ML645794682

Observation details

Very weird call. Downward trending, longspur-esque chirps. Recorded the audio but never saw the bird. Posted the audio with recording of spectrograph to ABA identification group. While waiting on responses I reviewed all expected longspurs but didn't love any of them, though the three-note harmony on the spectrograph appeared quite similar to longspurs. Also reviewed the other pipits. Olive-backed was close but still not great. Got a response from one of the group experts who suggested SNBU. After reviewing their calls, this seems like the correct match. Timing lines up with early arrivals of arctic winter migrants and they're not particularly rare during winter at Howell and other similar northern Great Salt Lake flatlands. 11/25 edit: Apparently VIRA make all sorts of weird calls that aren't listed on the major apps. Makes sense why I never saw the bird hahaha. Big thanks to all who continue to help me grow and learn. The more I learn the more I realize I don't know. ❤️ *Heard tons of typical grunt calls expected for VIRA at the site