Yesterday (Sunday Dec. 11), Randy Kreager identified two Smith's Longspurs with a large mixed flock of birds just west of Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area in eastern Lucas County, n.w. Ohio. He did notify some other local birders at the time. I was "off the grid" all day Sunday (phone off, ignoring most internet) so I didn't hear about the birds until late last night, but I went out briefly this morning to take a look.

If you want to visualize the area, go to Google Maps, search for "Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area, OH," and zoom in on the area immediately to the west. (If you haven't used Google Maps before, it's a useful tool for birders; the labelling isn't always totally reliable, but it can give you a good general idea of the terrain.) Zoom in far enough that you can see street names. The spot where Randy saw the birds is just north of the place where "Rialto Dr" T-junctions with "Marias Dr" (these roads don't have obvious road signs, so these names are useful only if you're looking at the map). To get there, take the exit off State Route 2 for Metzger Marsh and immediately take the first left; this road ("Rialto Drive," supposedly) curves north across a bridge, past signs that say "dead end" and "cars and pickups only," and runs straight north to T-intersect with "Marias Drive" in half a mile. Another way to reach the spot is to go north from SR 2 on Howard Road (County Rd 209), half a mile west of the entrance to Metzger; "Marias Drive" (unmarked) is a right turn, just past where Wallace Road (marked) turns left. If this sounds confusing, just look it up on Google Maps and it will make sense.

In Google Maps you can choose options for "Map" or "Satellite," and the latter will give you a good idea of the terrain. The immediate area where Randy found these birds is surrounded by large areas of open fields. Running from west to east through the middle of this area is a low, seasonally flooded drainage; birders familiar with the region will remember looking for shorebirds along the edges of this wet area on the east side of Howard Road. At any rate, this is in the middle of a couple of square miles of prime habitat for ground-feeding birds, with a mosaic of harvested fields, grassy areas, and damp soil.

During my visit this morning I saw hundreds of birds. I estimated at least 300 Snow Buntings, 200 Lapland Longspurs, and 40 Horned Larks, but the birds were moving around so much, over such a large area, that these numbers are little more than guesses. (I saw some flocks fly literally more than half a mile before putting down again.) Looking for one or two particular individuals here is like looking for a fast-moving needle in a very large haystack. At one point I heard a distant call that sounded promising for Smith's Longspur (a drier, thinner rattle than that of Lapland - like the sound of winding a watch, if anyone remembers what THAT sounded like), but then I never heard it again. At any rate, there easily could be other interesting birds mixed in with these flocks. For the record, to address a question that others raised, I didn't hear any American Pipits in the area, and in my experience pipits generally don't flock with longspurs anyway. Randy Kreager certainly knows pipits and Lapland Longspurs, and his description of the Smith's Longspurs was very convincing.

As others have noted, Smith's Longspur is very rare in Ohio and almost unknown here in winter. Its main wintering range is farther southwest, centered on Oklahoma. However, there are anomalous records elsewhere: for example, a Smith's Longspur found in early February 2007 at Jones Beach, New York, was undoubtedly wintering there. For anyone who has a lot of time and patience, it would be worthwhile to look for these Lucas County birds. Even if you don't find the Smith's, the numbers of Snow Buntings and Laplands are impressive. (Incidentally, I also had a Killdeer, scarce here in mid-December.)

Just be sensitive to private property in this area; don't even think about driving on anything that isn't clearly a public road. If you're scanning from Howard Road, where the birds can be very close part of the time, be sure to pull off the pavement. Birding is a big deal in this part of Ohio, at least at some seasons, and we want to maintain good relations with the local people!
Kenn Kaufman
Editor, Kaufman Field Guides series
http://www.kaufmanfieldguides.com/
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