Lapland comes to Kenfig
Post categories: Places to go,Ìýbirds,Ìýphoto,Ìýreserve
| 10:58 UK time, Monday, 27 September 2010
Forget Santa - it's far too early to be talking about **** and I've promised myself I won't mention that particular word until at least December.
So what else comes from Lapland I hear you cry?
Well... the answer is - the Lapland bunting of course!
This little chap was recently been spotted at Kenfig Nature Reserve near Porthcawl by Flickr regular - Mike McCarthy.
Mike had heard rumours of a sighting so popped down on the off chance of seeing one. He was surprised to find a fairly tame bird, sat just 3 metres from him - happily posing for photos!
Lapland Bunting by Mike McCarthy:
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Here's the description:
"Slightly smaller than a reed bunting with a well marked head pattern, chestnut nape and chestnut wing panel. It spends most of its time on the ground and often seen in small flocks."
Lapland Bunting by Mike McCarthy:
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"Occasional birds are seen in Scotland in the summer, when males have a striking black crown, face and throat."
These birds are normally found along the east coast of Britain, arriving from September through to November and leaving by May - no doubt to avoid our lousy summers!
So we should consider ourselves quite privileged to have them visiting us in South Wales.
If you've seen anything unusual visiting our shores then do get in touch and let me know - wales.nature@bbc.co.uk
Gull
Comment number 1.
At 2nd Oct 2010, Mike wrote:Thanks for featuring my pics Gull.
You might be interested in this comment by "child of herne" on the Â鶹Éç Autumnwatch flickr group
"It has been suggested that this autumns influx of Lapland Buntings may have come from Greenland rather than the European arctic. The Scottish islands have had record numbers and measurements of birds ringed on Fair Isle suggest the North American/Greenland race (see articles in Birdwatch Magazine). This also states that Iceland have had a record passage whilst the arrival coincided with Northwesterly airflows. Lucky you seeing that, in Bedfordshire the species has never been recorded"
According to another source the last recorded sighting in Glamorgan was in 2005.
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