Today (march 16) started misty and I (Tom Kompier) decided not to go to
Tam Dao, but instead headed for Red River Island, 15 minutes walking from my
home. It was a good choice and the place was full of migrants.
There were many
warblers in the trees, most Yellow-browed, Pallas's Leaf and Blyth's Leaf, with
a Dusky thrown in here and there. Another common bird was Grey-headed
Canary-Flycatcher, but there were also 3-4 Verditer, 2 male Hill Blue, 2 female
and 1 male Hainan Blue and a female Fujian Niltava.
While making my way at the
tip of the peninsula, slowly going through the bushes, I flushed an owl,
clearly Barn/Grass, but with dark underwing coverts, so apparently Grass. But I
could not spend a lot of time on it, as my attention was caught by various
tucking sounds. A beautiful Rufous-tailed Robin and very close by it, a
female-type Lesser Shortwing! The first I had heard singing already, but the
other came as a real surprise. Talking about sculking birds, once 3 and once a
single Barred Buttonquail was not unexpected, but flushing first 2 and later 1
Japanese Quail was. Two Lanceolated Warblers flew from under my feet on two
separate occasions, but showing well when they perched a little further on, and
a Black-browed Reed Warbler was another nice find. The Siberian Rubythroats
where singing a little shyly still, but were common, and both Japanese
'canturians' Bush Warbler and Pale-footed Bush Warblers were singing left and
right. Spring!
A beautiful male Pied Harrier hunted around the island, showing
incredibly well. Two black-eared Kites soared overhead. The two Masked Laughing
Thrushes that have been frequenting the island were still there too. And
leaving I flushed two larks near the foot-bridge. One was clearly Oriental
Skylark, but the other was puzzling, in that it was much lighter in coloration
and had a white trailing edge to the wing. But it hid in the grass and when it
appeared again, it flew off into the distance…
Here is a summary:
Barred Buttonquail 4
Japanese Quail 3
Common Kingfisher
Plaintive Cuckoo
Grass Owl 1
Spotted Dove 2
White-breasted Waterhen
Little Ringed Plover 2
Pied Harrier 1
Black-eared Kite 2-3
White-throated Fantail 1
Blackbird 1
Grey-backed Thrush 3
Verditer Flycatcher 3-4
Fujian Niltava 1
Hainan Blue Flycatcher 3
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
Hill Blue Flycatcher 2
Rufous-tailed Robin 2-3
Siberian Rubythroat 15-20
Lesser Shortwing 1
Red-flanked Bluetail 1
Siberian Stonechat
Daurian Redstart 1
Barn Swallow 2
Red-rumped Swallow 1
Japanese White-eye
Sooty-headed Bulbul
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Light-vented Bulbul
Yellow-bellied Prinia
Plain Prinia
Zitting Cisticola
Japanese Bush Warbler (canturians) 4
Pale-footed Bush Warbler 6
Lanceolated Warbler 2
Black-browed Reed Warbler 1
Common Tailorbird
Dusky Warbler
Pallas's Leaf Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Blyth's Leaf Warbler
Grey-crowned Warbler 3
Masked Laughing Thrush 2
Oriental Skylark 1 (+?)
Paddyfield Pipit
Richard's Pipit
Olive-backed Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
White Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Oriental Greenfinch
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
