Ochang, Morning

After eight blissful hours of urgently needed sleep, I woke up at six, keen to explore. With over an hour til sunrise, I had plenty of pre-birding time to get my bearings (all the maps I brought were electronic and I managed to not bring power adaptors). Knowing that one street from the crossroads held a park, I managed to try two before getting it right the third time. However, I did see more Vinous-throated Parrotbills, E Great Tits,

Tree Sparrow and my first Brown-Eared Bulbul on the second attempt, so not all bad.

On the third road, I saw a Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, which was very small and cute, not much bigger than a Great Tit.

The park turned out to be way better than hoped. Much less sanitised than a lot of Korean Parks, with trails up onto a mountain top, and thanks to the foot or so of snow on tthe ground, just me and the birds.

The first new birds were a flock of around 50 Brambling (a UK species I haven't seen), loads of Yellow-throated/Elegant Buntings.

Next lifer was a flock of 10 or more Pallas's Rosefinch, the females looking rather like House Finches and the males a beautiful pinky-red head and breast. There were also several Bullfinches in the same area (a different subsp. to at home, having a grey breast). After that I headed up the hill, finding a male Daurian Redstart to photograph, Long-tailed and Marsh Tits, a Greater Spotted Woddpecker, and a Eurasian Nuthatch, and at the top point I reached, a SIberian Accentor was scrounging with the Buntings.

 

At that point, it was an hour til I was due to leave my room, so I headed back bat was able to get great views of a Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

 and a brief view of a Grey-headed Woodpecker flying away from me. So a morning hoping to see a couple of new birds brought seven (and a Buff-bellied/American Pipit on the way home too)!