Lapland Bunting?

Photos of bird I saw in High Peak, Derbyshire today (31/01/19). Think I saw a pair of them in same spot yesterday. Is this a Lapland Bunting? It's the only thing I can find that looks similar, but understand it's rare especially in these parts. Thanks

  • Brilliant spotting! (and terrific pics btw) Is there an easy / convenient / safe place to park nearby?

  • Hi Andrew, thanks.

    Probably  the best place to park, coming from Hayfield along Swallow House Lane/Thornsett Lane/ Sitch Lane ( it’s called all these things along its length) is to park on the northern side of the lane close to the wall, where the lane steepens and widens out before the summit of the lane ( the lane is single track for most of its length). There is space at the top of the lane, where the track goes off to Wethercotes farm, but the ‘farmer’ (it’s a tip, really), whose land it is, is not the friendliest person, and I couldn’t recommend parking there for any length of time, but would probably be OK for a while if there are no other cars there. Note at the moment, the lane is a bit icy, OK maybe for a 4x4, but tricky in a car.

    With luck you’ll see the bird on the ground at the side of the track hopping along away from you. It lets you get quite close ( I didn’t use a long lens for the photo) but it will fly onto the trackside wall, then off into the field if you get too close. I think there are a pair of them. Looks a bit like a dunnock on the ground when hopping away from you (that’s what I thought it was before it gave me the view when it flew onto the wall).

  • Just to make sure you know, the rough track off the tarmac lane, through Wethercotes farm, is not for motors.

  • Update 01/02. Has a mosey around the area today around 14.30. Quiet a bit of fresh snow covering the vegetation at the side of the track where the bird was first spotted, and a bitter northerly breeze. No sign of the bird (or any other bird for that matter). Don’t know how long they stick around a location, but in any case couldn’t blame it for keeping its head down today. Will have another look around tomorrow.

  • What a spot - bloody well done mate! I might try to see if it's around this weekend!  

  • Hopefully the track won’t be too busy at the weekend with walkers, runners, mountain bikers, which would probably disturb the bird (s) out of confines of the track, ( the track is between two drystone walls with vegetation at both sides), and into the surrounding fields (no access). But it is a lovely bird, and it’s not too shy.

  • Or with a massive number of bird paparazzi, desperate to capture their own images of your special find!! :) 

  • Had a look around the spot this morning - a few birders, but no bird. Maybe it’s moved on, but some thoughts were that the bird may have been attracted by some strewn hay which had been put down for some sheep in the field on the other side of the wall to the track. Some new hay has been strewn this morning, so if the bird is still around, maybe it will appear again. I’ll keep looking every now and again, and report back here if there’s any sign. If anyone hears from other sources if the bird is spotted again, It would be good if they could report back here.

  • Hello McBirdface - could you email the Derbyshire Bird Recorder, Rodney Key on r_key@sky.com. He would like to ask a few questions to enable him to accept this record for Derbyshire. I think it would be the first record for the county for five years. Well done!
  • Email sent today to Rodney Key. Looking forward to his communication and to it being recorded. Pure luck spotting it and being able to get decent enough photos of it for identification purposes though. I imagine it will be the high point of my almost non-existent birding career.