Following my previous trips to the Walberswick side of the river Blyth today I visited Southwold and made my way round to the harbour car park where immediately I could see several Starlings and Turnstones rummaging around in the debris left by the recent tidal floods. I only moved a few yards before spotting an unusual bird which upon closer examination proved to be a Lapland Bunting which was quite confiding and allowed me to approach and take loads of pictures.
These buntings are occasionally seen along the east coast during the winter months where they stay before returning to Northern Europe and Greenland to breed. It is thought that they have tried to breed in the north of Scotland in previous years but have not been successful in colonisation. During the summer they will feed on insects, spiders etc. but at this time of the year they rely on seeds from grasses and herbs and indeed this bird spent most of its time picking seeds from the heaps of rubbish left amongst the dunes by the tides.
Walking a few yards further into the dunes towards the shoreline revealed several Snow Buntings but none of these birds allowed a close approach so I observed them from a distance before returning to the Lapland Bunting where another photographer joined me in enjoying watching this lovely bird. As I said earlier this species is not common and it thought that between 200 and 500 birds winter here most years so its always a nice surprise to see one.
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