in numerous locations in the area.

Totals Lapland Longspurs using the area, approximately: 7000

This is the largest number of Laps I've ever seen in Tennessee but none of 
the flocks equaled the 3500 to 5000 bird flocks seen in Tunica Co. MS in the 
late winter. I'm sure bad weather will eventually force these birds south but 
they are a lot of fun to work through at this time.

I also ran across one group of 16 Western Meadowlarks, out from New Markham 
at the Great River Road and a few others in various locations. While watching 
the Laps at the Van Works Road location, three Western Meadowlarks were 
closely studied and a Male Eastern and Western were positioned so I could 
show Nancy Moore every detail of plumage including the difference in the 
cross barring on their tails. 

Another couple of surprises were a Great Egret flying toward the Obion River 
Bottoms near Miston in Dyer Co. and a Least Sandpiper that buzzed past me a 
Black Bayou in Lake Co. 


Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL' COOT / TLBA
Bartlett Tenn.


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[TN-Bird] Lapland Longspur Bonanza

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