Lapland Longspur

 

This Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) had just landed on this piece of driftwood, having crossed at least 15 miles of open water (possibly much more) of Lake Superior to reach this beachhead at Whitefish Point on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He/she wasted no time in scratching an itch. It was interesting to watch small numbers of longspurs, horned larks, and snow buntings come in off the lake and land on the shore at this major migratory hotspot.

This sparrow-like bird breeds in Arctic regions far to the north of Michigan, in polar bear country. If the animal in my photos bred at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, at the northern limits of its breeding range, it would have traveled south about 2,500 miles to reach Whitefish Point. It is usually the most common breeding songbird in the tundra, and sometimes the only songbird breeding in such habitats.

I made these images on October 16, 2026.