Lapland Bunting is becoming much scarcer as both a
passage and breeding bird in Southern Norway and has become noticeably harder to
find on and around Valdresflye in the ca.15 years I have been visiting the
area. The reasons for this decline are not known although climate changes may
have a role to play but when you see the area still covered in deep snow at the
end of May it is difficult to believe that is impacting them on the breeding
grounds. One thing I have noticed is that Reed Buntings are breeding higher and
higher up and this year we had two birds higher up than any of the Lapland Buntings
we saw. Maybe Reed Buntings are pushing the Laplands out in the same way that
Blue and Great Tits are probably pushing out Siberian Tits?
We had great views of a singing male Lapland at one
site with a female close by and also had another singing male at a different
site but years ago I would have expected many more.
The singing male often sang in a display flight and
would glide down on outstretched wings. I tried many times to photograph this
but it proved very hard!
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| male Lapland Bunting (lappspurv) |
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| it is perhaps most striking when taken from behind |
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| best flight shot |
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| the female wouldn't come close |
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| and a Reed Bunting that we had at about 1300m - much higher than the Laplands |
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