Longspurs and Buntings

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus
By the time a Genesee Ornithological Society field trip reached the area west of Manitou on 19 March 1950, progress was “slowed somewhat by numbers of tree sparrows and prairie horned larks feeding in the road where the snow had melted. These had to be checked thoroughly in an effort to make Lapland longspurs out of the prairie horned larks. Edna Goff finally accomplished this remarkable feat and the group was able to study at leisure 5 of these birds feeding in the road with a number of the larks.” (GOS, January/March 1950) It is axiomatic. Any group of birders visiting the west lakeshore in winter test their ability to “look at every bird” by searching for this visitor amid flocks of Snow Buntings and Horned Larks in open fields and along roadsides.
Background
This species breeds across “vast areas of Arctic, where it is almost invariably the most visible and abundant bird and sometimes the only nesting songbird,” notes the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. Breeding occurs not only in Alaska and northern Canada, but across northern Eurasia. Though wintering birds are generally uncommon in eastern U.S. and west of the Rockies, huge flocks, sometimes numbering in the millions, gather on the Great Plains from southern Canada to northern Texas to feed on waste grain in agricultural fields. “Longspur” refers to the unusually long claw on the hind toe of this and the other species in its genus. The North American breeding population has been estimated at 40 million. (BNA 656: 1, 23)
Local history
Eaton (1910) listed this as a rare winter visitor in Monroe County, with no indication of occurrence in Livingston or Wayne, but also had “no doubt” that the rarity of sightings in various parts of the state “has been the result of inability to distinguish it among the flocks of snowflakes (Snow Buntings) with which it associates.” (Eaton I: county charts, II: 283)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, reports but one sighting: a single bird on 27 November 1934, which Edson described as our first local record. (WBR, 7 January 1935) In 1940 he wrote that one to five “are the most that we may expect, and then at very infrequent intervals.” (WBR, 25 March 1940) However, by the 1950s, this species was being reported in larger numbers and increasing frequency. For example, when Leo Tanghe examined 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-54, Lapland Longspur was reported 59 times from November through mid-May, with average tallies reaching 200-300 birds in late March. (KB 5: 69: 7A-7B)How much of this was an actual increase in occurrence, how much an increase in observer skill and increased travel to outlying areas is an open question. Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, fairly common to common (in some years very common) winter visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a (presumably regular) uncommon to common winter visitant.
Occurrence
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 23 September to 21 January, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 14 October to 21 November. Subsequently, one on 31 August 2007 (D. Tetlow) at Parma was record early. (LG, October 2007) Also early, one on 13 September 1980 (Lloyd) in Webster. (KB 31:28; GOS November 1980) Maxima: Though large numbers are possible, more typical is the tally of 14, seen on 31 January 1994 in Hamlin, when 3,000 Snow Buntings were also present. (KB 44:123) On the other hand, “reversing the normal picture, flocks of Lapland Longspurs were observed, while only one lone Snow Bunting was noted,” according to the Goshawk’s monthly summary for January 1953. 150 on 22 October 1972 (Fosters, Listman) at Carlton. (GOS, December 1972) 350 on 8 December 1984 (F. and R. Dobson, O’Hara) in Hamlin. (GOS, February 1985) 200 on 3 January 1980 (Griffith) at Hamlin. (LG, February 1980) 120 on 14 January 2007 (D. Tetlow, Davids) Hamlin. (LG, March 2007) 120 on 17 January 2007 (Griffith) Kendall. (LG, March 2007) 120 on 21 January 1984 (Griffith) west lakeshore. (LG, February 1984) 150 on 22 January 1978 (Perrigo et al) at Point Breeze. (LG, February 1978) 110 on 25 January 1966 (S. Taylor) west lakeshore. (GOS, March 1966) 300 on 12 February 1978 (R. Dobson) along the west lakeshore among 5,000 Snow Buntings. (KB28:107) 135 on 17 February 1990 (Griffith) west lakeshore. (GOS, April 1990) 880 on 28 March 1954 (Van Beurden, Bieber) were flying east at Braddock Bay. (KB 4:11; GNR) 500 on 1 May 1954 (Schaffner, Thorpe) at Shore Acres. (GOS, May/August 1954) Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 2 January to 31 May, with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 14 February to 8 April. One on 31 May 1970 (O’Hara, Carlson) at Parma was the record late bird. (GNR)

Snow Bunting

Plectrophenax nivalis
Kay Doris and some fellow birders were looking for owls west of Hamlin on the Lake Ontario State Parkway on 24 January 1978 when quite a different spectacle caught their attention.Snow Buntings. “Hundreds of them were on both lanes of the Parkway, hundreds more were in the fields on both sides of the Parkway. We estimated 2,000 Snow Buntings. Across the Parkway in trees near a farmhouse were hundreds of birds we couldn’t identify from that distance.” All thoughts of owls were put aside, as the birders took to the back roads toward that farmhouse. “We ended up on Peter Smith Road inundated with Snow Buntings,” Doris related. “They were in flocks on both sides of the road as far as the eye could see. In two groves of trees there were so many Snow Buntings perched that the trees looked like they were covered with white blossoms. Hundreds more were perched on wires like the swallows at Manitou. They would swirl up and then settle down, swirl up and settle down again. Sometimes the sky was black (and white) with them.” Their best estimate: 5,000, and that may have been conservative. (LG, February 1978)
Background
Across the world, male Snow Buntings arrive on their high Arctic breeding grounds in early April – four to six weeks before females – when temperatures can still dip below zero and when most food is still snow covered. Why? Snow Buntings nest in rock cavities, “so competition for territories containing high-quality nest sites is intense,” notes the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. “By tucking their nests deep in narrow cracks and fissures, Snow Buntings suffer lower rates of nest predation than open-nesting arctic songbirds.” But this, too, comes at a price: cold rock cavities provide a harsh microclimate for developing eggs. Recent breeding records along the southern shores of Hudson Bay suggest possible southward expansion of the breeding range. North American birds winter primarily in the central plains and eastern agricultural areas. Wintering birds often observed foraging in bouts that last 10 minutes, followed by a mass flight for five minutes, often at great heights, then 15 minutes of resting and preening before starting the cycle again. Foraging flocks move along by members at back flying to the front, “creating impression of rolling along.” North American populations estimated at 7.9 million and not threatened. (BNA 198: 1, 2, 8, 16-17)
Local history
Numbers do not appear to have changed appreciably over the years. Eaton (1910) listed the “Snowflake,” as it was then called, as a common winter visitor in Monroe and Wayne counties, also occurring in Livingston. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of one to 200 birds, with a maximum count of 4,000, on dates ranging from 24 October to 23 March.When Leo Tanghe examined 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-1954, this species was reported 159 times, nearly three times as often as Lapland Longspur, which is often found with it. Sightings were from last half of October through March, with largest average tallies of 100 to 200 in January and February. (KG 5: 69: 7A-7B)
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, uncommon to very common (at some times abundant) winter visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a regular rare to abundant winter visitant.
Occurrence
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 28 September (1963) to 5 December, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 18 to 30 October. Subsequently, one on 14 September 2003 at Hamlin Beach was earlier. (KB 54:57) This was either discarded or overlooked when 2-7 seen on 28 September 2005 (R. Spahn, D. Tetlow) at Hamlin Beach SP were reported as record early. (KB 56:70) Note that Beardslee and Mitchell cite an extraordinarily early date of 15 August 1947 when Short reported 10 at Chili. (B&M, pp. 450-451) Bull (1974) was skeptical. (Bull, p. 604)Lakewatchers often see flocks of these birds bouncing along like snowflakes out on Lake Ontario; birders walking the piers at Charlotte will sometimes observe these birds coming in directly off the lake. On 18 October 1953, a group of Rochester birders who had chartered a boat for a “pelagic” trip on Lake Ontario encountered one about 10 miles out off Lighthouse Beach. “A single Snow Bunting approached from the north, completely circled the boat once about 100 yds. away, looked us over and then continued south,” Neil Moon reported. (GOS, November/December 1953)
Fall maxima: 500 on 27 October 1979 (R. and S. Spahn) at Carlton was considered early for so many. (GOS, January 1980) 500 on 27 October 1986 (F. Dobson) Hamlin. (GOS, December 1986) 2500 on 28 October 2001 (Symonds, D. Tetlow) Hamlin Beach. (LG, December 2001) 1000 on 29 October 1977 (R. and S. Spahn) Kendall. (GOS, December 1977) 1200 on 31 October 1992 (Griffith) Hamlin. (GOS, December 1992) 3000 on 1 November 1981 (Davids, Listman) Kendall. (GOS, January 1982) 1000 on 8 November 1958 (R. Dobson) Hamlin Beach. (GNR) 2665 on 9 November 1999 (Ewald) Hamlin Beach. (GOS, January 2000) 1,200 on 16 November 1963 (Kemnitzer) west lakeshore. (GOS, January 1964) 1000 on 23 November 1998 (lakewatch) Hamlin Beach. (LG, January 1999)
Winter: Winter flocks of these “Snowflakes” can be found searching for food and grit along roadsides, or bouncing across windswept fields, “their movements more erratic than windblown snow,” John Brown noted. “Small groups and single birds often detach themselves from the main flock, and trying to follow a lone Snow bunting with the eye against a background of snow, trees and sky can be a severe test of 20-20 vision. As they bounce and drop and twist, appearing alternately dark and white, they sometimes seem to disappear in thin air.” (BA, 4 February 1971) Look for flocks of these winter visitors in open fields and pastures, especially with fresh manure spreads that contain undigested seeds. They also come to roadsides in search of grit. Counts of one thousand to three thousand are not unusual in years of high snowfall, when flocks will concentrate in an area with abundant seed supply. Numbers tend to be more dispersed in years when fields are open through the winter.“Fantastic” numbers were tallied during the bitter, snowy, stormy winter of 1977-78. They were even coming to feeding stations, “a sight rarely encountered in suburban areas, yet a remarkable adaption of behaviors during a time of crisis.” (KB 28:107; LG, March 1978)
Winter maxima: 5,000 on 15 January 1982 (Symonds) along the west lakeshore. (LG, February 1982) 5,000 on 19 January 1964 (Listman) in a single flock near the lakeshore at Transit Road. (BA, 23 January 1964; GOS, March 1964) 7,500-5,000 on 22-24 January 1978 (mob) along the west lakeshore, 5000 of them in a single flock in Kendall on the 22nd. (KB28: 107) 9,000 on 24 January 1982 (Griffith) along the west lakeshore. (LG, February 1982) 5000+ on 29 January 1984 (J. Skelly, S. Taylor) along Nations Road. (LG, February 1984) 8,000 on 7 February 2001 (C. Cass, Clarridge) at West Bloomfield. (LG, May 2001) 5000 on 12 February 1978 (R. Dobson) west lakeshore. (KB 28:107) 5000+ on 23 February 1985 (R. and C. Spahn) at Kendall. (GOS, April 1985)

Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 18 January to 18 May (1984), with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 24 February to 26 March. Record late appears to have been six reported “without details” on 23 May 1982 at Hamlin. (KB 32: 192)
Spring maxima: 3000 on 12 March 1967 (T. Tetlow) east spit, Braddock Bay. (GOS, May 1967) 4,000 on 12 March 1994 (Klue) at Elba on the western border of Region 2. (GOS, May 1994) 2500+ on 13 March 1982 (Moons et al) Braddock Bay. (GNR) 2500 on 15 March 1990 (Nicoletti) Braddock Bay. (GOS, May 1990) 4,000 on 16 March 1961 at Gainesville, Wyoming County, on the western border of Region 2. (Bull, p. 604) 2,000 on 18 March 1972 (Perrigos et al) Chase Road, Parma. (GOS, May 1972) 1,500 on 23 March 1963 (Chamberlain) at Lyons. (GOS, May 1963) 3000+ on 25 March 1998 (Hartenstein) Fowlerville. (GOS, May 1998) 1000 on 30 March 1974 (J. and A. Foster) Avon. (GNR) 750 on 1 April 1971 (Listman) at Braddock Bay. (GNR) 500 on 6 April 1975 (F. and R. Dobson) along the west lakeshore. (GNR)

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