Snow Buntings

Photo by Karen Lund, DeKalb Co. Snow Bunting(L), Horned Lark(R)

If ever there was a sign that winter still has a firm grip on the northern Illinois landscape, it would be the presence of Snow Buntings. Since early December, I have had almost daily sightings of these beautiful birds on my commute to Fermilab. Flock size ranges from ~25 up to ~100 birds, and they are typically gathered along the road side, or nearby in a frozen field, pecking at the exposed gravel. Often they will be mixed in with groups of Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs. In flight they are easy to identify with the flash of white from their wings. They are graceful flyers and their rusty hues give a colorful accent to an otherwise bleak, snowy landscape. While I greatly anticipate the coming of spring, Snow Buntings have become one of my favorite winter time birds, and I will certainly miss them when they return to their Arctic breeding grounds.