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 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]