Igidae, Busan, October 19

Bird News from Nial Moores

 

Eight hours at Igidae (from 0645) under clear skies with light winds failed to relocate the presumed Northern Great Tit seen on the 16^th. Numbers of Eastern Great Tit were much reduced (c. 60 feeding in total, and another 30 or so watched towering and heading out to sea). However, the birds that were present included one with a distinctive pale yellow blush on the underparts, and a slightly stronger green tone to the upperparts (this in direct comparison with several other Eastern Great Tit in the same tree). As this bird was otherwise clearly an Eastern Great Tit, this either is toward the extreme end of brightness (being pretty much as yellow-washed as any I have seen in more than two decades) or much less plausibly (considering the rarity of hybrids of these taxa, especially relative to their total populations) a hybrid Eastern x Northern.

 

Although tit numbers were down the area remains birdy, with the Long-tailed Shrike still (with an increasingly ragged-looking tail), 3-4 Bull-headed Shrike, the personal first Daurian Jackdaw (one in with 55 Rook), Buff-bellied Pipit (2-3) and Rustic Bunting (2) of the autumn, several groups of Eurasian Siskin through, and c. 500 Brown-eared Bulbul south in six different flocks . Further outstanding highlights included single Amur Falcon, Purple Heron and Rough-legged Buzzard (the latter two species my personal first in Busan) in addition to another “odd” rather small, oddly-proportioned buzzard with extensive whitish primary bases, and a strongly rufous-orange toned tail with paler base and broader sub-terminal band. Great urban birding!

 

Eastern Great Tit with faintly yellow underparts. Image © Nial Moores.
 

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach. Image © Nial Moores.
 

Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus. Image © Nial Moores.
 

Brown-eared Bulbul Microscelis amaurotis. Image © Nial Moores.
 

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea [really, it is]. Image © Nial Moores.