Tropical Audubon Society

South Florida’s Voice of Conservation

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)