Snow buntings pop up in lots of places

Hikers have been finding snow buntings on the tops of Maine mountains since early October. I wondered when the first reports would come in the Bangor area.

Snow buntings nest in the Arctic tundra, making nests against rocks among short shrubs and clumps of grass. When they fly south for the winter, they choose the most familiar habitats. Birders find snow buntings in big fields, baseball fields, the edge of dirt roads, the edge of parking lots – wherever tiny seeds blow around and land on bare ground or on the snow.

The mellifluent voice of my cousin, Kit Pfeiffer, came over the phone, sharing her excitement about seeing a flock of snow buntings over the weekend.

“They looked beautiful on the municipal park baseball field, and when they flew, they flew all together, in formation,” she said.

They are beautiful birds, mostly white to match the snow, but with russet and other earth tones. In flight, their white wings with black ends stand out.

Alice Kelley was teaching a geology class on top of Cadillac Mountain when she saw a pair of snow buntings.

“The birds seemed to be feeding, picking around plants in the crevices in the rocks. Both individuals matched the pictures I found on the Web of females in non-breeding plumage. As with many boreal species, the birds were ‘tame,’ allowing close approach,” she said.

Jerry Smith is a bird photographer. He found a flock of 16 snow buntings in Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor.

He described his experience: “They were very active, not wanting to pose for a photo. Each time I stopped the car and shut off the engine, they flew, typical snowflake fashion, and landed in a nearby location that was hard to take a photo from. I’d move a little, and they’d move a little. It was cat-and-mouse, but fun.

“They fed on tiny seeds on stalks sticking up from the mowed lawns, or picked gravel and seeds in the graveled roadway. They were especially interested in the small puddle I had driven over because I had broken the ice, and that allowed them to drink and bathe.

“The only perches in this part of the cemetery are the headstones. After bathing, several birds perched to preen: on headstones, no less.”

So, you find them where you find them. It’s always a treat. In past years, I’ve found them on the edge of parking lots of industrial parks, on blueberry barrens, cornfields, cow pastures and beaches.

They also make funny little tracks in the snow as they bend down weed stems to eat the seeds. We’ll offer birding field trips this winter to find this and other winter birds.

For information on Fields Pond Audubon Center, call 989-2591.