Weekend Whitethroat

Hanging out with the uni bird club kids - the coolest folks in Korea

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca

  Late last Saturday, I got news of a Lesser Whitethroat sighting in Busan. Being a fairly mega bird for Korea, I found myself on an early Sunday morning bus before I knew what was happening. At the spot where it was found by a group of university bird club members (perhaps there is hope for Korea), the first bird of note was a smart Long-tailed Shrike. An uncommon bird, and always awesome to observe. A worryingly short distance away from the shrike, the Lesser Whitethroat appeared next to a trail, flitting confidently through the small trees. It was lucky I saw the bird so soon after the initial sighting, as it wasn't seen the following week. Hopefully a recent spell of cold, wet weather is responsible for the absence, and not the lethal-looking shrike.