Bird news from Matt Poll with Heloise Stankard
Mara-do:
1. Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris
2. Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus; two from the ferry
3. Pacific Swift Apus Pacificus
4. Eurasian Magpie Pica pica
5. Great Tit Parus major
6. Far Eastern Skylark Alauda japonica; several remain
7. Barn Swallow Hirundo Rustica
8. Japanese Bush Warbler Horornis diphone
9. Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus
10. White’s Thrush Zoothera aurea; one remains in the woods
11. Grey Thush Turdus cardis; two males in the woods, one female on the rocks
12. Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus
13. Brown-headed Thrush Turdus chrysolaus; three in the woods
14. Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus; still a dozen females
15. Stejneger’s Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri
16. Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitaries
17. Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
18. White Wagtail Motacilla alba
19. Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni; two on the rocks
20. Grey-capped Greenfinch Chloris sinica
21. Yellow-throated Bunting Emberiza elegans
Seogwipo April 12-13
Seogwipo’s parks are buzzing with flycatchers! Cracking male Narcissus Flycatchers were spotted in two riverside parks, with six seen in total. Blue-and-white (5), Asian Brown (3), and Dark-sided (1) Flycatchers were also seen gorging themselves on insects. Also notable in these parks was a freshly-marked Eastern Crowned Warbler, and a Striated Heron on a familiar patch of stream (where I’ve seen Striated Herons overwintering in the past, but not this past winter). A presumably escaped Muscovy Duck was also seen here, with its head and bill structure strongly recalling a Mandarin Duck.
In my neighbourhood, small groups of Ashy Minivets have been heard twice more in the past week, with a single bird spotted circling aimlessly around the area for several days.
Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina. Photo © Matt Poll.
Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana. Photo © Matt Poll.