Bird News from Nial Moores
Following an afternoon ferry journey on the 10th (which produced c. 180 Streaked and three Flesh-footed Shearwaters and a single Parasitic Jaeger), I have had the chance to spend a few desk work-interrupted days in the northeast of Baekryeong. In addition to decent numbers of buntings (including single Pine and Ochre-rumped on the 11th, several early Pallas’s Reed and Common Reed, 5-15 Yellow-browed each day, and the first Rustic Buntings on the 12th) and pipits (including low tens of Red-throated and Buff-bellied, and 2-5 Pechora Pipits each day), notable counts/ species have included 45+ Richard’s Pipit on the 11th; and 300+ Olive-backed Pipit, 400+ Brambling and a high-flying Greater Spotted Eagle on the 12th.
Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza chrysophrys © Nial Moores
Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi © Nial Moores
Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni © Nial Moores
Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga © Nial Moores
On 13th, best were a single Far Eastern Curlew, a probable Northern Great Tit (seen only in flight with two Eastern Greats, flying right at me before disappearing into cover – when the underparts looked bright yellow compared with the buff-grey underparts of the other two birds), several more incoming flocks of Brambling and Eurasian Siskin and at least two Far Eastern Cisticola on active migration. Although this species breeds on Baekryeong, there are no records at all yet from north of the inner border of Korea.
Brambling Coelebs montifringilla © Nial Moores
Far Eastern Cisticola Cisticola (jundicis) brunniceps © Nial Moores