Number of individuals, sex, age, plumage: 1 probable female
Locality: South Jetty of the Columbia River, Caltsop Co.,OR
Date: Nov 2, 2002
Reporting observers address: Mike Patterson
1338 Kensington Av
Astoria, OR 97103
Other observers: The bird was seen by eight people who were with me for a bird trip. Of these, I can only remember the names of Steve Warner and Bob Webb.
Optical equipment: 8x40 Bushnell Binoculars and 25 x 60 Busnell Spotting scope
Distance from bird: 3 to 50 m
Duration of observation: We had several quick looks over the space of about 30 minutes and one long good look (about 10mins) through spotting scopes.
Habitat: tidal salt marsh.
Behavior: the bird was first flushed from short grass near the low dune that runs between the big pond and the smaller ponds on the shorebird flats of the SJCR. It would flush, fly a short distance on drop back into the grass. It was often in close association with a Lapland Longspur. At one point it flew very high up and over to the river beach, but returned quickly to the grass just east of the big pond. We were able to appraoch quite close and watched as it stripped seeds of Plantago maritima.
Description:
Overall: small, drab sparrow-looking bird with distinctive white outer tail feathers. distinctly smaller than the Lapland Longspur that was nearby.
Head: small grayish bill. Face buffy yellow, tannish line through eye which widen past the eye and over the auriculum, buffy supercillium. Faint tan malar mark. Crown with tan ground color and brown streaking.
Breast, belly and undertail coverts: buffy-tan with faint streaking at pectorals.
Mantle: tan with dark streaks, forming strong lines (like the mantle of a least sandpiper).
Tail: Outer rects were completely white, innermost rects were blackish, remaining rects were white at base and blackish toward ends. Overall impression of tail was more white at base (see drawing).
Voice: When flushed the bird made a distinctive "jik-jiddle" and "jid-di-did". Calls made during sustained high flights included a high, thin "ji-ji" and a "zik".
Similar species: We were able to make very close comparisons with the nearby Lapland Longspur which was larger and had distinct facial markings. The calls made by the Laplander were also distinctly different.
Previous experience: I have seen hundreds of Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings. I have also seen two other Chestnut-collared Longspurs.
Additional comments: This is apparently a Chestnut-collared Longspur year. Two (or three) were seen at the Necanicum Estuary in Gearhart and two were seen at Coos Bay on the same day. There was also one seen in Lane County and one in Northern California recently.
