First little bunting sighting in Hertfordshire for 15 years

The bird was recently recorded at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust’s Stanborough Reedmarsh Nature Reserve in Welwyn Garden City.

It is the first time the scarce visitor from Russia has been recorded in Hertfordshire since 2007, when it was spotted at Amwell, near Ware.

Prior to that, there are just two other records of the bird being sighted in the county.

Little bunting is a small and compact bunting, with a short, slim tail, a reddish-brown head, and a heavily streaked, warm brown back with white, streaked underparts.

The majority of sightings of little bunting in the UK are recorded during autumn, but this appears to be one of an increasing number to be found in winter finch and bunting flocks.

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Local bird ringer, Keith Dean, who discovered the bird, said: “Whilst carrying out one of my regular ringing sessions at Stanborough Reedmarsh, I was very pleasantly surprised to find a little bunting in the mist net that I had put up as part of an ongoing study targeting over-wintering reed buntings at Stanborough Reedmarsh.

“At first, I was not 100% certain about what I had caught but, straight away, I could see it was different to the reed buntings and a lot smaller.

"As soon as I had extracted the bird from the net, it became clear it was something very special and it was soon obvious that I was holding a little bunting.

"I took it to the ringing station for further study and to take all its biometrics, before ringing and photographing the bird, prior to releasing it."

Bird ringing involves catching birds, securing a small metal ring around one of their legs, and recording data that includes the bird's species, age, sex, wing length, weight and any moult that is observed.

Keith continued: "The rings have a unique number inscribed on them, allowing that particular bird to be identified if it is caught again in the future.

"This helps us to generate information on the survival, productivity and movements of birds, plus it provides us with a better understanding of why bird populations are changing.”

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Stanborough Reedmarsh Nature Reserve – where the little bunting was discovered – is the third-largest reedbed in Hertfordshire. 

A quiet and rich wildlife haven, it is to be found at the farthest end of Stanborough Lakes. The reserve is composed of willow woodland, riverbank and fine reed marsh.

Within Hertfordshire, reedbed habitat is rare, covering only about 20 hectares – the equivalent of about 37 football pitches – across the county.

Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust increased this from just 12 hectares through dedicated work across the region in the early 2000s, as part of a nationwide project to prevent bitterns – a member of the heron family – becoming extinct.

The little bunting’s cousin, the reed bunting, is much more commonly found on the Stanborough site, where, during the winter, it gathers in numbers to roost.

To find out more about Stanborough Reedmarsh Nature Reserve visit www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/stanborough-reedmarsh