A Chestnut-collared Longspur has been spotted in Fayetteville at the University of Arkansas Experimental Farm. We tried to find it Tuesday with no success. On Friday, we joined three other birders and saw it within minutes of meeting up with them. We were just asking them about when they last saw the bird, when my friend suddenly heard its call and we quickly located it flying around.

Chestnut-collared Longspurs are typically found west of Arkansas such as in the shortgrass prairies, rangelands and desert grasslands of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The species is in conservation decline, with 80% of its population declining since the 1960s due to disturbed land, according to All About Birds.

The longspur in Fayetteville has been spotted first with Lapland Longspurs and now with Eastern Meadowlarks. It hasn’t strayed far from the spot among corn stubble it was first located in. When it’s flying, it’s easy to spot. It circles the field, calling. However, once it’s down in the grass, your chances of spotting it is slim to none.

But, we did get some good views of other birds while there.

White-rumped Sandpipers are migrating through Arkansas right now on their journey from southern South America to their breeding grounds in the northern tundra of Canada and Alaska. According to All About Birds, they actually make one of the longest migrations of any North American bird, sometimes flying 2,500 miles without a rest. The trip takes about a month.

I’ve been seeing reports of this medium-sized shorebird on eBird and birder chat groups for weeks now, but Monday marked the first time I have seen one (or at least successfully identified what I saw). Their size and coloring actually allow them to blend in pretty well – at least when I’m searching for them.