Subject: the Hoquiam longspur
Date: Nov 29 17:15:32 1999
From: Dan Lindsay - susandan2 at earthlink.net


I was one of the happy group viewing the Chestnut-Collared Longspur at the
Hoquiam sewage lagoon on Sunday morning. The little bird made his
appearance while the eastern sky was still red with a lovely sunrise. His
co?perative nature was delightful!

I was very surprised that he still wore much of his courting attire. If a
bird hasn't reached winter plumage by 29 November, when will he reach it?
Do birds sometimes remain in breeding plumage all year long? Can anyone
offer explanations here?