Gavin Vella

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Reed Bunting

It's got to be said, the Reed Bunting is a fairly hardy bird! Below is a striking looking female and our new visitor to the feeding station at Llandegfedd. They are present all year around at Llandegfedd, though still undergo local movement in the winter to warmer, often lowland areas. That said, Reed Buntings can be found in all sorts of habitats, their typical habitat is Wetland and Moorland but have recently branched out and are quite commonly found in and around farmland. In winter, we're even starting to see Reed Buntings turn up to peoples Gardens. Even though they are an amber listed species, I personally think we'll start to see more of these birds for these reasons alone. This broadening of breeding habitat isn't happening for every species in the Uk however and some are really struggling. Not all birds like the Reed Bunting are able to jump breeding habitat because certain species have stricter dietary needs. Being able to eat both insects and seeds gives this Reed Bunting a fighting chance, especially if we start to see them on our feeders more often.