LARK BUNTING at Hammo 5/22



While in class this morning I received Mike DiGiorgio's report of a Eurasian Collared-Dove, just the state's second record, from Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. I was stuck in the classroom and hospital til 4pm when I left straight for Hammo. While walking towards Willard's Island with Dori Sosensky at 5:15pm I was stunned to spot this female LARK BUNTING. We watched the bird for about a minute and I digibinned a few photos to document this rarity (the third state record). I consider myself lucky to get anything useful with such a brief sighting. It quickly flew around the corner and was never refound. After a quick reference check to confirm a field mark I was hazy on (my only prior Lark Bunting was a male in Texas), we got the word out. Unfortunately it didn't re-appear. Probably still in the area, and with tonight's less-than-stellar migration conditions, I wouldn't be surprised if it's refound tomorrow.

Upon seeing the bird, Dori realized that she had seen it in the same spot around 3:00 this afternoon. She had a quick naked-eye look of what she figured at the time might be a sparrow with some white feathering in the wings.

I never did catch up with the dove...maybe tomorrow. What a day for Hammonasset.

More Photos Here


Nick

Comments

  1. That was quick work digibinning a bird that was only visible for a minute. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great find!! Definitely better than the dove. My only sighting was a male while going 70 down the freeway in Wyoming six years ago. We haven't had anything that good here for awhile. Several Willets are in eastern WA now where they are less than annual.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I saw your LABU on surfbirds today. Way to go Nick.
    Its 110 degrees here in Florida. Im ready for Massachsetts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great find Nick! Typical of you to come up with something as a original as a Lark Bunting. Nice job.

    James.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You "digi-binned" that photo! Amazing find and documentation given the conditions: very rare spring vagrant and very short observation period.

    ReplyDelete

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