tibetbird
New member
Derbyan Parakeet/ Red-billed Starling/ Tibetan Grey Shrike in Lhasa/ Tibet in winter
Hello my dear friends,
I am in Lhasa/ Tibet and doing birdwatching here I recently saw some birds which one would not expect to see here in winter. One is the Derbyan Parakeet, Psittacula derbiana of which I saw a whole flock of probably 40 individuals in the trees in front of Potala Palace. The other is the Red-billed Starling, Sturnus sericeus of which I saw a small murmuration in the Norbulingka Palace gardens. Both one would expect in more southern warmer areas? Checking trip reports and bird lists in the internet it seems these birds seem to have been sighted also by other birders. Are those birds naturally home in Lhasa/ Tibet in winter? Are they escaped cage birds? Is it climate change?
Also I saw a Chinese Grey Shrike/ Tibetan Grey Shrike, Lanius sphenocercus giganteus outside Lhasa at the Lhasa river. Is this supposed to be here? Do the bird range maps have to be redrawn?
For more Tibetan bird pictures see: www.tibetbirds.com
Best, tibetbird
Hello my dear friends,
I am in Lhasa/ Tibet and doing birdwatching here I recently saw some birds which one would not expect to see here in winter. One is the Derbyan Parakeet, Psittacula derbiana of which I saw a whole flock of probably 40 individuals in the trees in front of Potala Palace. The other is the Red-billed Starling, Sturnus sericeus of which I saw a small murmuration in the Norbulingka Palace gardens. Both one would expect in more southern warmer areas? Checking trip reports and bird lists in the internet it seems these birds seem to have been sighted also by other birders. Are those birds naturally home in Lhasa/ Tibet in winter? Are they escaped cage birds? Is it climate change?
Also I saw a Chinese Grey Shrike/ Tibetan Grey Shrike, Lanius sphenocercus giganteus outside Lhasa at the Lhasa river. Is this supposed to be here? Do the bird range maps have to be redrawn?
For more Tibetan bird pictures see: www.tibetbirds.com
Best, tibetbird