FITCHBURG — Hundreds of ornithophiles have flocked to the Fitchburg Municipal Airport since word got out about a rare species of bird discovered there.

Jon Skinner was the first to spot a Chestnut-collared Longspur there back in December. The Leominster resident said it’s unusual to see the grassland species here, whose range is typically restricted to the central-western states — Texas, Colorado, Montana, and the Dakotas.

“There’s only been five previous records of the bird showing up in Massachusetts and it’s the first time it’s ever been reported in Worcester County,” he said of the special occasion. “Folks from all over New England have come to see the bird. There’s been over 380 reports submitted to the eBird website, and I estimate over 400 people have probably come to see this bird.”

What’s even more unusual is that the Chestnut-collared Longspur is still hanging out at the airport, much to the delight of fellow bird enthusiasts who have enjoyed watching the small ground-feeding bird that according to Wikipedia primarily eats seeds and breeds in prairie habitats in Canada and the northern United States and winters to the south in the United States and Mexico.

Skinner relayed that the airport is a great spot to go birding, “especially for birds that like open grassland habitats.”

“In the winter there’s usually species like Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, and Lapland Longspurs, which were all the birds I was hoping to see the day I found the Chestnut-collared Longspur,” he said.

When he first spotted it on the morning of Dec. 4, it was pretty far out on the tarmac and although Skinner couldn’t see it very well, he immediately knew it wasn’t one of the species listed above.

“This time of year, when birds aren’t in their breeding plumage, there’s an extra challenge when some species look very similar,” he said. “I was able to get good enough pictures of a few key field marks, like the black belly and wide white patches on the tail, which made me start thinking it was a Chestnut-collared Longspur.”

He sent the photos to a couple of birding friends for their thoughts, including fellow Massachusetts Rare Bird Alert Discord group moderator Max Chalfin-Jacobs, and everyone agreed it was indeed a Chestnut-collared Longspur.

“I sent out an alert to the group, and I think that there were half a dozen other birders at the airport within the hour,” Skinner said of the online group that has over 800 members. “Word spreads fast when a bird this rare shows up.”

When asked why he thinks the Chestnut-collared Longspur has remained at the airport for so long and what the reasons are for it being in an area where it typically isn’t, the seasoned birder broke it down.

“Birds that show up outside of their ranges are called ‘vagrants’ and we don’t know exactly why they wander like this,” Skinner said. “It’s possible that this bird’s ability to navigate is faulty so it wandered eastward when it should have gone south. It’s also possible that this bird is exploring and could be making an effort to expand the species range. Sometimes, due to habitat loss or overcrowding, birds can try to expand their range to find new regions and less competition.”

Nonetheless, he said “it is very surprising that it decided to stick around for so long,” as previous reports of the same species in the state don’t have them there for more than one or two days.

“The airport, with the large fields, is likely very similar to its preferred habitats within its typical range,” Skinner said. “Also, several people have put down bird seed at the edge of the parking lot which I’m sure has encouraged it to stick around. It has become very habitual and seems to hang out in the same spot where the seed is, almost all day long.”

Like so many others, he was drawn to nature and the outdoors when the pandemic hit and first got interested in birding in the spring of 2020.

“I’ve always been curious about birds, and it felt like a great way to spend time outside during the pandemic,” he said.

Skinner and Chalfin-Jacobs first met in person during the winter of 2022 when they were both doing the annual Nantucket Christmas Bird Count, but they knew of each other before that due to having mutual friends.

“We’ve birded with each other on Nantucket and the Cape over the years and last when he came to see the Longspur at the airport,” Skinner said.

After Skinner sent him photos of the “unknown longspur” with the theory that it was a Chestnut-collared, Chalfin-Jacobs looked at the photos with a couple of friends.

“We concluded with Jon that the extent of white on the tail and the dark coloration on the belly eliminated all but Chestnut-collared Longspur,” Chalfin-Jacobs said. “An incredible find by Jon!”

The Newton resident traveled to the airport on Dec. 11 to see it himself and also take pictures of it.

“It was quite cooperative and I slowly approached, photographed the bird for about 20 minutes, and then cautiously backed up as to not disturb the bird, which was feeding throughout,” Chalfin-Jacobs said if his first interaction with the Chestnut-collared Longspur.

He has been birding for 17 years and started doing bird photography about seven years ago.

“I was always a kid encouraged to spend time outdoors,” he said. “I fell in love with nature first and then specifically birds when I was about five. I loved seeing such exciting and colorful animals in my backyard and beyond. Since then, my passion for birds and birding has only increased.”

Chalfin-Jacobs reported that as of Tuesday, Feb. 24 the Chestnut-collared Longspur is still calling the Fitchburg Municipal Airport home, having “survived the blizzard.” His birding friend Skinner shared that when he sees this bird, he is “amazed by how much effort it must have taken to get here.”

“I wonder how it decided to stop at this small airport and I’m amazed how cooperative it has been so that so many people have been able to come see it and also enjoy it,” Skinner said.

Chalfin-Jacobs echoed his sentiments.

“I very much agree with Jon about the excitement and joy that comes from discovering and observing new birds and wild things around you,” he said. “I have been birding in Massachusetts since I was five years old and this is a species I have never seen before in my life, just a short drive away. There are beautiful birds all around us all the time; all you have to do is … take some time to get out there and look for them.”

Skinner said it’s the same for him.

“When I’m out birding, I enjoy the fact that there’s always something new to discover, whether that’s seeing or hearing a familiar bird do something different or finding a rare bird like this. Being able to enjoy and experience birds has expanded my enjoyment of the natural world in very rewarding ways and I think most other birders feel the same.”

When asked what their favorite bird is and why, Chalfin-Jacobs answered right off the bat.

“My favorite bird is the American Dipper, a bird from the Western U.S.,” he said. “They are small little gray birds about the size of a cardinal, but they dive into rapid streams to eat small fish and various other invertebrates, which I think is super cool and unique. Plus, I love the mountain habitats and streams where you might encounter them.”

Skinner stated that while it’s hard to pick just one, one of his favorite types of birds are shrikes, who have a broad global range across the Northern Hemisphere.

“In the winter we sometimes get Northern Shrikes coming down from Canada and northern New England,” he said. “They’re the size of American Robins but they eat rodents and other small birds. They’re small but tough little birds. There are 34 species of shrikes worldwide and I hope I can get to see more of them.”

He encourages people to go see the Chestnut-collared Longspur at the airport – and recommends staying at least 30 feet away from it “so it doesn’t get flushed.”

“It has been seen almost every day that it’s been here and lately it’s been consistently visiting the same spot at the edge of the airport parking lot, near the three yellow plastic poles across from the main office building,” Skinner said. “It isn’t very skittish, so if you bring a pair of binoculars, you should be able to get extremely good looks.”

He went on to say that if people are interested in getting into birding, “there isn’t a better time to start with spring right around the corner” and shared the names of some bird clubs in the area — Athol Bird & Nature Club, Worcester’s Forbush Bird Club, and Brookline Bird Club, the largest and one of the oldest bird clubs in Massachusetts.

Skinner wrapped up his thoughts on the excitement of being the one to discover and seeing a Chestnut-collared Longspur in the city by thanking their host.

“I want to express gratitude to the airport manager for allowing birders to access the parking lot and areas around the parking lot,” he said. “I haven’t heard of any complaints from the airport staff about all of these birders showing up and crowding the parking lot.”