Spring Break Update – Week 3

Week 3 started with pouring rain fortunately the Sunday(27th April) looked bit OK with early morning showers and then remaining cloudy. It was constantly drizzling till i left XiaoYangshan in the late afternoon. Plenty of Buntings on the move especially Tristram’s n Yellow-browed Buntings. I have seen Black-faced Buntings singing three weeks before, a male in-front of the garbage dump yard is no exception.

I’m Available

Buntings are one of those very antsy birds but this time i felt something wrong with them. Yes, They were not afraid of me, the buntings posed for me which was little uncomfortable me. It was a glorious moment when i spent up close with a Yellow-browed Bunting flock.

Yellow mascara

And a Black mascara

Brown-headed Thrushes were the majority among the Eye-browed, Japanese and Pale Thrush. Eastern Crowned Warblers were also in many no’s compared to my last week visit.

White fringed Tertials!!!

Long supercilium

Same as above 😉

Asian Brown, Narcissus, Blue and White Flycatchers were the only muscicapini members. Although the exotic member who put up a nice show was a “Rufous-faced Warbler“. As a result of the murky weather, there was no single photographer were seen including those who were trying to seek attention for whatever their “Godly act” to save birds of China.

Ping-pong ball with a tail extension

I left XiaoYangshan at about 2.30 to see what Nanhui is upto. As usual the studio had their people lined up against the bushes. Nothing special, as they are the same birds from last weekend. The day was however dominated by the massive no of swallows, this is the third time in a row, i have witnessed this amount of swallows flying at the same Holiday Inn Hotel, that place is a real mystery apart from breaking down Kevin’s car not once but twice. Picking out few Red-rumped Swallows and Fork-tailed Swifts was not that difficult. Nothing much of a new species and when i was thinking of awarding the bird of the day to the “Rufous-faced Warbler”, couple of pipits flew right across me and they were not looking dull green. When i saw them through my bin, well, there comes my lifer of the day, the elegant “Pechora Pipit” perched right infront of me briefly showing his excellent breeding plumage. All is well, lifer at the end of the day.

Check my breeding colors

Other pictures from the day.

Near breeding plumage

Blu!

I’m in breeding plumage too

Not in the studio

Species List: