Bird News from Patrick Blake
A sudden change in the weather cancelled my initial plans, but I still managed to get out and make the most of the Big Day 2015 fundraiser in Gwangju. Relying solely on public transportation, and birding only within Gwangju city limits, I still managed to spot 51 species despite sub-zero temperatures and intermittent snow showers throughout the day. There were several highlights, as well as notable misses such as Little Egret and Red-flanked Bluetail. Some of the highlights are below:
– Baikal Teal (8) mixed in with other waterfowl at the Gwangju Lake Eco-Park; these were a personal new species for this location
– White’s Thrush (1) at the Gwangju Lake Eco-Park
White’s Thrush Zoothera aurea © Patrick Blake
– Eurasian Sparrowhawk (1) and Eastern Buzzard (1) at Gwangju Lake Eco-Park
– Naumann’s Thrush (1) at Gwangju Lake Eco-Park
– Rustic Bunting (10+) at Gwangju Lake Eco-Park
Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica © Patrick Blake
Habitat at Gwangjuho Lake Eco-Park © Patrick Blake
– Common Shelduck (4) on the Yeongsan River in west Gwangju
– Eurasian Moorhen (2) on the Yeongsan River
– Japanese Quail (2) in the grasses near the Yeongsan River
– five species of buntings were found along the Yeongsan River, the most numerous being Chestnut-eared Bunting (13); other species were Rustic Bunting (1), Yellow-throated Bunting (6), Black-faced Bunting (6 – including one personata individual), and Pallas’s Reed Bunting (7)
Chestnut-eared Bunting Emberiza fucata © Patrick Blake
Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala © Patrick Blake
Pallas’s Reed Bunting Emberiza pallasi © Patrick Blake
Bunting habitat at the Yeongsan River © Patrick Blake
