Bird News from Tim Edelsten with Shim Kyu-Sik
Notably on the crossing, 17 Pomarine Skua (including a “flock” of 8), up to 70 Streaked Shearwater, 500+ Black-legged Kittiwake (mostly concentrated in rafts near the island), and 5 Flesh-footed Shearwater.
On the island itself most interesting 4 Pine Bunting at NE point: also a lone rattling Chinese Bulbul and Bluethroat (SKS) at the lighthouse early in the morning. Striking out for the Chinese coast at this time were 8 Little Bunting and a flock of Oriental Turtle Dove heading out over the sea.
Otherwise, 15 Eastern and 3 Upland Buzzard, 4 Spot-billed Duck, 25+ Eastern Great Tit, 10 Brown-eared Bulbul, a Long-tailed Tit, a Peregrine, 2 Common Kestrel (including one mobbing a Buzzard), 12 Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 12 Yellow-browed, 2 Dusky, 1 Korean Bush and 3 Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, a Richard’s Pipit, several Large-billed Crow, the resident Jay, 5 Siberian Stonechat, 5 Daurian Redstart, a Eurasian Skylark, 2 Bull-headed Shrike, 2 Red-flanked Bluetail, 14 Black-faced Bunting (inc. 2 personata), 3 Tristram’s, 2 Yellow-throated and 10 Meadow Bunting.
On the cliffs, 2 Temminck’s were among the many Pelagic Cormorants, and a Mongolian among the many Black-tailed Gulls. :Unfortunately reduced to roadkill were an Oriental Scops Owl and Grey Wagtail.
Scuttling along the roadside, a Tsushima Smooth Skink Scincella vandenburghi.
A very calm sea on the return leg produced c.140 Streaked Shearwater, 10 Pomarine Skua, 7 Flesh-footed Shearwater, c.50 Black-legged Kittiwake, and most unexpected one Short-tailed Shearwater.
View from the lighthouse
Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
Upland Buzzard Buteo hemilasius
Short Tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris
Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus
Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalos