Snow Bunting

Not cold enough you might think but the snow buntings recently landed from the Arctic must have been thinking that it was lovely summer weather and utter bliss. 

Walking along the estuary wall I honestly would have missed them they are so small, well camouflaged and very tame as they have no idea about humans as they come from the frozen north - Scandinavia and Greenland mainly. Some small numbers do breed in Scotland.

The pair have been here a couple of days and are feeding on tiny seeds and insects, trawling through the seaweed, picking up pieces, chucking it in gay abandon out of the way and getting on down underneath for the tit bits. 

The size of sparrow hence they are in the order of Passeriformes (passer = sparrow, formis = shape) and have 3 toes facing forward and one back for perching. 

I've never seen one before and frankly these two made my day and I think sitting on the seawall I amused quite a few people who had no idea what I was doing but were happy to chat.