During a visit to the New Jersey coast last month, my friend Jon and I came across two very cooperative Snow Buntings on the beach at Barnegat. Jetty birding was extremely slow – likely due to the waterfowl hunters in the inlet. We walked up the jetty and decided to take the beach back to search for larks, buntings and longspurs. Just as we reached the vegetation on the beach, we located a Snow Bunting. It was foraging around a pile of garbage and debris, which didn’t make for very nice photos.
Snow Bunting in beach debris
Another bunting was foraging a bit further away at the edge of the beach vegetation. We waited as the first bird moved toward the other one.
Both Snow Buntings in a much nicer setting
The photos in this location were much more pleasing!
The birds would jump on the grasses and grab seeds. It was very fun to watch them.
Snow Bunting grabbing grass
Snow Bunting jumping on the grass
Snow Bunting eating grass
We laid down in the sand and stayed with these birds for around twenty minutes.
Eventually, one even made it’s way right toward me, it was so close that my camera did not want to focus.
Snow Bunting up close
I was very pleased with this photo-op – the buntings were very cooperative. These turned out to be my best Snow Bunting photos ever!
