Long Live Longspurs!

I didn't get enough of my lifer Lapland Longspurs last week, so Charley, Lisa, Marvin, and I set out once more for the Missouri prairies and agricultural areas around Golden City and Lockwood. Of course, the fact that Charley and Lisa had one Prairie Falcon at John Deere Farm and another one at Providence Prairie last Sunday mandated my return to the area ASAP. With today's temperatures in the 70's, it won't be long before the birds return to the north.
Unfortunately, we were unable to relocate the falcons, but we did have a Merlin, many Lapland Longspurs at close range, Harlan's Hawk, Harris's Sparrows, Cackling Geese, Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and 4 Loggerhead Shrikes. Total species count was 46 for the day.

Again, Marvin DeJong took many great photos on the trip. Here are a couple of our target longspurs posing for the camera.