On Saturday, Oct. 24, nine people searched for Smith's Longspurs at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge east of Des Moines.  These birds migrate through Iowa as they travel between wintering grounds to the south and breeding grounds in the arctic.  Searching consists of spreading out and walking across a field with short, sparse grasses and other vegetation.  Two small flocks were located at the refuge, one with seven birds, the other with five birds.  These are the first Smith's Longspurs found on the refuge in the fall, probably because nobody has done a targeted search for them before.   They may be more common this time of year than we realize, but it takes effort to find them.  Other birds seen include Prairie Falcon, Le Conte's Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, American Pipit, and Horned Lark.