No lek surveys today. As badly as I need to recheck that one strutting ground out in the desert, the rain at midnight and falling snow at three in the morning told me there was no need to go out.

I turned my alarm off.

Had I gone out, I no doubt would have again enjoyed a horned lark escort on the desert roads.

Haven't figured out why, but when snowstorms hit, rather than taking shelter in the abundant, tall sagebrush, horned larks instead seem to prefer the short weeds that grow alongside the roads. Whether for some food source within the weeds (often the despised Halogeton), or just the openness of the road itself, flocks of these small black-tailed birds will swirl up out of the snow

landing a few dozen meters farther down the road, only to be disturbed into flight again.

Miles and miles of flying escorts.