Field Birds and a Merlin

written by Drew Weber

I drove around Lancaster County farm fields near New Holland and Leola looking for any field birds I could find. Other birders have reported seeing up to 5 Lapland Longspurs in the Horned Lark flocks and there is always the possibilities of Snow Buntings as well.

I missed the more interesting field birds, but did manage to find several large flocks of Horned Larks that were pushed closer to the road and feeding on any bare strip of ground they could find. At one point, a merlin strafed the flock and perched on a post near me. All these photos I took out of my car window, holding the scope by hand.