What a difference a few days can make! After a couple of relatively bird-less weeks beyond my feeders, suddenly hundreds of Arctic songbirds were present as close as 2 miles from my office. Seven flocks of Snow Buntings and even more Horned Larks migrated into the area in advance of last Wednesday’s birding drive, presumably as a result of even more frigid weather in Canada than we’ve been experiencing in the northern Great Plains. Immediately I saw a new opportunity for some photos of Snow Buntings, but it definitely wasn’t going to be a given. There were many flocks of Snow Buntings earlier in the season, and I didn’t get a good photo of any individuals or flocks, so there was a challenge at hand.

A favorite photo of one of the hundreds of Snow Buntings that arrived in the area last week. The sun was so bright that even with a medium-wide f-8 aperture the shutter speed was a super-fast 1/4000 of a second (600mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/4000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

When widely scattered flocks of Snow Buntings were in the area during December there were other birds around to attract my primary attention, but when it comes down to it, the little mostly white buntings just are not very cooperative. And now that I think of it, it’s been a few years since I’ve managed a good Snow Bunting photograph. Getting close enough to these Arctic songbirds is the key; then it’s a matter of waiting for them to move closer and into the open without having distracting yellow plants in the way. But last week there were no avian distractions, it was either Snow Buntings or Horned Larks, and I have Horned Larks on hand every month of the year, so it’s hard to get too excited about them. Snow Buntings, on the other hand, can easily get me charged up to search out a photo op or photo session.

Although this Snow Bunting appears to be in a resting posture, this is the low profile position the birds adapted while foraging with the north wind at their tails. However, 98 percent of the time their head was facing down to glean tiny seeds from among the gravel at a rapid pace (600mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/4000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

With flocks of the 2 species suddenly on hand, arriving without fanfare aside from the whoops and hollers I made as each flock revealed itself along my drive north of home on the initial leg to Fargo last Wednesday. The arrival of Snow Buntings signaled an abrupt change and a real opportunity, so with abundant sunshine on hand the following day I headed north with hope that Snow Buntings were still in the area. Indeed, the first 3 flocks I sighted along the roadway were in about the same locales as I had seen them the day before. I made some attempts at getting within telephoto lens range, but only with limited success. At the same time, it was nice to get back in touch with these Arctic visitors and to hear their tiny contact calls.

While following my usual route north I saw a flock was active 8 miles from home, near where I saw flock number 3 the afternoon before. At first the Snow Buntings were scattered across the west side of an ag field where they could search for weed and grass seeds, and it was fun to watch individuals work their way a little closer, with a couple ending up foraging a few feet in front of my car.

Well-camouflaged in the mix of snow, gravel, and grass, Snow Buntings are tiny birds that require a close approach – partly by the photographer and partly by the foraging birds (600mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/4000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

Parked off the road in an approach at the edge of the field, several buntings suddenly flushed from the field and landed behind and to the left of my car. Left was good because that’s where the sunlight was best, but behind me didn’t work. Knowing there was a pretty good chance the Snow Buntings would flush if I started the car to reposition, there was also a good chance they would permit me to back up 30 feet. Both options happened, but the buntings that flew returned momentarily, suggesting they might continue foraging along the roadside. With a stout north wind at their tails, the birds slowly worked their way in my direction, providing a promising potential for photos.

There were about 15 Snow Buntings in the loose flock, with 6 lined up on my side of the road. They kept a low profile as they searched for seeds along the edge of the border between the road and the adjacent short grasses and other dried yellow plants. As the buntings moved into close photo range, the low plants created the biggest problem. The buntings were rarely in the open as they pressed low to the ground, but the wind seemed to keep them moving in my direction, ever so slowly, and in a few minutes I was photographing buntings, or at least trying to.

As the small birds picked up tiny seeds among the gravel in a frantic manner, each one had its head turned down, which made it difficult to get a clear photo. Rarely did one lift its head, and then only for a split second, at which point it may or may not be clear of blades of grass. It would take patience and perseverance to get a few photos, but that was my focus during this outing. I tried to anticipate when a Snow Bunting would raise its head, and as it turned out, I took a lot of photographs with the hope of a few making the grade. As a few Snow Buntings were feeding in fairly close range, this is where I wanted to be, with the hope of getting a couple break-through photographs.

Because the buntings were essentially foraging in single file, it was all but impossible to get a few birds in the same photo frame, so I emphasized photographing the bird closest to me. As with all flocks of birds, eventually they all flushed frantically, circled, and returned to the feeding area before me again – thankfully. But this time a couple of them landed on top of open snow adjacent to the grasses and roadway, which provided a moment to try to photograph a Snow Bunting surrounded by snow as it hesitated a split-second. As it turned out, I managed 2 photos of a Snow Bunting standing on the snow, which turned out to be my favorites for the day.

It turned out to be more difficult to get a good photo of a flock of Snow Buntings than it was to take photographs of individuals, but this photo provides an idea of how most flocks look along area roadsides where open areas permit easier feeding opportunities (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/4000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

I stayed with this abiding group for about 40 minutes, then headed south again, with an especially exciting find 2 miles south of my office – a huge flock of about 300 Snow Buntings – feeding across an open field adjacent to the roadway. I watched their movements for about 45 minutes before breaking away with few photos to show for it, but the foraging behavior was interesting enough. Overall, while I had great luck photographing the one group of Snow Buntings, over the next couple days I didn’t have another chance to take another photograph of the Arctic visitors. That fact is evidence of how difficult it can be to get in range to take a close portrait of this gregarious species – gregarious in the winter and during migrations at least.

My one regret is that I wasn’t able to get a good image of a flock of Snow Buntings feeding, but I am sharing the best flock image I could muster, just to show a representation of how these small songbirds are often encountered in a tight flock during winter weather. The buntings and flocks of Horned Larks certainly provided a lively addition to what was a mostly bird-less period in the frozen depths of winter weather. Can’t wait to see what birds will show up next! Good Luck with all your photo opportunities as we march toward March.

Article and Photographs by Paul Konrad

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