Posted by John Boyd on October 30, 2016 at 11:13:48
Following the TAS trip to Shark Valley and Loop Road, several of us continued to the end of Loop Road before returning home.
Ann Wiley and I found a male Lapland Longspur on Loop Road on Oct 29, 2016 at about 1:30pm. Go west on Loop Road until it becomes a dirt road. There is a substantial pond on the left with a water measuring station. We spotted it on the left side of the road near the pond. It had moved about 1/4 mile west when I last saw it (was still trying to get a better photo).
Coordinates are 25 44' 48" N, 80 57' 15" W.
This appears to be the second report from Monroe county. All previous reports I could find (from Stevenson and Anderson, Florida Field Naturalist, the TAS BirdBoard, and eBird were in Miami-Dade county. Most were in mid-Oct to early Dec.
South Florida Reports of Lapland Longspur
Oct 17-18, 2004: Research Road (N-S portion) (J. Ogden, R. Hammer) (FFN, TAS BirdBoard)
Oct 29, 2016: Loop Rd (25 44' 48" N, 80 57' 15" W) (J. Boyd, A. Wiley) (TAS BirdBoard)
Nov 7, 1998: ENP (L. Manfredi) (FFN)
Nov 14, 2000: Taylor Slough (D. Cunningham) (photographed, FFN, TAS BirdBoard)
Nov 14, 2005: Research Road, described as "possible" (T. Mitchell) (TAS BirdBoard)
Nov 24-27, 1983: Mahogany Hammock (M. Wheeler) (Stevenson & Anderson)
Nov 2012: Flamingo, ENP (J. Pascatore) (TAS BirdBoard)
Dec 4, 2004: 1 female, Main Park Road near Mahogany Hammock (J. Boyd) (photographed, FFN, TAS BirdBoard)
Mar 3, 2014: 1 female, Virginia Key Ecosystem Restoration Area (R. Diaz) (eBird)
Mar 11, 2014: 1 female, Garden Key (Dry Tortugas) (photographed, S. Bass & S. Pimm, TAS BirdBoard)
