LAPLAND BUNTINGS 15-09-10

Another text off Steve while at work alerted me to yet another great bird on the Leas! Apparently Ian Mac had found a small flock of Lapland Buntings in the long grass just north of the mound, but they were very flighty and difficult to track down. So, as soon as I had finished work I was away up the road and at the Leas in minutes. While walking towards the area where they had been reported I noticed another birder was already there, and it was lovely to see that it was Sir Dougie! And then within seconds we were joined by Mick, and then Steve himself and so we all grouped together to look for our target bird. It didnt take too long before 2 birds flew up and they were quickly identified as the Lapland Buntings. As we kept walking a few more birds were flushed, and in total we reckoned there was between 8 and 10 birds altogether. Now that we knew where they were, we tried to get some good views of them. This was a lot harder than we expected! I had never realised how skulking these birds were. They reminded me of mini Quails. In fact they moved and crept in the long grass like little mice or voles!!! But, every once in a while they came into view or popped their head out and gave us the chance of a good look and some of the lads to get a few photos.