The little known Longspur
There is a little brown bird migrating along the coastal barrens of Newfoundland and Labrador that few people other than birdwatchers ever have seen. It is not a rare species and it usually occurs by the flock. Bruce Mactavish is talking about the Lapland longspur. We see them during spring and fall migration.
There is a little brown bird migrating along the coastal barrens of Newfoundland and Labrador that few people other than birdwatchers ever have seen.
It is not a rare species and it usually occurs by the flock. I am talking about the Lapland longspur. We see them during spring and fall migration.
They are the size of a stocky junco. In summer the males sport a rich chestnut coloured nape contrasting beautifully with a black throat patch bordered with white. At this time of year Lapland longspurs are brown with black and tan stripes in the back and a bold face pattern like the bird in the photograph with this column.
Lapland longspurs spend the summer nesting in the Arctic tundra. Their bright sparkling song livens up the tundra every- where. We do not get to see them in this pretty plumage unless we are lucky enough to encounter them during their rushed migration north in the spring.
They migrate south at a more leisurely pace than spring. Autumn is when most birdwatchers find their longspurs.
They resemble sparrows in appearance but are of quite a different makeup. They are low slung, keeping their bodies close to the ground. They search for food in open often windy areas where a low profile cuts down the wind resistance.
Their brown backs conceal them even better among the open low vegetation and terrain when their white bellies are out of sight next to the ground.
The first south bound longspurs on the island of Newfoundland are usually reported in mid-September from places like Cape Freels, Cape Spear and Cape Race.
Like clock-work Ed Hayden found the first three longspurs at Cape Spear on 14 September. On the weekend I went to Cape Spear to get my fill of longspurs that other birders had enjoying for a few days.
In the parking lot I ran into Alison Mews who was there for the same reason. On the walk out to the rocky ridge just south of the old Cape Spear lighthouse we met Dave Smith on his way back after just getting his longspur fix.
A little farther down the trail we found them no problem and watched them for the next 45 minutes.
The first one walked out on the trail in plain sight. Then we saw another one off to the side in the grass and two more near it. Their camouflage was impressive. A step forward and another one flushed from only a few meters away that must have been in plain sight the whole time.
Without even noticing we had walked into a feeding flock of longspurs. There were 12 of them moving through the grass and scurrying over rocks. We were surrounded by them.
It was interesting to watch them go about their business. Each one worked alone busily picking at the plants and ground around them in search of food. Some were jumping up to reach the seed heads of grasses taller than they were.
Some were getting into the blueberries and crowberries which grew about in fine abundance. The longspurs were mouthing the berries in their bills feeling for the tiny sand sized seeds within. The feathers next to the bill were stained with purple berry juice.
Other longspurs were picking at the bare gravel patches perhaps finding windblown grass seeds. The birds were feeding well as most birds do during the bountiful autumn season.
The longspurs blended in so well with the barren ground vegetation that hikers walking past on the trail could not figure out what Alison and I were there taking pictures of. They saw nothing and kept on walking. The longspurs froze at the sight of the walkers as a precautionary action, until they passed.
When a young herring gull blew up over the cliff edge a little too close for comfort the longspurs jump to wing emitting their characteristic dry rattle call then dropped back to the ground a few meters away and invisibility once more. It is their distinctive rattle call that often gives away their presence to those aware.
I chose the attached picture from the collection taken at Cape Spear because it shows the over grown toenail on the rear toe. This is where the name longspur was derived.
Other open country ground dwelling birds like the snow bunting and horned lark also have this extra long hind toe nail adaptation. It gives them grip and stability on the uneven carpet of plants and stones. You will never see a longspur in a tree.
You might never see a longspur at all unless you are aware. Now you are.
The Lapland longspur is just another one of the many species of birds migrating through the province this fall.