Reed Bunting photographed at Corbiere [COR] on 26/1/2015 Photo: © Rod Ferbrache (visit site)

The Reed Bunting's breeding range stretches from Western Europe to Japan. It is one of the most widespread of the European buntings. It is common and abundant to the north of Spain and Italy but occurs sporadically further south. It is absent from much of the Mediterranean zone. Northern populations are mostly migratory, birds from Scandinavia wintering in France and northern Italy. In Guernsey, it has never been common and has, at times, been an extreme vagrant. It is now a fairly common passage migrant and sporadic breeding species.

There have been very few historical records of Reed Bunting in the Bailiwick and, prior to the 1950s, Reed Buntings were an extreme vagrant to the islands. This scarcity is unlikely to be due to under recording given the amount of hunting and the interest in taxidermy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Smith does not have an entry for it and Dobson only lists four records from Guernsey and none from Sark or Alderney.

The first Bailiwick record is from near the Ivy Castle in December 1865 and 1873. There is a large gap before the next Guernsey record which was of a pair at the Château des Marais on October 27 1949 and a single bird at the Vale Pond on November 3, 1949.

The annual reports in the Transactions for the years 1950 to 1968 list only a few records but, in 1953, Ted Enevoldsen wrote to Colin Carey 'it would not be surprising to find this species breeding in the Island some day.' During this time Reed Buntings became a regular autumn migrant and winter visitor although the increase in records is poorly documents - Reed Buntings are only mentioned in the annual reports in 1953, 1957, 1964 and 1967. In 1967, a group of 30 were seen by Jim Enticott at Port Soif during October. This remains the largest concentration seen on Guernsey.

As Ted Enevoldsen predicted, Reed Buntings first bred in Guernsey in 1967. These birds were discovered breeding at the St Sampson's Marais by Tony Bisson and since then Reed Buntings have bred irregularly in the marshes around Guernsey at reedbed sites such as the Vale Marais, Grande Pré, La Claire Mare and St Sampson's Marais. The number of breeding pairs has never been large and the total population at its peak during this time was probably around five pairs. Although not censused each year, the approximate number of breeding pairs can be extracted from the monthly GBN. Although a very approximate estimate, the number of pairs increased to the late 1970s and then stayed stable to the early 1990s before declining. These figures must be treated with caution as observer effort has varied greatly over time. For example, during the early period a ringing station was operating at the St Sampson's Marais but regular ringing did not take place at the Grands Marais until the 1980s. However the habitat at the St Sampson's Marais has degraded over this period whereas that at La Claire Mare has improved.

In the early 1990s, birds regularly held territories at three sites - the Vale Pond, Grandes Marais / Grand Pré and La Claire Mare. Up to 1999, the last confirmed breeding attempt took place in 1992 at La Claire Mare and the Grands Marais/Grands Pré. The following year, 1993, all three sites were occupied by singing males but in 1994, Reed Buntings were only present at the Claire Mare in June. This is the last June record to date and since then the records indicated in the table below refer to birds in spring but which do not stay to breed.

The graph showing the weekly distribution of records in Guernsey graphically illustrates this. Between 1993-199*, small numbers are recorded in winter but numbers are swelled in March and April by spring migrants. Some birds remain until May but very few stay until June and none since 1994. In 1995, Medland wrote in the annual report that 'La Claire Mare ... it is also probably the last breeding site for Reed Buntings.'

The reason for the Reed Bunting's demise is unknown. Recent management in the island's reedbeds has been aimed to restoring wetter conditions and this type of habitat may not be suitable for Reed Buntings. It is noticeable that Reed Buntings were once a regular breeding species at La Grande Mare but the drainage and subsequent development of what was the largest remaining wetland area in Guernsey removed it as a breeding species. The record of a bird at the Rue des Bergers Nature Reserve in May 1997, suggests that Reed Buntings may recolonise the area. This is indeed the case in all the islands' reedbeds. The island only ever supported a very small population which was probably never self-sustaining and maintained by the regular influx of spring migrants as seen between 1993-1998.

Outside the breeding season, Reed Buntings are a regular spring and autumn migrant in the islands. In autumn, there is a distinct peak in the number of records from the middle of October to the end of November. These passage birds tend to be recorded away from wet areas and are concentrated along coastal headlands; most records, inevitably, are from Pleinmont but birds are also recorded in other coastal areas, often in mixed-species finch flocks. Smaller numbers are also found in the island's marais and other wet areas in autumn. In recent years, very few (less than 5-10 birds) have remained to winter although when the breeding population was higher birds regularly wintered in marshy areas (GBN). Since 1993, records away from marshes have included Fort le Crocq, Miellette, Mont Heraut, Rocquaine, Portinfer and Pleinmont.

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