Reed Bunting
An increasing number of us are enjoying the sight of Reed Buntings in our own back gardens as they turn to new food sources, says Ian Parsons
Could one of these great birds appear in your garden?
Reed Buntings, as the name suggests, are associated with wet ground and wetlands, but they also turn up occasionally in gardens across the country where they are happy to exploit the bird food left out by many of us. They have learnt that our gardens can provide a valuable food resource when their traditional feeding areas are bare. Reed Buntings typically leave their wetland breeding sites in late autumn, moving on to farmland where they can form very large flocks, often mixed with other species, that forage for seeds across the fields. However, by March that food supply is running out and late March to early April sees some of these birds move to our gardens in search of sustenance before they return to their wetland breeding sites towards the end of April. This is a relatively new and increasing trend. The changes in agricultural processes and intensification over the last few decades has seen the feeding opportunities for birds like the Reed Bunting diminish. It is likely that, as a result, more and more of them are turning to our garden birdfeeders to help them survive what would otherwise be a difficult time of the year.
Reed Buntings are roughly sparrow size, but with a slimmer appearance and a longer tail along with a much streakier plumage, they soon catch the eye as being different from the more regular garden visitors that you may get coming to your feeders. The male Reed Bunting in full breeding plumage is a very distinctive and boldly-pattened bird, with its black head and bib separated by a white handlebar style moustache and broad white collar. This plumage is just beginning to wear through at that time of year, so if you are lucky enough to get these buntings coming to your feeders, expect the male to look less resplendent than the picture in your bird book. The black on its head will be mottled with brown and may even still retain the stripy brown appearance of its winter plumage. These are birds in transition in spring, both in terms of habitat use and appearance. As the month turns to April, so the appearance of the bird becomes more refined, a process that you may be able to observe from your window!
An unobtrusive bird
The head pattern on the female is more streaky and she has a distinctive whitish throat patch bordered by black throat markings that separate this from her white moustache stripe. In flight, both sexes catch the eye with their white-edged outer tail feathers and this is a good feature to look out for if a group of small birds fly up from your garden feeding areas. Reed Buntings are found pretty much across the whole of the country and although they tend to favour more rural gardens they will also visit urban ones, meaning that any of us who put bird food out in our gardens in March could be rewarded by a visit from this bird. They like small seeds and seem to have readily taken to the sunflower hearts that many of us put out, either taking them from the ground in open areas or from hanging feeders. As birds go they are fairly unobtrusive for most of the year, but during the breeding season the male is an easy bird to watch, so if you aren’t lucky enough to get them in your garden then, head out in late spring to find them. Sitting at the top of a reed or a shrub he will spend lots of time singing his song for all to hear. It is a typical bunting song and the beginning notes recall those of the Yellowhammer (another bunting of course) but then become more rolling.
The breeding life of these birds can certainly be described as complicated!
It is a good song to learn before going birding in May and June, when the males are at their most prominent, and will sit singing for long periods enabling you to get great views. A singing male may give the impression of a bird that is relaxed and in full control of his territory, his nest tucked down in the reed stems, his mate incubating the eggs or the newly hatched chicks, as he sits there proudly declaring his ownership, but the truth is somewhat different. Reed Buntings usually have two broods, each one having four to five young. Potentially a pair of Reed Buntings can therefore raise as many as 10 young in a breeding season. Unfortunately for that singing male on top of his reed, more than half of those young are likely to have been fathered by another male! Studies have shown that more than 50% of Reed Bunting chicks will have been fathered by male birds other than the pair male. Currently this is the highest recorded rate for any bird species in Britain. As you watch the male singing away, it is tempting to feel sorry for him, but the truth is that while his female is off seeking liaisons with other males, he will be doing the same with other females. The breeding life of these birds can certainly be described as complicated! In the summer, there are around 250,000 breeding territories (perhaps a more appropriate phrase for this species than pairs!) spread across the country. This population is significantly increased in the winter with migrants arriving from Scandinavia and eastern Europe. This passage usually begins in late September, with the return passage peaking at the end of April. It is therefore possible that some of the Reed Buntings that are visiting our gardens during March could be breeding in Finland come the end of May. As I write this, I haven’t seen a Reed Bunting in my Devon garden, but I know that in March last year there were some Reed Buntings regularly visiting a feeding station in a garden just a few hundred metres away. I’d love to add these great little birds to my garden list. See if you can spot them in yours, too.