Outdoor Ontario

Request for Information => Birding Areas => Topic started by: takkatakka on January 04, 2017, 02:28:01 PM

Title: Looking for snow buntings
Post by: takkatakka on January 04, 2017, 02:28:01 PM
Hi,
   This winter I would like to find a group of snow buntings. I was wondering if any of you know of any reliable places to find snow buntings (and possibly horned larks and lapland longspurs) around Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Uxbridge and Port Perry. All suggestions are appreciated.
Title: Re: Looking for snow buntings
Post by: Reuven_M on January 04, 2017, 02:46:52 PM
I don't know specific locations up that way, but they generally aren't very hard to find by randomly driving around open farmland areas. I've seen them in Holland Marsh several times. Horned Larks become very abundant on roadsides later in February/March but are a little harder right now.
Title: Re: Looking for snow buntings
Post by: Paul O'Toole on January 04, 2017, 06:42:13 PM
They travel around alot and can show up just about anywhere. If you drive around Amherst or Wolfe Island's you will likely see some over there due to the size of the islands and lots of open spaces.
Title: Re: Looking for snow buntings
Post by: thouc on January 04, 2017, 10:13:43 PM
Also, you are more likely to see them when the fields are snow covered and they come to the roads where there is bare ground.
Title: Re: Looking for snow buntings
Post by: takkatakka on January 05, 2017, 09:53:11 AM
Thank you for the advice, and I hope I will be able to find some now.
Title: Re: Looking for snow buntings
Post by: Pat Hodgson on January 06, 2017, 04:56:30 PM
If you drive the back roads of those towns in winter, you will find them eventually.  Best bets are wherever a farmer has fairly recently spread manure on a field.
Title: Re: Looking for snow buntings
Post by: thouc on January 07, 2017, 01:21:10 AM
There was a sighting in eBird of 600 Snow Buntings and a Lapland Longspur on Bragg Rd between Bowmanville and Newcastle on Jan 2.

/Thomas