South Idaho Bird Alert
December 13, 1998

This is the South Idaho Bird Alert, brought to you by the Idaho Museum
of Natural History. This alert was updated on Sunday morning, December 13th.
Highlights for this week include Lapland Longspur and Snow Bunting.
A large mixed flock of 600+ HORNED LARKS, SNOW BUNTINGS, and LAPLAND
LONGSPURS were observed just west of American Falls Reservoir. To get there
head north on Hwy 39 out of American Falls. Go approx. 7-8 miles and turn
left on Homestead Road. Go west for approx. 6 miles to Maple Road. The large
flock was observed in the vicinity of this junction in a stubble field about
100 meters west of Maple Rd. There is no reason to believe these birds will
stay in this exact location as they are nomads and wander great distances.
The flock left the area about 4:30 pm Saturday. Your best bet for observing
these birds os to exercise patience and persistence. These birds were
observed after an entire day of searching for them.
These birds prefer stubblefields (turned soil with some remnant
vegetation). LONGSPURS generally are not found in small flocks of HORNED
LARKS (<50 individuals). The larger the flock of LARKS the better your
chances of observing a LONGSPUR. A minimum of 8 LONGSPURS were observed in
this flock of LARKS. LONGSPURS can be easily separated from H. LARKS by
sound. Thier flight call is short, rapid and sounds like B-R-R-T. However,
SNOW BUNTINGS make a somewhat similar call, but it is more musical and drawn
out (they can be confused unless ou have experience with them). Listen for
calls when a flock takes flight. A smaller flock of 50-60 HORNED LARKS was
also observed, but no LONGSPURS or BUNTINGS were with them. Three SNOW
BUNTINGS were observed however, with a smaller flock of 10 H. LARKS.
Consult the DeLorme Atlas of Idaho, pg 29 for directions, but be
forwarned there are some inaccuracies for the roads: Jensen, Maple, Oak,
Dyer, and Schluter. All have potential for harboring a large mixed flock.
Good luck and don't forget to bring a nice warm thermos of hot chocolate!
For further information, to report a bird sighting, or to reach Chuck
Trost, you can call 208-236-3337 and leave a message at the sound of the
beep. Or you can call Chuck at home at 208-233-4538.


Deb Beutler
Dept. of Zoology
Washington State University
Pullman, Whitman Co., WA

dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu