We were watching a small group of Snow Buntings that were flitting around a field edge last week. They were completely ignoring dogs, kids and people walking the cliff top bank so were quite easy to observe. Arriving as quickly as it later disappeared was a single lonely Lapland Bunting among them. Always good to see these birds return each winter even in smaller numbers than they occurred in years passed.
Given the easterly winds this Autumn I suspect we’ll get a good number of Lapland Buntings over wintering during the next few months. We saw quite a few on Scillies with this one on Bryher showing particularly well.
Couldn’t resist another photo of the Laplands at Blakeney. Now getting their summer garb.
Some confiding Laplanders in Norfolk this week. Up to 10 Lapland Buntings feeding on the Saltmarsh at Blakeney.
At least one of them was proving they don’t exclusively feed on seeds!
On a grey day this week the wind was whipping in off the sea and over the cliffs. As we waited for the birds to shuffle a little closer across the tilled field my hands began to stiffen. The cold was almost unbearable.
I was occupying my mind with why these Lapland Buntings always prefer such open places when one flew over us and landed in the grass nearby. At last one was reasonably close. It flattened itself, found a hidden haven from the screaming north easterly amid the rough grass and promptly disappeared. It didn’t stay there long before it stood erect, took a look around and then flew back to the fine till of the winter wheat field. It showed better here and soon danced close enough for a few photographs … just!
Letter From Norfolk 