Snow Bunting

Description:

A gorgeous, light-colored, sparrow-like bird in the longspur family, Calcariidae, the Snow Bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, is a distinctive denizen of snowy fields. They migrate south in the winter from their breeding grounds in the Arctic.

Habitat:

These Snow buntings were first in the middle of the trailhead, but they quickly retreated to a pear tree in between an apple tree and another pear tree. After waiting about 15-20 minutes, they flew back down to the trailhead and I was able to get a better picture.

Notes:

Lifer! Today, I went snowshoeing at the Greenville Town Park! It was so fun! Right before we left, we saw a Bald Eagle soaring over the house, but it flew behind the trees before we could get a picture! I saw two male Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, two Red-tailed Hawks, some American Robins, European Starlings, White-throated Sparrows, Purple Finches, a Mourning Dove, and TONS of crows! I was especially looking for Snow Buntings, which are small, sparrow-like birds which migrate south from the Arctic for the winter! We are actually at the southern part of their winter range, but they are still supposedly pretty common here. I knew they usually are found in open fields, so I kept scanning the blindingly bright snowy fields for a tiny bird. As I was walking back to the parking lot, I hadn't seen any Snow Buntings, but then, I saw some small, whitish, sparrow-like birds. I zoomed in with my mother's camera, and sure enough—they were Snow Buntings! They quickly receded to the trees, so I was unable to get a good photo. I watched them in the trees for about twenty minutes, and their bottoms were to the sun, so I couldn't get a good photo of their fronts. After they mooned me for several more minutes (photo four), they finally settled down in the snow by the parking lot again! I was able to get this beautiful picture of my first-ever Snow Bunting find! I was so excited! They are such beautiful birds! I was surprised the photo came out so well, because I was shooting in manual settings, not automatic! These kinds of memorable and exciting adventures are the reason why I love Project Noah—to learn more about the biodiversity around me and share it with the wonderful community members here.