First real long-distance re-trap from China!

Rustic Bunting, adult female © Arend Heim

During the last four years of the Amur Bird Project we ringed more than 20.000 birds, but so far we received only one medium-distance re-trap of a Long-tailed Rosefinch.
But now, one of the 631 Rustic Buntings that we have ringed was re-trapped in coastal China for the first time. The bird was marked as an adult female 25th September 2013 at Muraviovka Park and was caught by Lao Cui 28th October 2014 1277 km SW at Haigang, Qinhuangdao. Passerine migration routes in East Asia are still poorly understood, so every re-trap is an important piece of the puzzle.

Location of ringing and retrap site of the Rustic Bunting

Big thanks to our Chinese colleagues Lao Cui and Yang Jinguang as well as Magnus Hellström for sending the information about the re-trap!

//Wieland

Northern Grey Shrike

juvenile Northern Grey Shrike sibiricus, 10/2011 © Wieland Heim

During our work at Muraviovka Park we are lucky to get many birds in our hands, that have not been seen by many birders. It can be really hard to find photos of certain plumages, especially juveniles, of some Eastern Palearctic taxa. One of those is the Northern Grey Shrike  Lanius borealis (or excubitor) sibiricus - photos taken during the Amur Bird Project are now featured in a blogpost on the awesome BIRDING MONGOLIA site.

 

//Wieland