Northern tip of Red River Island/ 04-11-2010

The Chestnut-eared Buntings are still at the same place. I always spot them in a tiny square of 30x30m, a mix of reed-bed, isolated thickets and pioneer low vegetation on sand.

This guy is plainer than the ones I saw last week, less marked on the breast. Warm brown head-sides, brown - and not greyish - nape, obvious eye-ring. Probably a 1st winter bird (female ?).

This place has become one of the city "hot spots" for hand-in-hand romantic strolls (Kestrel on the right).

Also this morning, Vinh Tuy Bridge : 80-90+ Kentish Plovers, 5+ Temminck's Stints, 3-4 Common Greenshanks.

Sebastien

Chestnut-eared Buntings / 29-10-2011

Hi all,

Spotted 2 or 3 Chestnut-eared Buntings at the northern tip of the Red River Island, just behind the sandy dunes.

They were feeding on the dry stems of Asters and also on the ground, with a flock of Scaly-breasted Munias.

One day after, I came back to try to get better shots. But I did much worse... Skittish birds, impossible to approach them less than 20 meters.
However, we can see well on those crap pics below the rufous band and the dark streaks on the breast of this male, probably not yet in full winter plumage.

Sebastien