Snow
Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)
A cold and windy walk
yesterday, though with much welcomed blue sky and sunshine, produced one of my
favourite scarce passage migrants and winter visitor to the Sussex coast, the
beautiful Snow Bunting (P. nivalis). In Sussex, as elsewhere in
Southern Britain, Snow Buntings are almost entirely confined to coastal sites
with a marked preference for sandy shores. Favoured locations include
Chichester and Pagham Harbours in West Sussex and the area around Rye Bay to
the east. This individual was found feeding along the shoreline at East Head,
located on the east side of the entrance to Chichester Harbour.
