Date: 3/1/26 11:16 am From: pastorpaultdunbar via groups.io <pastorpaultdunbar...> Subject: [NEBirds] Smith's Longspurs
I stopped by Harvard WPA in Clay Co. yesterday (2/28/26), saw a few common ducks and geese -- not much water there, so my main target of big waterfowl numbers was disappointing -- but in the calf-high yellow grasses on the west-central side, north of the dike I flushed up so many Smith's Longspurs! I tallied 144 but it could have been more. It's early, and rather western for Smith's, and definitely a high count, but I stayed and watched them for over 2 hours. Of course, they're just the worst for trying to photograph if you're a digiscoper like me; they flush up only when you almost step on them and then fly way up, darting around, only to drop down in some other invisible grassy spot. At one point there was one flock of 48 in the air behind me another of 56 flying in front of me, with still others I could hear chattering in the grass around me, so I know I wasn't re-counting the same few birds. To be honest, I did not positively ID each of those 144 and I suppose there could have been Laplands mixed in but I don't think that's real common to have Laplands in a mixed flock using this grass habitat when there's plenty of more open ag fields around that they seem to prefer, and all the birds I got real good looks at were Smith's, and the habitat and behavior was spot-on for Smiths. In flight I could make out the white patch on the forward edge of the wings on some of the birds, and the 2 white outer tail feathers, and just general buffy colors, and of course they were constantly calling in flight a high, dry rattle. Got several recordings and a few photos. Nearer the water I also found 2 Am.Pipits and 6 Savannah Sparrows, both FOY for me.
