CA - Sprague's Pipit - 01/15

Sprague's Pipit - Calipatria, Imperial County, CA. January 15th, 2013. Panasonic Lumix FZ7 and Swarovski HD scope. 

Venturing out to the fields north of Calipatria Prison, I would admit to being a little apprehensive concerning our chances of finding a Sprague's Pipit in the same fields where we'd met with success the previous year. However, my Birdfinders group remained upbeat and some 45 minutes later we were enjoying excellent views of a Sprague's Pipit in a field of Bermuda Grass close to the road. Rarely have I seen a Sprague's show quite as well as this bird did, and for such a long period. We left it in peace resisting the temptation to get even closer!

AZ - Sprague's Pipits - 01/14

Sprague's Pipit - San Rafael Valley, Santa Cruz Co., AZ. January 14th, 2011. Not the best of shots but these birds were hard enough to see let alone digi-scope. The two birds that I found were very skittish and wouldn't allow any sort of close approach. This bird was feeding in a gully as I scoped it from the other side of a shallow wash. Images taken using Canon Powershot A495 handheld with Swarovski HD telescope.

San Rafael Valley, Santa Cruz Co., AZ. Prime winter habitat for Sprague's Pipits and Baird's Sparrows.