Tag Archives: snow bunting nc

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News

Rare bird alert- Snow Buntings have returned to North Carolina

Sally Siko

Here’s a few new photos of the toasted marshmallow (Snow Bunting) I found while birding in the OBX of North Carolina last week.


I’d enjoyed watching this beautiful bird as it hopped from rock to rock along the jetty. Every now and again the little bird would pop up its head to peak out for a quick look before disappearing deeper into the jetty pile in search of a snack.
I quickly learned that tracking the bunting through the boulders through my long lens was a bit like playing a photographic version of whack-a-mole.
Luckily the Bunting would eventually do me a solid by briefly perching on the top of a rock or flying a few feet away to alight nearby onto a sea-weathered green downed telephone pole.
Both scenarios offered great (but brief) opportunities to get a good photo of the bird out in the open as long as I was quick on the shutter.



This little cove near the bridge on Oregon Inlet has been a consistently good place to spot this rare (to NC) species each November so it was neat to be able to document its return in 2023.
It might seem odd to look for a bunting on a rock pile but these guys feel right at home hanging out in (seemingly) harsh habitats.
In fact Snow Buntings are the world’s most northerly occurring passerine (perching bird), with a breeding range that stretches into the Arctic during the summer.
Cold hardy birds, they nest deep in rock crevices and vacant lemming burrows for protection of the elements and in order to remain out of sight of predators in a treeless landscape.
This means that even during the winter months, with its short grass dune fields and windswept rocks, the jetty and beach area here at Oregon Inlet probably feels like home to the Buntings so it’s always worth checking back at this spot each November if you’re looking to add this species to your yearly list.

Photos & video by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News, Instagram Birding

Snow Buntings are back in eastern NC

By Sally Siko

Birdwatching News

NC Rare Bird alert: Snow Buntings at The Alligator River NWR

By Sally Siko

Every so often a new bird pops up on the North Carolina rare bird alert which gets my attention.
Even though I’ve seen Snow Buntings before, it’s always a joy to try and go find one year after year when they make their appearance in the Outer Banks.
That’s why I was so excited to spot a pair of these gorgeous birds at the Alligator River NWR this past weekend!
Laying in the grass next to the road, it was thrilling to get a bunch of good portraits of them at such a close range.

Dedicated cold weather birds, Snow Buntings breed in the high Arctic. They nest in the crevices and deep cracks of rocks which provide protection from the Arctic winds.Though their nests are thickly lined with grass, feathers and tufts of fur, due to the extreme cold temperatures the female is unable to leave the nest so her mate is wholly responsible for feeding her while she is incubating the eggs.
It’s a good thing that the females are picky about choosing their mates as their life depends on him caring for at that time.



Often seen with flocks of Longspurs and sparrows, Snow Buntings are using spotted feeding on the ground, foraging for a variety of seeds and buds as well as insects and other small invertebrates, including small marine crustaceans when spending time in coastal areas.This pair spent most of their time either picking at spilled seed along a gravel rd or on the shoulder area hunting for insects in the grass.

The Snow Buntings normal wintertime range extends from southern Canada down to Pennsylvania on the east coast, across the upper Midwest over to western Oregon.They are also an infrequent visitor to the coastal areas of Virginia, Maryland and of course right here in eastern North Carolina too which is pretty neat!Look for them hiding on the low dunes, short grass/ sand flats, and on rock jetty’s and along gravel roads throughout the OBX from now through mid February.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Google Maps pin drop to the Buntings exact location at the Alligator River NWR below…

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News

Rare Bird Alert North Carolina- Snow Bunting at Oregon Inlet OBX

This past weekend, I led a birding trip to the OBX and was pleased to show my guests a rare wintertime visitor to NC, the Snow Bunting!
It was such a joy to see how happy this bird made the people on the tour, so many big smiles, what a great way to cap off the day.

Snow Bunting at Oregon Inlet on Pea Island in the OBX, North Carolina



Dedicated cold weather birds, Snow Buntings breed in the high Arctic. They nest in the crevices and deep cracks of rocks which provide protection from the Arctic winds.
Though their nests are thickly lined with grass, feathers and tufts of fur, due to the extreme cold temperatures the female is unable to leave the nest so her mate is wholly responsible for feeding her while she is incubating the eggs.



Often seen with flocks of Longspurs and sparrows, Snow Buntings feed on the ground, foraging for a variety of seeds and buds as well as insects and other small invertebrates, including small marine crustaceans when spending time in coastal areas.
This particular bird spent most of its time either on the rocks overlooking the water or on the ground eating grass seed under the bridge along Oregon Inlet.



The Snow Buntings normal wintertime range extends from southern Canada down to Pennsylvania on the east coast, across the upper Midwest over to western Oregon.
They are also an infrequent visitor to the coastal areas of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.
Look for them hiding on the low dunes, short grass/ sand flats, and on rock jetty’s in the OBX from November through February.

@sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty 50 megapixel monster, the @canonusa #5Ds