Gifts from the north country

  

It was a bit of soggy day here today (10 December 2024), but we spent a little time walking at Duxbury Beach (in Massachusetts) and encountered a flock of ~25-30 Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris).  

I thought I could hear some Lapland Longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus) mixed in with them as they flew by, so I snapped a few quick photos and then we spent a little more time trying to find them when they landed.  (You can see at least four longspurs in the photo above.)

Conditions were tough for photos (distant and dark), but here's an example of a Horned Lark (first photo below) and a Lapland Longspur (second photo):

 

 

 

 

 

 

And when we were walking back to the car, we noticed some movement on the ground and were glad to see a few Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis):

 

 

 

It was worth going out in the rain!

 

Nice feathers!

  

David mentioned that a Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) had been observed on Bodega Head, so I stopped by the outer parking lot this morning to see if it was still around.  Luckily, it was still there, just south of the whale watch area.

Lapland Longspurs are rare fall or winter visitors to Sonoma County.  They breed in the Arctic tundra and Bodega Bay is a bit far south for them (at least along the coast).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the beautiful rufous feathers — you can click on the image for a larger version:

 

 

 

Many thanks to David for letting me know about this bird and to Mario for spotting it! 

 

Back in the bay

A couple of birds seen in Upper Newport Bay on 16 November 2017:

 

American Wigeon (Anas americana)

And one for the record:

 

I'm not sure how common Lapland Longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus) are in Orange County.  This bird was feeding along the edge of a salt marsh below the Upper Newport Bay Interpretive Center.