Hi all,

Thanks to Dan and Doreene for making us aware of a very interesting
bird. This discovery has stimulated some really good discussion of
identification, and to me at least, has been very educational. The spot
where the mystery bird was found produces plenty of good birds, and is
certainly worth visiting. Take a camera!

I also appreciate Kenn's comments about his experiences with juvenile
Horned Larks. I have seen them on numerous occasions and always find
them to be somewhat shocking, given their dissimilarity to the adults.
I've also seen a number of Sprague's Pipits away from their breeding
grounds, where they are not nearly as extroverted as the
testosterone-pumped, flight-displaying courting males. They behave like
little mice, slinking through short grasses in arid sites dominated by
low-growing species such as triple-awned and Muhlenbergia grasses.

Ohio's only Sprague's Pipit specimen was bagged by Jay Sheppard at
Butler County's famed Oxford airport on November 15, 1958. This site was
fabled for regularly producing Smith's Longspur in migration (they also
skulk about like feathered mice). That area is high, dry, well-drained
and gravelly, and supported arid short-grass plant communities involving
the same genera of grasses that those two birds would utilize further
west. Several factors in recent decades have largely obliterated those
interesting arid dropseed/triple-awned grass communities in western
Ohio, not the least of which is invasion by aggressive non-native
plants. Perhaps it isn't that surprising that our only indisputable
Sprague's record came from here, at that time of year. Nor is it
surprising that no one can find them in Ohio, given wholesale habitat
changes and in the case of the pipit, overall drops in the population,
not too mention their shrinking-violet behavior.

There are plenty of records of Sprague's Pipit well east of its normal
range. But east of Minnesota (where it has nested), the majority come
from mid to late October, with a lesser number from April. That
correlates well with their known migratory patterns. I don't believe
there are any July/August records of eastern vagrants.

One other footnote. I am in the process of studying the Smithsonian
Field Guide to the Birds of North America, by Ted Floyd, for a review to
be published in Bird Watcher's Digest. As an aside, this is an
interesting photo-based book that features some of the best photographs
yet published in a field guide. It is brand new and if you've not seen
it, pick up a copy and have a look. Anyway, Ted has a great photo of a
juvenile Horned Lark photographed in July in Alberta on page 323. Take a
look at this photo if you get a chance. In the caption, Floyd notes:
"Some are surprisingly similar to Sprague's Pipit, a shorter-tailed and
shorter-winged species".

Again, thanks to all who have participated in this interesting
discussion, and brought this bird to light.

Jim McCormac
Columbus, Ohio

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