Sinking Valley has a couple arctic visitors. Lapland Longspurs. Right now they are in their winter plumage and easy to overlook. Below are teo photos of each bird. You can see how one individual (in the lesser quality photos) is darker in the bib and chestnut collar.
Lapland Longspurs breed in the far northern Arctic and winter in the U.S., most commonly across the Great Plains. In winter, they turn up occasionally in places like Sinking Valley and other agricultural areas, drawn to open, tundra-like landscapes. They’re considered rare here—but I suspect they’re present more often than we realize, quietly mixed in with Horned Lark flocks moving through freshly exposed fields.
These two individuals have been hanging around since at least December, and I finally managed to photograph them yesterday. A good reminder that sometimes the most remarkable birds are hiding in the most ordinary-looking places.
#birding #birds #rarebirdalert #wildlifephotography