By the time you read this, we will have officially used up all the available days in August. I am stunned to say the least… not so much that another calendar page has been torn off, rather we will be in official haunt month. I am sure my long-time readers (so appreciative) are likely bored of hearing about our haunted trail and the effort it takes to get that built, put on for two days, and then torn down every year. It is truly the pinnacle for our year and a culmination of all the prop building and preparation that occur through the entirety of the year. Unfortunately, the “fun” times give way to full on stress when we get to this point as the project plan needs updating hourly the weather forecast is constantly fretted over and “overwhelmed” becomes the word of the day. All of this is really just context to let you know I will be stepping away from the Internet most of September as a result. Fear not, Intrigued will continue to bring you content with the help of Brad and Jan who will be going to bat in my absence. Truth is I have been saving up their adventures to this point knowing this was on the horizon (note, they also just returned from another exciting adventure in the field).
Since our power hitters are coming on deck, thought the perfect strategy would be to “Bunt” my way to first (of the month ha).
No mistaking that bill for a member of the Bunting family. Hit the jump and we will introduce you to a new featured feathered friend making its debut on the wild side of Intrigued.
Warning/apologies this series is not my best work by any means and a lot of that is owed to being a chance encounter with this lifer. Typically I plan for the day, get the settings dialed in relatively close for the intended task and ease my way into the field so as not to strain any hammies or shoulder ligaments.
Definitely not the case here. We had been traveling I10 to our destination in Arizona back in March 2025 when we pulled into the Lordsburg Welcome Center. I am sure Tim over at Off Center & Not Even (link here) is familiar with that spot. Hobbled out of the car and joined the rest of the patrons in the “Rest Stop Duck Walk” (RSDW). Swear to god RV seats are specifically designed to atrophy your leg muscles. Took a few painful steps toward the center before my ears detected an odd twill coming from the “wasteland” beyond the landscaped area of the rest stop.
Ran back to the RV (you can imagine how funny that must have looked still dealing with the RSDW, now in double time with legs wobbling like the exit to the Tilt-A-Whirl. Fumbled around for The Beast and headed in the direction of the call. Eventually located the source of the foreign twill and started snapping shots of diminutive Little Brown Jobbers who were working the rocks and desert shrub. More on that bird in a bit…in the midst of trying to get those shots a Big Ol’ Plump Brown Jobber popped into the frame – “What the hell is that!?!”
I was not sure what this new specimen was at all, so now there were two distinct bird species completely new to me flitting about. Add “Spastic Arm” condition to the still present RSDW – every day I expect a video of this scene to be uploaded by someone at that welcome center causing immense embarrassment as it goes viral.
The BOPBJ turned out to be a Lark Bunting. Even with all our travels to Texas, Oklahoma and the rest of the states in the northern band from there, this Bunting had managed to elude me.
This is rather amazing as the Lark Bunting happens to be one of the few Sparrows that are incredibly easy to identify…clarify… incredibly easy to identify in the male breeding plumage. Imagine an all dark (mostly black) bird with a broad white patch on the wing – wish I could show you a shot of that, but all the specimens there were females are males in non-breeding plumage. This particular one looks to be a male owing to the very dark coloration around that slate-grey bill. Females tend to have a whiter throat purely based on all the photos/books that were referenced.
Cornell nailed it with their foraging behavior “they feed among other Sparrows or with Quail [not there], often near road edges and often in flocks. Check, not check, check, check.
“Excuse me Mr. Fancypants Photographer over there, did you call me ‘Plump’“
“Yes I did and I have photographic evidence – just look at yourself next to a House Finch…“
“…I rest my case!“
Back to that other LBJ that initially caught my attention. If you squint real hard you just might make it out to the right and down from the Bunting in this next shot.
That second lifer ended up being a Brewer’s Sparrow. Those images still need to be processed – hoping that lot turns out better than these Bunting shots, although, again, the complete lack of functioning appendages puts that into doubt – more to come on Brewer’s AFTER the haunt event.
“You know you look like a member of the Ministry of Silly Walks” – (see the 26 second mark in this video – link here).
Alas, the time has come to get back into the haunt lab – word has it our evil clown infestation is causing chaos in the lab…(direct link here).
Stay Calm, Haunt On!
Life Intrigued 