Rare sighting of 'very special' little bunting

Keith Dean spotted and recorded the sighting of the little bunting

A "very special" rare sighting of a little bunting bird has been recorded at a nature reserve for the first time in 15 years.

The small bird - a "scarce visitor from Russia" - was found in Amwell, near Ware, Hertfordshire, the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT) said.

It was spotted and caught, for ringing, by Keith Dean at Stanborough Reedmarsh Nature Reserve.

There have been just two other records of the bird in the county, it added.

Keith Dean secured a small metal ring round one of the birds legs

The little bunting is a small and compact member of the bunting family, with a short, slim tail, a reddish-brown head and a heavily streaked, warm brown back with white, streaked underparts, it said.

They are mostly recorded in autumn, but are not regarded by the RSPB as a British bird because they do not breed here and are only an occasional visitor.

"This appears to be one of an increasing number to be found in winter finch and bunting flocks," the HMWT added.

Ringing of a bird's leg helps provide data about its age, sex, weight and more

Mr Dean said that during a regular ringing sessions the reserve he 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 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," he said.

"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. "

He took it for further study where it was photographed and had its biometrics taken, before it was released back into the wild, he said.

The British Trust for Ornithology describes the little bunting as a "scarce visitor from Russia"

Data on the ring includes the bird's species, age, sex, wing length, weight and any moult that is observed.

It helps to generate information on the survival, productivity and movements of birds, and provides a better understanding of why bird populations are changing, the trust said.