April 30
Connor and I went back out to see if the long-tailed ducks were still around but alas they were gone. We went up to Murray Marsh, northwest of Edmonton to check out shorebirds, but there were only a few.
And then!! We saw a small flock of Lapland Longspurs. These have been one of my target species to photograph this spring. I saw them once down south of Calgary a few years ago and got really close to some in non-breeding plumage in Nunavut.
So I really wanted to get a close-up of a male in breeding plumage this year. I have seen them a few times in the last few weeks but always in a flock flying overhead. They land in stubble fields and once they are on the ground, they are nearly impossible to see unless you know exactly where they landed.
So we scrambled to get our cameras out but they flew to far away before we could get a shot. We waited about ten minutes and then a huge flock of about 500 took off. They circled around the fields for a few minutes before landing close to the road a hundred yards from the truck. We headed down and got some good shots. After about a half an hour we decided it was time to leave. They took off again and this time landed in a field we could walk out into and get much closer. So we got muddy and got photographs.
After about 15 minutes , we decided Connor had better get back home so he could do his school work. The longspurs are on their way to the Arctic Ocean so that have a long way to go yet.
Stay Well !
