Saw my first ever reed buntings yesterday!

cutecoot · #1 (**permalink**) 02-03-2009, 08:56 AM

.. and of course ... I had decided not to bother taking my camera with me before I went out

Didn't quite know what they were at first as they weren't quite in the sort of setting I would have expected - was at Stanwick Lakes in a small area where they have made a clearing and set up lots of bird feeders and a woven screen where you can hide behind and watch all the birds come down to feed. There were all the usual variety of tits and chaffinches coming down, then I saw what looked like sparrows (!) to begin with, then it suddenly twigged they weren't and realised they were reed buntings - just didn't expect to see them coming down to feeders with tits, etc! Was really excited to see them anyway as has never (well not knowingly, anyway!) seen them before - made my day

Ruth Daniel · #2 (**permalink**) 02-03-2009, 09:30 AM

Nice one Jan,they are really beautiful birds aren' they? Especially the smart looking males! They frequent the bird feeders here too at our local mereside station.

Pam_M · #3 (**permalink**) 02-03-2009, 11:52 AM

Exciting to see a bird for the first time, Jan! You will probably see them loads of times now! A smart bird to see, especially the males as Ruth has mentioned!

cutecoot · #4 (**permalink**) 02-03-2009, 03:06 PM

Yes, was surprised at what a smart looking bird it is - I thought I would probably never notice them because I had in my mind they were just drab brownish birds with nothing to special about them, but the males dark heads are really quite striking!

squishy · #5 (**permalink**) 02-03-2009, 05:50 PM

they are really lovely birds

i saw my first a few months ago, now i see them everywhere

John the Ranger · #6 (**permalink**) 02-03-2009, 06:23 PM

Stunning birds i agree...we get them on the tables at work fairly regularly but i'm always doing something else at the time and never have my camera!

squishy · #7 (**permalink**) 03-03-2009, 11:26 AM

i managed a few photos, but i wouldn't want to dirty WAB with their horrific quality

Steve_In_Cheshire · #8 (**permalink**) 03-03-2009, 05:39 PM

They are a great looking little bird, we have a male that is a regular visitor to our garden and he loves the sunflower hearts. I didn`t know what it was at first as it looked like a sparrow with a black head and a white band around its neck, i put a photo up on here and some of the regulars ID`d him as a male reed bunting.

cutecoot · #9 (**permalink**) 05-11-2009, 06:53 PM

At least I think that's what it was! Was down at Dungeness yesterday and spotted a pair of them, male and female .. only got a (not very clear) pic of the male though:

Really pleased to see these, as I don't often manage to see the birds close enough to realise they are something different to the more common ones I recognise quite easily