[EBB Sightings] Mt. Trashmore longspurs

On Tuesday, after Bob Richmond reported MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR to this list,
I hustled out to Hayward and saw a group of longspurs that I reported
to the BirdBox as containing Lapland, Ch.-Collared, and McCown's. The
description of a longspur in the message posted to SBB today (excerpt below) is
very much like the bird that I now believe I incorrectly called a McCown's. The
bird I saw on Tuesday was plain-faced, showed gray on the nape and gray tones
on the back, was unstreaked below, and had a fairly stout bill that was
somewhere between gray and pink in color. Compounding my confusion was that
when I consulted Sibley at home, I thought my bird looked exactly like his imm.
female McCown's. (I found NGS to be useless for fall chestnut-collared and
McCown's, nothing like what I was seeing). 

My wife and I returned to Mt. Trashmore today where a group of birders had
staked out Lapland and Chestnut-collared longspurs, and we enjoyed very good
looks at both. As far as I know the McCown's was not seen again. I've heard
rumors of photographs? Are there any? I don't doubt that one was seen, and I
know that Bob Richmond had good looks at the tail pattern on his, but it'd be
nice to see any photos taken in the observations since then as the fall
plumages don't seem to match the field guides very well.

We wandered along the bayside after that, with birds of interest including
Ruddy and Black Turnstone, Dunlin, Red Knot, White-tailed Kite, Northern
Pintail, and Long-billed Curlew.

David Armstrong

PS: I am forwarding an excerpt from an email posted to SBB about the longspurs.
(I hope the original contributor won't mind).

--- Donna Heim  wrote:

> From: "Donna Heim" 
> To: 
> Date: Sun, 7 Nov 2004 15:57:10 -0800
> Subject: [SBB] Continuing geese at L. Cunningham and yesterday's mixed
> 	longspur traits
 
> Longspurs:  The mystery longspur that was finally called as a
> Chestnut-collared (after it was flushed and tail pattern observed) had an
> interesting (and puzzling) mixture of traits suggesting both
> Chestnut-collared and McCown's longspur.  
> 
> The nape of the neck appeared largely gray, with no hint of chestnut.
> 
> Sometimes when the bird turned at the right angle to the sun, for maximum
> lighting, a row of the well-lit black and tan wing coverts showed just the
> slightest trace of chestnut.  (This was noticed by several birders using
> scopes and even binoculars.)  
> 
> Al DiMartini already reported on the size and color of the bill, and the
> overall light appearance of the "interesting" bird.  
> 
  
> 
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