ML593737351

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Heard insect like vocalizations after observing the Choughs and starting to head back to breakfast. Sounds coming from within a small line of bushes surrounded by fields just uphill of the main road leading East and down the hill from Askole just before it turns at the cliff. Sounds match those submitted to eBird by Andrew Spencer but were more intermittent than that recording. Listened with Hu Hu Dong (who I birded with on the trip) for about 20 minutes to the insect like sounds it was making but the bird never popped up into view and eventually stopped vocalizing. After breakfast I returned to the location and waited an additional 20 minutes until the insect like sounds resumed. I tried to record them on my camera but failed due to lack of knowledge about my camera. After a few minutes, the bird left the bushes it had been in and crossed open fields always on the ground and invisible but while continuing to make intermittent vocalizations. Once across the field, the bird popped up into view and I was able to get a few photographs which I have attached. As with Andrew Spencer, this observation was on terraced agricultural fields. Posted pictures and a description on "The Bird Identification Group of the World" where consensus was that this is the species including concurring by Andrew Spencer who saw the species on June 16th of this year. I was encouraged to submit the observation to eBird. Thanks to the members of that forum for their assistance! In addition to the behavioral characteristics described above, this bird looks nearly identical to the Long-billed Bush Warbler photographed by Andrew Spencer on the bush on June 16th. There is the lighter coloration above the eye with a dark strip running both anterior and posterior to the eye, the lighter chin region with some darker flecks, the largely uniform brown color to the back with slight darkening just before the tail and on the end of the tail while there is white showing under the tail in both the Spencer photograph as well as 6318b of mine. The breast has a gradual transition from brown to lighter brown to lighter coloration. The bill seen on this bird is longer proportionally than that seen on other similar species such as the West Himalayan Bush Warbler, and matches the length seen on other photographs of this species (although in my photos the bird is not singing so the bill is closed). The bird I photographed is turned with the axis of its body facing somewhat away from my position and the head turned towards me in some of the photos. This results in the bird appearing slightly less elongated than if it was positioned purely perpendicular to my view. The more elongated shape can be seen in the photographs where the bird is looking away from me. The legs are distinctly pink in color. In addition, this bird was seen in the Kashmir/Karakoram area in a location and habitat nearly identical to the birds seen in the Naltar Valley. As there has only been a single recent report on eBird from the southern area that the species was seen last century, from the standpoint of species viability, it seems likely that the species inhabits a number of these Karakorum valleys in order to have sufficient numbers for a sustainable population.

Technical information

Model

NIKON D7200

ISO

1000

Focal length

300 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

1605 pixels x 1223 pixels

Original file size

284.5 KB