East Busan, April 6-7

Bird News from Nial Moores

With heavy rain on the 5th until the late afternoon of the 6th, an arrival of spring migrants was eagerly anticipated.

rs-yellowbellyDSC01047Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus © Nial Moores: 40-45 counted – making this the commonest tit in the park!

rs-greythrush-DSC00981Grey Thrush Turdus cardis © Nial Moores. One of five recorded on 6th and 7th.

rs-blueandwhiteDSC00953Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana © Nial Moores. Three on the 7th.

rs-asianbrown-DSC01055Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa latirostris © Nial Moores. Three on the 7th.

rs-tristramsbunting-DSC00848Tristram’s Bunting Emberiza tristrami © Nial Moores. Always skulking, there were 6-10 in the park on 6th and 7th.

rs-greybunt-DSC00912Grey Bunting Emberiza variabilis © Nial Moores. Absent in this park  throughout the winter, small groups of this extreme skulker were found in two different areas on 6th and 7th.

In 4-5 hours on the 6th and 11 hours on the 7th, spring arrivals in the local park included: 15+ Streaked Shearwater on the 6th; single Grey-faced Buzzard on the 6th and 7th; 20+ Pacific Swift on the 7th (with the personal first of the year noted here on March 30th); 1-2 Bohemian and 20+ Japanese Waxwings on the 7th; a staggering 40-45 Yellow-bellied Tit in the area covered on the 6th and 7th (although probably 20-30 were present here into January this number had fallen to singles in March.  First recorded in Korea in 2005, this was easily the commonest tit species encountered in the half of the park counted on 6th and 7th!); single Light-vented Bulbul (although one over-wintered in the park this was in a new area and therefore might well have been a new arrival);  single Barn Swallow on the 6th increasing to a dozen or so on the 7th; 1-2 Red-rumped Swallow on the 7th; single Korean Bush Warbler on the 7th; a total of 18  Asian Stubtail on 6th and 7th; two Eastern Crowned Warbler on the 6th and four on the 7th; 2-3 White’s Thrush on the 6th; single Grey-backed Thrush on the 6th and 2-3 on the 7th; two Grey Thrush on the 6th and at least three (all in one tree, being chased off by the rather more numerous Pale Thrush) on the 7th; single Chinese Blackbird on the 6th (with one also seen here on February 23rd); two Brown-headed Thrush on the 7th; three Asian Brown and three Blue-and-white Flycatchers on the 7th; single Narcissus Flycatcher on the 6th; single Siberian Blue Robin on the 6th with two on the 7th; separate single Japanese Robin on the 6th and 7th;  single Eastern Yellow Wagtail on the 6th; a half-dozen Brambling and Eurasian Siskin on 7th; and 3-5 Tristram’s (including one singing) and 2-3+ Grey Buntings on both 6th and 7th.

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