Mobirders
Thanks to Connie for getting the word out on the Sprague's.

I have seen the bird, for some time, with Joe Eades, in western Missouri (about this date, I think) and I see it almost annually in Florida in the winter (Apalachacola Airport), but this is the first time I have seen one in eastern Missouri.  

I first saw the bird as a flyby - we had stopped to back up for the pipits that we passed along the road, and they flew from behind to forward of the car. About 4 birds.  Three were expected pipits - sliver of white on the tale, buffy. One bird had the white tail pattern of the eastern meadowlark-  complete white on the outer, forming a triangle on the next two. The white was bright, not muted as in the AMPI. There was a marked contrast in the underwing, seen well when it tipped to fly up.  Lots of "white". I "knew" the bird immediately, but passed on it as we got out of the car (it did not penetrate my brain).  I found the pipits on the ground and as we were studying them it came to me - that was a Sprague's Pipit. 
As you no doubt can understand I was reluctant to tell Tom- he is older, more experienced and better looking - but I broke down called the bird. Now he got out of the car to take a look - interested at last.
It took about 30 minutes to find the bird on the ground. We got it in the scope. Tom studied it and agreed - Sprague's Pipit. He has seen the bird in Texas.  
Additional points:  the posture (a jizz thing; not everyone's cup of tea) is subtly different. It stands slightly more upright. With the shorter tail, it looks different. It is lighter in appearance - no heavy breast streaking. The flanks are clear. The eye - I call it the Upland Sandpiper eye - is very prominent in the face. Wing bars. When the bird flew Tom nailed the tail feathers.  It is said to refrain from tail bobbing - I did not see a tail bob.
 Unfortunately it was too far for photos. Tom has a 20-50 scope and we needed that to get the id nailed (actually I was 100% sure,  once I replayed the tape of the flyby that is in my mind, that it was a SPPI). Tom said, after the study, "100% agree".

We left around 10:00 a.m.  50 killdeer and a few Horned Larks, perhaps 50 American Pipits.  When we returned Al Smith said he had a couple of hundred AMPI; we observed a huge increase in the Horned Larks. Al said the pipits, for the most part, got up and flew south.  He said he took several hundred photos of the birds; if he finds the bird in the photo spread he will post.

Good Birding
Be Safe

Dave
St. Charles

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