GARDEN LIFER (poss) - Bunting in Garden? Please Help!

Katherine Birkett · **Posted:** Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:33 pm

Just had what I think could be a Garden Lifer in the form of a female Reed Bunting. Description is as follows:

Slightly smaller than a House Sparrow.
Female bunting-esque head. Thin white supercilium.
Belly - same stripes you'd see on a Meadow Pipit, but distributed only thinly at belly top.
Lighter, chestnutty plumage than House Sparrow and more dynamically striped.
White edges to tail feathers.

Looked for as long as I could until three House Sparrows bullied the bird out of the garden. What are the most likely contenders? Will keep an eye out for it if it returns and get a photo if I can.

Katherine Birkett · **Posted:** Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:57 pm

Looking at other pics on Google, I am 98% certain it was a female Reed Bunting! Garden Lifer 31!

15:07 Update. Yes, it IS! Beyond all doubt!!!! Well done, me!

John Harry · **Posted:** Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:12 pm

Reed Buntings can indeed visit gardens, but should be slightly larger than House Sparrow??

David Morison · **Posted:** Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:33 pm

Female Reed Buntings regularly visit my feeders with finches, good numbers of both sexes are seen on local fields and hedgerows in winter.

David

Katherine Birkett · **Posted:** Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:50 pm

Now I have mastered the art of dodgy digiscoping (Primitive Level), here's a montage of the better shots I got of it, and an iffy one showing the size comparison with a House Sparrow:

David Morison · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 12:47 am

Without doubt a female Reed Bunting Katherine.

David

Katherine Birkett · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 2:18 am

31 species.......... my goodness......... had Moorhen, Pheasant and Common Gull as well! For some reason, it's a Mallard Magnet too!

George Bishop · **Posted:** Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:56 am

Hello Catherine

We have been away for a few days so I have only just read your report. I too am convinced about your siting as being a female Reed Bunting well done! They do on occasions visit gardens during the winter months. I was always reminded to record leg colour when coming up against a new or unfamiliar species in a new location. It would have been interesting to know if its leg colour was different from the House Sparrows it was sharing the feeding perch with and would have enabled you to tick another identification box, but I do accept that there is always much to think about in the excitement of the moment.

I'm sure that your reference books will tell you that in winter Reed Bunting breeding haunts are largely, but not completely deserted and they may join up with Yellowhammers and finches in open fields. The first migrant birds return in early spring and often associate initially with other birds. I have recorded them with Meadow Pipits but on these few occasions they have always interestingly been males.

A Norfolk trip would be very beneficial to see large numbers at breeding territories. May I suggest for future reference Holkham NNR Blakeney Point and inland Welney and Hickling Broad.

Kind regards

George

Katherine Birkett · **Posted:** Fri Mar 18, 2011 1:02 pm

George Bishop wrote:

A Norfolk trip would be very beneficial to see large numbers at breeding territories. May I suggest for future reference Holkham NNR Blakeney Point and inland Welney and Hickling Broad.

Kind regards

George

Already sorted that out - my first holiday this year is a week in Norfolk starting on 7th May, AND we're staying just one minute's walk away from Cley/Salthouse Marshes!!

The Lincolnshire Bird Club

GARDEN LIFER (poss) - Bunting in Garden? Please Help!

Who is online