October 29th – Snow Buntings On The Way!

A migratory flight of Snow Buntings in Lanark County. -LB


The icebreaker Admunsen got back into its home part of Quebec city on Monday, the 26th. We had been gone for 33 days on a trip that had taken us as far as 72 degrees north along the Bellot Strait and as far west as Cambridge Bay. On the return trip from Cambridge Bay, south of Baffin Island, we ran into small flocks of migrating Snow Buntings (see the recent post below). At times it was hard going: headwinds and snow squalls but these tough little birds found a way to carry on through it all (or most of them did – I’m sure some perished).

Halfway between southern Baffin Island and northern Labrador, a lone Snow Bunting hunkers down on the forward deck of the NGCC Icebreaker Admunsen to escape snow squalls and a buffeting headwind.


Marg picked me up on the 27th and we headed home spending a night in Brockville (and if you’ve never been there I would highly recommend it!). In the early afternoon of the 28th we were driving along the 401 near Port Hope when I looked up at a flock of about 30 birds crossing the highway. I couldn’t believe it: Snow Buntings!! Ironically, when I got home and had a chance to check my emails I found a note from long-time Snow Bunting aficionado, Lise Balthazar, informing me that she had just seen some Snow Buntings in Lanark County…and here were the pictures to prove it. I wonder where those Lanark County birds came from……

Snow Buntings in flight. -LB


Snow Buntings coming in for a landing. -LB


Looking for grit and seeds. -LB


Rick

3 thoughts on “October 29th – Snow Buntings On The Way!

  1. Hello. I grew up in Lanark County and saw Snow Buntings in our yard several different years. (This would have been ~50 years ago) We also had a Snow Bunting at our feeder here in Haldimand a few years back. I had no idea how unusual that is in general!

  2. Hi. We need snow AND cold to get Snow Buntings in Haldimand County. What is surprising is that you got one at your feeder. You don’t see that very often at all. Was it right at the feeder or on the ground below?

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