Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in fields of gold....
- Fields of Gold - Sting
Corn buntings or "fat birds of the barley" as they are fondly called are farmland birds, found mainly in cereal growing areas of Europe, where they nest on the ground, typically in thick grass or cereal crops. In days gone by the word ‘bunting’ was used endearingly to describe a plump person. It is easy to see how this word was garnered for the bird whose fat looking stature epitomised the word.
Once upon a time its "jangling of the keys" song filled the Spanish landscape. But changes in the production of cereal crops - the timings of harvesting and changes to crop species – as well as the removal of hedgerows to make space for more crops and increased use of pesticides has led to a decrease in the available foods and habitats. Although it can still be seen in fair numbers in Spain, its numbers have declined dramatically in England where and it is on a red list.
Corn Bunting
Sony A77ii
Tamron 150-600
f/6.3, 1/1000s, ISO500, 600mm
Llieda Steppes, Catalonia, Spain
May 2018