There were also several hundred Lapland Longspurs along Contreras Pike
in Union County, heading northwest from Oxford, and then north from
Bath on Liberty Pike.

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Brookville Lake and Richmond Airport area
> From: William Buskirk <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thu, November 24, 2005 2:19 pm
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> Bob Buskirk and I spent this, Thanksgiving Day, morning birding 
> Brookville Lake in the howling wind and snow flurries.  In late 
> morning we passed through the agricutural areas of NE Union County 
> and near the Richmond Municipal Airport in SE Wayne County.
> 
> Brookville Lake had relatively little activity:
> 
> Black Vulture 15 at Mounds State Recreation Area
> American Coot 650, mainly in Franklin County areas of the lake
> Bonaparte's Gull 1000 throughout the lake
> 
> We found large mixed flocks of LAPLAND LONGSPURS and Horned Larks in 
> corn fields along Mitchell Road between SR 227 and the IN-OH State 
> Line Rd in Union Co., IN and on the east side of the Richmond Airport 
> in Wayne County.  In total we estimated 600 Laplands and 200 Horned 
> Larks at the first location and 160 Laplands and 60 Horned Larks at 
> the second.  These numbers were based on our estimates of the largest 
> groups seen in the air at any given time.  Many more may have been on 
> the ground in the corn stubble.
> 
> This is the largest single day total (760) for Laplands in the 
> Whitewater Valley and one of the earlier dates of occurrence.
> 
> Bill Buskirk
> Biology Department
> Earlham College
> Richmond, IN 47374