Focus on... Lapland Buntings
05 Oct 2016
Lapland Buntings are scarce migrants and winter visitors to Britain and Ireland, reaching their peak reporting rate on BirdTrack in late September and early October. The likely origins of these birds are the Greenland and Scandinavian breeding populations, though there have only been two ring recoveries so far.
This year has seen an above average arrival, with flocks of 80 to 100 birds noted in Ireland and northern Scotland. Smaller numbers have been recorded elsewhere. Almost all records have been at coastal sites, especially in areas of saltmarsh and stubble. When feeding, the birds can be quite unobtrusive and the key to finding one is recognising their rippling flight call.
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