For the first time in several weeks the weatherman predicted that we would actually get a day of sunshine. During a northland winter the sun makes few precious appearances. So with that in mind I gave some serious thought as to what my photographic plans would be for the sunny day. As a wildlife photographer the sun is good for some species and bad for others. I knew exactly what I wanted to photograph with the available sunshine—Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis).

The following morning I woke before dawn and drove 2 hours north of my house where the week before I had seen a small flock of Snow Buntings. Upon my arrival I was happy to see the buntings were still there. I quickly put on my wind pants and extra jacket, hat and heavy duty gloves in preparation for spending the next 5 hours sitting outside in single digit temperatures. Thankfully the wind was not an issue. Next I set up my blind and assembled my camera. I was happy to see that within 30 minutes the buntings seemed to totally ignore my blind and landed within 30 feet of my blind. The problem is, as it is with many flock birds, the moment one bird becomes nervous and flies the entire flock takes flight. Which means the birds would spend 15 to 30 seconds on the ground before blasting off, swirling around and coming back for another visit.

While sitting in my blind waiting for the birds to come back I started thinking about the Snow Bunting and what an amazing little bird they are. They are only 6 or so inches long, about the size of a sparrow, with long broad wings that measure about 13 inches long–larger in proportion to their bodies than most birds.

Snow Buntings are closely related to sparrows and can be found in northern regions around the world (circumpolar). Their genus name Plectrophenax comes from the Greek “plektron” meaning a claw-like tool used to play a sting instrument and refers to the long straight hind claw on the foot, and “phenax” meaning false, referring to only appear similar to a plektron. The species name nivalis is Latin for snowy, which describes this mostly white bird.

The Snow Bunting spends its summers on breeding grounds in the Arctic north of the 66 degree North latitude. They occur from the Aleutian Island chain, across the Arctic of North America, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Scotland, northern Scandinavia and the Siberian Arctic and several islands in the Bering Sea. It is fair to say this is the furthest north nesting song bird in the world. Some say it’s the furthest north nesting bird of any kind. They nest in areas without trees and where the ground never thaws and snow is a year round occurrence. That is one tough bird.

They construct a cup nest on the ground, often amongst rocks for added protection from wind and predators. The nest is lined with feathers and fur in which they lay four to six eggs. It is so cold, even in spring, that once the female starts to incubate she has to stay on the eggs 24 hours a day or the eggs will freeze and die. The male feeds the female while she sits on the nest. Between incubating and fledging of the young birds, it takes a total of 23-25 days.

At the end of the breeding season flocks of birds leave their homes in the Arctic and disperse to southern Canada and the northern tier states, which is where I am photographing these birds. They feed on the ground scratching for seeds. They love to bathe in the snow and will burrow into the snow to keep warm in very cold conditions. 

I see many truly beautiful sights in my travels and while photographing wildlife. I speculate that I get to see more sunrises and sunsets than most people. I would rate the sight of a flock of Snow Buntings twisting and turning in flight against a deep blue winter sky as one of my favorites. Their stark black and white plumage and exceedingly long wings makes them look like snow flakes blowing and tumbling in the cold winter winds. It is simply a sight that you will never get tired of seeing.

Until next time…