Sunday, June 23, 2013

A weekend filled with Japanese Paradise Flycatchers

Hopefully this habitat will remain relatively undisturbed
female Black Paradise Flycatcher (Japanese Paradise Flycatcher) Terpsiphone atrocaudata
female Black Paradise Flycatcher (Japanese Paradise Flycatcher) Terpsiphone atrocaudata
female Black Paradise Flycatcher (Japanese Paradise Flycatcher) Terpsiphone atrocaudata
male Black Paradise Flycatcher (Japanese Paradise Flycatcher) Terpsiphone atrocaudata
male Black Paradise Flycatcher (Japanese Paradise Flycatcher) Terpsiphone atrocaudata
Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus chick
Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia
Bird news from Matt Poll and Mike Balfour
Jeju Island, June 23, 2013
  It is great to be back on Jeju, although a lot of construction/destruction has been going on over the past two years. At a site on Halla’s southern slope formerly home to Fairy Pitta, noisy construction to widen a path for ‘Olle trail’ hikers, coupled with an idiotic speaker blaring music in a once peaceful forest were the only sounds heard today. Nearby, thankfully there remains a quiet corner of habitat still productive for Japanese Paradise Flycatcher, with two males seen squabbling, while a female was quite confiding. It came to within ten feet of us, calmly watching the watchers for several amazing minutes. Also seen in this area were a female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, a noisy Peregrine Falcon, Yellow-throated Bunting, plentiful Japanese White-eye and Grey-capped Greenfinch, several Lesser Cuckoo, a White Wagtail, Long-tailed Tits, and several comically clumsy Common Pheasant chicks. 
 Back in Seogwipo’s harbour, a stately Pacific Reef Egret stalked prey surprisingly close to a large number of tourists.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Shorebird flock at Yubu-do

 
Dawn at Yubu Island
  I've been busy settling back in on the singular Jeju Island. It's been quiet as far as birds go, but I did hear a Fairy Pitta (!!) calling outside my window last week, which is promising. Probably on its way to nearby hills. Temporary lack of a vehicle and near-daily rain have so far meant I haven't been able to snoop around some of my secret Pitta/Para-Fly valleys, but I'm hoping that will soon change.
  This video was taken in mid-May at Yubu-do, a surreal little island off Gunsan, while on a mission to see how many critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpipers were about. We saw several, which is impressive when you consider that there are perhaps only 150 individuals left worldwide. This year's Birdathon was especially meant to help raise money and awareness for Spoonies. http://www.birdskorea.org/Support_us/BK-SU-Birdathon-2013.shtml 
  I have a large backlog of photos and reports from my amazing spring in the Yellow Sea, I'm hoping to properly sort through it and post it up soon.