Tag Archives: busan

Bird News from Nial Moores.

With mostly light winds and rain overnight on 23^rd and 24^th and for much of the 26th on the 29^th, good numbers of migrants were found during each visit to my local forested park on 24^th, 26^th and 30th, with an especially strong Japanese-flavour.

In addition to all of the local regulars (including stunning views of White-backed, Grey-headed and Japanese Pygmy Woodpeckers and abundant Vinous-throated Parrotbills), about 50 migrant species were logged – with typically widespread (in Korea) migrants like Ashy Minivet and Olive-backed Pipit, and a South Coast-special mix of Sakhalin Leaf Warbler, Grey Thrush, Brown-headed Thrush, Japanese Robin and Narcissus Flycatcher which were all heard and / or seen each of the three visits.

Selected counts are as follow:

• Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia. One on 26^th.
• White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus. Two on 26^th.
• Oriental Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis. One on 26^th.
• Japanese Bush Warbler Horornis diphone. One on 24th.
• Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus. One on 24^th.
• Pale-legged Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus tenellipes. Two in song on 24^th and 26^th.
• Sakhalin Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus borealoides. At least seven on 24^th and ten on 26^th and 30^th, with the vast majority of these singing birds.
• Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus. Six on 24^th and 26^th, and 28 on 30^th.
• Siberian Thrush Geokichla sibirica. On 30^th one cracking adult male davisoni seen well, if briefly; with another (subspecies unknown) glimpsed in flight.

• White’s Thrush Zoothera aurea. Five on 24^th, and singles on 26^th and 30^th.
• Grey-backed Thrush Turdus hortulorum. Twelve on 24^th, five on 26^th and six on 30^th.

• Grey Thrush Turdus cardis. Five on 24^th, three on 26^th and two on 30^th.
• Eye-browed Thrush Turdus obscurus. 15 on 26^th and two on 30^th.

• Brown-headed Thrush Turdus chrysolaus. Two on 24^th, 10-15 on 26^th and 8 on 30^th.
• Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana. Eight on 24^th, three on 26^th and 16 on 30^th. All males were of the Japan-breeding nominate subspecies.

• Siberian Blue Robin Larvivora cyane. Three on 24^th, two on 26^th and four on 30^th.
• Rufous-tailed Robin Larvivora sibilans. Two on 30th, including one singing together with a Siberian Blue and a Japanese Robin…Has anyone else heard three robin species in song together? Was a first for me.
• Japanese Robin Larvivora akahige. Five on 24^th, four on 26^th and two on 30^th (with two of these singing birds apparently in the same territory from mid-April onwards).

• Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina. A minimum 29 on 24^th, 26 on 26^th and 34 on 30^th, with strong evidence of movement through the area provided by concentrations of different birds in different areas, and a much larger proportion of Second Calendar-year males and females on 30^th.

• Mugimaki Flycatcher Ficedula mugimaki. An adult male in song on 30^th.