By Sally Siko
Tag Archives: snow bunting obx
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…
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.
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