I wasn't online last night and didn't see the posts about this bird until
now.  Jen and Bob have already raised some important caveats, but for anyone
who is going to look for the bird (and isn't already out there), I would
point out that the identification isn't just a matter of choosing among
pipits.  The vast majority of out-of-range summer reports of Sprague's
Pipits involve juvenile Horned Larks.  That might seem silly if you've only
seen larks in adult plumage, when they're well-marked and obvious, but
juveniles are utterly different:  Plain-faced, scaled on the back, streaked
or spotted on the chest, they suggest anything but a Horned Lark.  Years ago
I was on a records committee in another state when someone submitted a
summer Sprague's record.  The report included a detailed written description
of a Sprague's Pipit, all right, but the observer also turned in photos
which proved that the bird was really a juvenile Horned Lark.  It can happen
even to experienced birders.  Anyone going to look for the Sandusky bird
should keep that it mind.

For observers who are thoroughly familiar with American Pipit, Sprague's is
going to look very different -- not just in leg color, but in shape,
behavior, and almost all aspects of plumage pattern.  The behavior, in
particular, is different:  Sprague's favors area of grass tall enough to
hide it (unlike the open habitats favored by American Pipits), and it's a
solitary bird.  It doesn't join flocks of American Pipits (not that that's
an issue at this time of year) or flocks of anything else, and its behavior
on flushing from the ground is different from that of American as well.

Fall migration of Sprague's Pipit usually begins in late September, so a
bird in early August is out of season as well as out of range, but that
certainly doesn't make it impossible.  Birds do turn up at bizarre times and
places.  My favorite example involves the Golden-crowned Sparrow (a bird
breeding in the far northwest and wintering mainly along the Pacific Coast)
that established a first Florida record in summer!  So strange things
happen.  Good luck to any searchers for the Sandusky Sprague's, and please
take photos if you see it.

Kenn Kaufman
Oak Harbor, Ohio

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