Bird News from Patrick Blake and Melanie Proteau Blake
While on a hike through Mudeungsan National Park, Ms. Melanie Blake and I came onto a truly unexpected bird. We heard a Fairy Pitta (Pitta nympha) singing from one of the mountain valleys. We eventually tracked the bird down to a steep hill near a mountain stream, where, though it remained unseen (despite our best efforts), I was able to capture a recording of the bird singing. This is a personal first for this species in the Gwangju area; the closest I’ve located them in the past has been Jindo.
Other highlights of the day’s outing include:
Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis (1; male flyover)
Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus (2)
Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus (3)
Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus optatus (2)
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus (1)
Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus jotaka (1; singing)
Asian Stubtail Urosphena squameiceps (5)
Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus (1)
White’s Thrush Zoothera aurea (2)
Siberian Blue Robin Larvivora cyane (3)