Gageo Island, April 21-22, 2019

Varied Tit Sittiparus varius

Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala

Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala

Yellow Bunting Emberiza sulphurata

Pallas’s Reed Bunting Emberiza pallasi

Stejneger’s Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri

Oriental Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orientalis

Goldcrest Regulus regulus

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

April 21, 2019
  Even with 52 species logged on the day, it felt quite unbirdy. Notable: four Cattle Egrets circled town all day without finding anywhere to settle for long; a Black Wood Pigeon flew over the quarry; a Pechora Pipit on the mossy slab; a personal first Siberian Blue Robin of the spring; an Oriental Reed Warbler that initially confused me with its silence; nine species of bunting, including the Black-headed still, which was spotted higher up in the quarry; a Japanese Grosbeak, and a Chestnut-cheeked Starling with a small flock of Grey-cheeked Starlings.

April 22, 2019
  With the wind coming from the north, nothing new on the bird front today – I’m seeing the same set of birds over and over. The Yellow Bunting in the harbour has been on Gageo for so long, it owns its own fishing boat. Here's hoping tomorrow’s rains come in from the south and bring with them some new birds.
  An Eastern Buzzard with an injured wing is still in the gully; two Siberian Blue Robins and three Yellow-rumped Flycatchers were in the eastern part of 1-Gu; a Grey Thrush and a Chinese Blackbird continue in the old gardens; the almost-tame Black-headed Bunting is still around.
  I went for a nosey up into the hills above the quarry. Not much about, but it was interesting to observe the local tribe of Varied Tits. On my way down, I had my most thrilling avian encounter of the day. I was sitting on a log on a steep section of trail when a Pale Thrush came bombing down the trail, unaware of my presence. It passed within inches of my face as it went, and made a whooshing sound. I even smelled it as it blasted past. What does a Pale Thrush smell like, you may ask? Perhaps one day you will be fortunate enough to find that out for yourself.