Subject: [Tweeters] longspurs yesterday
Date: Oct 27 17:56:02 2008
From: Randy Hill - hill at smwireless.net


After a slow start at Washtucna yesterday and a very windy time at Sprague
Lake looking over the water, I found longspurs coming into a likely reliable
spot. Same place as last weekend, ? mile east of the WDFW access at an
entry to a gate (private) where a stock water tank overflows to create a
little seep and small puddles. At mid-day I saw Lapland Longspurs coming in
every 5-10 minutes, many plumages. Probably at least 25 and probably closer
to 50 different birds (up to 15 in one or two flights) along with House
Finches and Horned Larks. I did see another longspur with a triangle in the
tail, but couldn?t follow it to the ground for a good look. They are
flighty but had a few singles perch on the fence along the road. This is
listed as a code 5 bird for Adams County but I?ve seen them in 4 different
locations and three spots over the last 10 months. Certainly annual in the
combination of dryland wheat and grazed Palouse prairie in the eastern half
of the county. A Prairie Falcon often sits nearby but was further south
while I was there.



Need more observers to check out the flock and look for that odd one.



Randy Hill

Othello