beidaihe, china, 7th Oct (1 Viewer)

[James Lowther]

hello all,
some puzzlers taken by Inna Smith when we were at Beidaihe last month.
first lot, this gull gave a very brief flyby, initial impression was immature relict gull, checking Inna's photos 1 month later i'm afraid that might be correct... views untickable by my standards and didn't see any others in china!
James

 

[rockfowl]

Its a Relict James.

 

[James Lowther]

Next up some buntings!!

another one that i think got away - is this a japanese reed bunting? I would have thought this was a pallas's at the time (there were a lot around) and can't tick a bid i don't remember seeing!
James

 

[rockfowl]

Next up some buntings!!

another one that i think got away - is this a japanese reed bunting? I would have thought this was a pallas's at the time (there were a lot around) and can't tick a bid i don't remember seeing!
James

Yes it is.

 

[James Lowther]

more buntings, these are all pallas's i think? or maybe the 4th is a japanese as well?

 

[James Lowther]

2 more buntings

think the first is black-faced, and the second....? i don't know, tristram's? yellow-browed?

james

 

[James Lowther]

shorebirds next..

think these are far-eastern curlew and curlew sandpiper?

the latter harder in asia i think as eastern dunlin have longer bills

 

[James Lowther]

first set nice male dusky thrush hopping around in the friendship hotel.. but is there any naumann's hybrid influence evident?
no. 4 i'm 99% sure is a yellow-browed for a number of reasons, but how do you rule out two-barred on this type of view.
last one some sort of toad - sure could figure this out myself but maybe someone can save me the effort!..

 

[James Lowther]

first one hobby, second amur falcon??

 

[rockfowl]

more buntings, these are all pallas's i think? or maybe the 4th is a japanese as well?

Pallas's

 

[rockfowl]

2 more buntings

think the first is black-faced, and the second....? i don't know, tristram's? yellow-browed?

james

Black-faced and I'll think about it..

 

[rockfowl]

first set nice male dusky thrush hopping around in the friendship hotel.. but is there any naumann's hybrid influence evident?
no. 4 i'm 99% sure is a yellow-browed for a number of reasons, but how do you rule out two-barred on this type of view.
last one some sort of toad - sure could figure this out myself but maybe someone can save me the effort!..

Dusky Thrush, pure by the looks. How are you ruling out a mandelli Hume's? not a Two-barred.

I'd have to look up the Toad, I know it but cant remember the scientific name.

 

[rockfowl]

first one hobby, second amur falcon??

Agreed

 

[James Lowther]

mark,
thanks for the painful confirmation on the first two...3

and nice to know it's not just beginners who struggle with stripey-headed buntings!

james

 

[James Lowther]

Dusky Thrush, pure by the looks. How are you ruling out a mandelli Hume's? not a Two-barred.

I'd have to look up the Toad, I know it but cant remember the scientific name.

nice to know the thrush looks pure... i'm ruling out mandelli by not considering it in the first place.

there's a checklist of birds of beidaihe i used to annotate my copy of Brazil and hume's wasn't listed, but the checklist might predate the split i guess.

thinking about it i did see a "yellow-browed" with an almost orange buff wingbar and greyish crown in beijing

oops!
James

 

[James Lowther]

Any advance on the shorebirds or flying bunting?

 

[rockfowl]

Any advance on the shorebirds or flying bunting?

Far Eastern, looks like a Curlew Sand, general proportions but some sakhalina Dunlin are very long billed. The flying bunting appears to have a pale rump.... Pallas's.

 

[James Lowther]

cheers Mark