Monday 27 February 2012

Corn Bunting





On my recent visit to Eye Green LNR I was greeted by a joyous sound. All around me was the sound of `jangling keys`, the song of the Corn Bunting. This bird has had an horrendous time just lately with numbers thought to be 85% less than 25 years ago, although in Peterborough we are fortunate to have a fairly healthy population. It was a wonderful sight to see and hear at least 40 of these chunky buntings that were in a mixed flock which included Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers.

26 comments:

  1. I envy you and your sightings John. We get nothing like that in Sussex.

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  2. Hi Mike,
    Don`t envy me too much, we don`t get Paddyfield Warblers in our neck of the woods. ;)
    It is a shame that this once extremely common bird is now so rare in certain parts of the country, a sobering thought.
    J

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  3. I'd love to see these birds. Never seen them before.

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    1. When I was a child and lived in Buckinghamshire, close to Winslow there were flocks of them in the fields opposite our house, now they are all gone. They really are in a sorry decline, mostly due to our farming practices now, that and the fact we seem to be building on every bit of available land!
      J

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  4. Hi John...They remind me alot of our female house finches.. they must sound similiar to wind chimes!!
    Good for you ..looks like some people are a little envious of your find ; }!!
    Grace

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    1. Hi Grace,
      They have a lovely `jingle jangle` song that is supposed to sound like the jangling of keys, but I suppose it could sound like wind chimes!?
      I don`t know about envious, I think people are just sad that this once common bird is limited to certain areas in our country.
      J

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  5. Great patterns on those little guys! Nice shots, John!

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    1. Hi Gary,
      Thank you. A lot of people dismiss them as LBJ`s (Little Brown Jobs), but I think they are exquisite birds, much underrated.
      J

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  6. The only time I get to see this species is on trips to Norfolk.

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    1. It is a sign of our times Frank that we have to make trips to see these once common birds, an extremely sad sign.
      J

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  7. Gorgeous sighting and photos!

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  8. An amazing sight and you took some great shots under the conditions John.

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    1. Hi Roy,
      Thank you. Yes, I just wish that the sun had come out, just for a bit! ;)
      J

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  9. What exquisite photos! And jangling keys--what an interesting sound they must make.

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    1. Hi Susan,
      Thank you. Yes, their song is so unique, it lightens the heart when you hear it in large numbers.
      J

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  10. Wonderful images John... It's a lovely little bird I can't claim to have see.

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    1. Hi Andrew,
      Thank you. It`s a bird that is getting increasingly hard to see in all parts of the country now.
      J

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  11. Hi John. I have to say that I find small brown birds the most difficult to identify. Any pointers? All help appreciated!
    Click here for Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

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    1. Hi Bazza,
      LBJ`s (Little Brown Jobs) are always difficult to I.D. but one good way to start is by learning their songs and calls. You can get various c.d.`s with bird calls on, don`t worry about the scarcer birds, but get one with the basics on. Other ways to I.D. are, when you see the bird make a note of plumage details, even a `brown` bird has different markings on different parts of its body; make a rough sketch detailing plumage colour/markings etc; get yourself a good field guide, the best is Collins Bird Guide 2nd edition, it`s black with a Tern on the front, this will give you a guide to what various feathers are called, giving you a better chance of noting what colour is where; finally, the only way to get better is to keep getting out and seeing the birds, the more you see them, the more familiar they become.
      Hope this helps.
      J

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  12. Just don't hear enough of those jangling keys for my liking John

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    1. I completely agree Jerry, far too scarce these days!
      J

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  13. These are truly iconic farmland birds and one of my favourites.

    Regards

    Tony Powell

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    1. Hello Tony,
      Many thanks for the visit and the comment. They are the epitome of farmland, but unfortunately getting far too rare.
      J

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