Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) are small songbirds that breed in the high Arctic, but spend the winter on barren fields, lakeshores and beaches. They move very quickly, and will take off with their flock at the slightest provocation. I was able to film a few snow buntings on January 15, 2020, at the tip of Breezy Point in the late afternoon. I went back to Breezy Point on January 22 and was able to see more buntings, including one that was by itself on the jetty rocks at the tip. I put together two videos, as you can see below.
Snow bunting, Breezy Point, Queens, January 15, 2020
Snow bunting, Breezy Point, January 22, 2020
As you will see in the first video, the snow buntings were hunting seeds and insects under the rocks, shells and plastic litter on the beach and blended in so much that they were hard to spot. The music is Frédéric Chopin's Waltz in F Major. Op. 34, No. 3, performed by Olga Gurevich.
The Part 2 video shows the bunting working the jetty rocks, plus some others in the dunes looking for food. The music here is also by Chopin, Grande valse brillante in E-flat major, Op. 18, performed by Olga Gurevich, and Ecossaises, Op. 72, No. 3 (#3), performed by Aya Higuchi.
The photos in the slide show and photo grid below were shot on January 15 and 22, 2020.
