This afternoon at ~12:35, on my way to the Carpenter Nature Center's
Owl Program, I passed a field with scores of snow buntings and
longspurs. I watched them briefly and then had to leave. I returned at
4:00 and spent about a half-hour watching. There were literally
hundreds of birds (~500+?), looking like a swarm of locusts when a
passing Cooper's Hawk sent them into the air as one single huge
elongated flock.
Most interestingly, I saw at least 2 longspurs with bold "harlequin-
like" facial patterns, reminiscent of a lark sparrow. Other than the
very bold black facial pattern, the rest of the bird was relatively
drab brown and brownish-yellow (like the shortgrass area it was
feeding in). I watched them from ~50 feet away. A few females (plain
drab brown) were also mixed in.
The area is along 110th St. S, just east of 95 in Hastings. Just east
of 95/110 St S junction, there is a section with no houses and fields
on both sides of the road. The north side is tilled exposed soil. The
south side is wet shortgrass closer to the road, then a large flooded
ice patch and corn stubble farther from the road.
The snow buntings were in the ice/corn stubble area. The lapland
longspurs (I did see some males with extensive black) were also
further back, more mixed with the snow buntings (and squabbling with
them sometimes). What I believe were Smith's longspurs were in the
short bare grass area in front of the ice patch (between the ice patch/
corn stubble and the road). The grass is sparse so I had great looks
(but not of their bellies as they were in the classic longspur
horizontal skulk position).
Sorry about the hasty email but I wanted to put out a heads-up in case
others are in the area. I waited a few minutes after the Cooper's
flushed them but then had to leave. This large flock may return since
the habitat seemed excellent.
I'd love a confirmation of my sighting if anyone saw them this
afternoon (I told several people at CNC about the large flock I had
spotted on the drive in) or if anyone is in the vicinity in the next
day or so.
Thanks,
Diana
p.s. And a sight I've never seen: scores of snow buntings were perched
in the lone mature tree in the middle of the south field. In a tree??
But I saw them as they commuted between the field and the lone tree
perch!
Diana Doyle
S. Minneapolis
----
Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net
Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
