Lapland Longspur, Franklin's Gulls and more good birding in Metro Van!

It felt like I was back in Nome on Sunday seeing this breeding plumaged Lapland Longspur! Ilya and I had a great day of birding.

At Iona we relocated the male breeding plumaged Lapland Longspur that Tak Shibata found. The bird was past the second shelter on the south jetty at Iona.In the inner ponds we had some nice shore birding with our FOY Pectoral and Semipalmated Sandpipers. The inner ponds were loaded with Blue-winged Teal too. I wasn't able to show Ilya the Common Terns or Bank Swallow I saw when he was out of town.

After that, we went to Brunswick Point where we found 5 breeding plumaged Red Knots, 2 adult breeding plumaged Franklin's Gulls on the mudflats which was a cool rarity! We also saw 22 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated Plover, many Black-bellied Plovers, 13 Whimbrel and a FOY beautiful male Bullock's Oriole. We also had an American Bittern (pumping), Caspian Terns, a Yellow Warbler and so much more.

After dinner we didn't know where we should go so I suggested Brunswick Point for my Bullock's Oriole. So glad we went! It sure is nice to find your own birds over chasing someone else's for a change!

Male Lapland Longspur in breeidng plumage - Photo: Melissa Hafting

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