UKC

Nice to see a little group of Snow Buntings on the summit of Fairfield this morning. I used to see them quite a lot on Fairfield / Helvellyn in winter but haven't had much luck in recent years. Bit of a rubbish photo I'm afraid as I only had my short zoom lens with me. Made my day though.

Wonderful!  I do love snow buntings.  Been a while since I have seen any.

Lovely picture.

I always feel as if things are right when I hear and see them around.

I saw them there not so long ago. A great spectacle. Seemed to me they wanted to go higher.

Nice. I’ve been up there a lot, and never seen them. 

Until they move, remarkably well camouflaged considering there maybe 15 or 20 close together.

Helvellyn, Fairfield and the Scafells have typically been my most reliable places to see them in England but I haven't had much luck in recent years, except for a flock of a dozen on the summit of Ingleborough on an otherwise truly miserable Christmas Day in 2022.

Certain places in Scotland are more reliable for sightings as there is a small breeding population as well as birds that spend the winter. In England they are merely winter visitors and will soon be off to their arctic breeding grounds. They also often turn up on the coast, particularly North Sea coasts.

As Phil1919 says they are remarkably well camouflaged and will often not move even when people walk very close by. I only spotted this little group when one of them moved.

it's easier to hear them

Think I spotted a few today on our way off Helvellyn, just West of Nethermost Pike. 

Off to Fife next week, usually see a few there each winter, hopefully a few still hanging around before heading off to breed. A few winter on the Lancashire coast, same with Twite (watched a  flock of 80+ a month ago).  

Saw a few at the Ben Nevis summit in June last year.  I actually thought they had their winter plumage still but upon a google search it appeared not.  Lovely little birds 

Pretty certain (I am not a birder) that they are resident on the Ben.