The McCown's Longspur (Calcarius mccownii) is a breeding species of the prairie grasslands from north-central Colorado northward through much of Wyoming, western North Dakota and Montana as well as parts of south-central Canada. The species winters, sometimes in huge flocks, in the south-central United States and Mexico. The birds in the top 15 images on the left were photographed at the Pawnee National Grasslands, Weld Co., Colorado, in June, 2007, with a Canon EOS 1D Mark III and EF 600mm F/4 L IS lens and 2X extender. The top image shows a male, then there is a series of shots of several females.

The female at the left was gathering strands of what looked to be animal hair, perhaps to use in a nest.

The male in the next three shots was foraging along the edge of a small dirt road.

The next two shots show a recently fledged juvenile; this young bird had probably only been out of the nest a few days.