tmichael

Very much echoing kmike's thoughts: great bird in its natural range and out of it, and just shows the potential for continued additions to the HK List.

All the same, keep looking for those wheatears!!

Mike Turnbull

tmichael

Having just said the above I assume the upper mandible shape can be considered normal.

It looks consistently a bit abnormal in all the shots.

Mike Turnbull

tmichael

But were the origins of this extra-limital traced?

We need the isotope evidence, the stuff they used with the Marbled Teals ;-)


Mike Turnbull

tmichael

No problem, John. I was informed of the development and no objection from me was raised.

It's their role to divine these things, and ensure some kind of consistency, not mine.

Still, if that isotope information had been available in that case...

Mike Turnbull

tmichael

Paul is right of course. Although it is frequently said that this procedure can be used "track" migratory birds (and bats, and butterflies, and maybe other migratory creatures for all I know), it really just allows the origins of the bird etc to be identified, not everywhere it has been in the days leading up to its discovery. It can't thus be used to tell whether a vagrant passerine for example has been assisted on its journey, either through capture or through hitching a ride on a ship.

And I certainly don't think this bird was ship-assisted!

In fact I really wish I'd been able to get out to see it - it's a species I've seen in Asia (certainly in Turkey, and maybe Kashmir, along with things like Little Bittern, European Bee-eater and Golden Oriole) but not in China, nor HK, obviously.

There must be a lot more possible additions to come out of the far west of China/Central Asia, and October seems to be the month they're going to turn up in.

Mike Turnbull