The Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin!!

June 29th, 2024, Birding @ Wutong Creek Part 2

The next day, I returned to the Wutong Creek Desert, my first time birding in the desert during the day. I started birding at 9 AM in the morning, but it was already burning. It was about 40 degrees Celsius, and as I walked, I felt the sun like a needle, picking at my skin. I was glad that I put on lots of sunscreen and wore long sleeves, or else I couldn't imagine how severe my skin would be burned.

Though Wutong Creek is a desert, the plantation is mainly bushes that can endure heat, and there are still a few large trees, more than I expected.

I walked and walked, actively listening and trying to spot the Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin. The Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin is a distinctive-sandy brown songbird with a tail tipped black and white. It usually jumps in the sand and onto branches in the desert. Its color is very similar to the desert, so it is a little hard to spot. Its song is melodic, and its call sounds like "tek." If you want to spot the Robin in China, you can only find it in Wutong Creek. The Robin is usually distributed in the deserts of northern Africa and the Middle East, such as Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

After two hours of walking under the scorching sun, I finally heard the song of the Robin, and there it was, standing on a bare tree branch, singing happily!