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 ______________________________________________________________________ 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]