ML506884631

Ажиглалтын дэлгэрэнгүй

Counted very loosely by 10s though this is extremely underestimated. There could easily be 300 birds here. These Longspurs are now occupying the same habitat I've been monitoring Sprague's Pipits in. This area is about 4-500 acres of hayed prairie covering hilltops of largely native grasses. I came out to do one last SPPI survey and started to encounter flocks of ten and twenty SMLOs. I started keeping track of where they landed and counting by tens when I kicked up a group of roughly 80, and more birds joined in the sky along side them. Audio and multiple photos to be added of these chunky Longspurs with extensive white in the outer two tail feathers, white wing patches, and long plucky rattle calls. If needed I can supply coordinates for the hayed areas these birds were flushed from. Each time a group was flushed they would circle the area pretty low and then land back where they were.