Gageo Island, May 1, 2019

Eyebrowed Thrush Turdus obscurus

Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia

Rufous-tailed Robin Larvivora sibilans

Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis

putative Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina owstoni

"The other" Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla

possible hepatic Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus 

Little Whimbrel Numenius minutus

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa melanuroides
(with a larva it caught by probing in the dirt)

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

  Hot and hazy, and more of the same, bird-wise. Probably time to cut loose and drift back east. ‘Only’ 84 species, with just two new species today – a Common Moorhen in the quarry, and a Great Crested Grebe in the waters off the quarry. Also in the quarry, I found the ‘other’ Taiga Flycatcher, the one with the less vibrant throat, also dead. It had, in bird-banding terms, ‘zero fat.’ That cold snap was brutal. The Common Greenshank that haunted the mossy slab was also found dead today. It was at the base of the main road up the hill, flattened by a vehicle.
  There were noticeably more turdus thrushes above the quarry, with five species recorded, most notably a dozen new Eyebrowed Thrush. More Oriental Reed Warblers have also been noted around town, and they’re finally vocalizing. The past two days have also seen an apparent bump in the numbers of both Blue-and-white Flycatchers and Common Rosefinches. The lone Large-billed Crow still loiters around the dump. Towards the end of my birding day, I puzzled over a flycatcher with a green back and yellowy underparts up on the forested slopes…probably just a female owstoni Narcissus?
  In the old gardens, a hepatic cuckoo flew into a tree, and I’m guessing it’s the Oriental Cuckoo I’ve been hearing in that area for the past several days. A ‘dark’ cuckoo (?) flew by earlier in the day, making a most peculiar eight-note flight call. I recorded myself doing an impression of what I heard, and if anyone wants a good laugh, I can send it your way.