Doomsmog, Railfail, and the Granny Bus: Gangneung, November 12-18, 2018

Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus

Northern Pintail Anas acuta

Common Pochard Aythya ferina

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major

Far Eastern Skylark Alauda japonica

Far Eastern Skylark Alauda japonica

Chinese Grosbeak Eophona migratoria 

Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris

Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris

Gyeongpo Lake

The dreaded tokebis (goblins)

All aboard the cheerful granny bus

38 in a sea of filth (from “Asia Air Quality” app)

  It’s been a smoggy week, but at least Gangneung seems to have been spared the worst of it, especially compared to Seoul. But still, ew. Currently working on building my own air purifier – the parts set me back about 35$, which is a steal compared to the 200$ they charge for the shiny store-bought ones (it’s just a fan in a box with a filter at one end, folks).
  Personal firsts for Gangneung this week included Gadwall and a Glaucous Gull at Gyeongpo Lake on the 17th, and a Siberian Accentor along the river on the 18th. Waterfowl diversity and numbers are building with each passing day – let’s see if a North American rarity shows up this year on the lake.
  On the morning of the 15th, I had another wander around the fields near the airbase. It was one of those mornings where the sun always seemed to be in my eyes, and all birds were silhouetted, all the time. It was in such challenging light conditions that I spotted a lone starling on the wires – Common Starling! Not so common in Korea. Then it was more hard luck with flocks of nervous Far Eastern Skylarks flushing from far off. At one point, a noticeably smaller lark was seen among such a flock. Sigh.
  When the birding was done, I ended up in a nowhere-town again, and there were no cabs in sight. I walked back last time, but didn’t want to expend the leg energy, or the 90 minutes needed for the trip, so I waited at the loneliest bus stop in the world. After a 20-minute doze in the sun, a little bus chugged around the corner and moaned to a stop. The driver basically said it would get me home…after the scenic tour of the surrounding farm villages. Sweet! Other than me, the bus was peopled with a chatty squad of Korean rural grannies and their colourful bindles. These amicable old ladies are tougher than anyone reading this – they’ve been down a few roads, and helped build Korea into what it is today – the nation owes them a lot.
  On the 17th, Youngwhan was there to witness me getting fooled by a skulky juvenile Moorhen, near the Water Rail ditch from last week. I was temporarily sold on the fact that it was the same bird, and I displayed an embarrassing degree of ardor. Railfail! I'll find it again.
  The following day, I walked the river and lake, which took all morning. On the river, I spied a distant ‘necklaced’ plover that was seen from extreme distance, in poor light, and a better angle could not be had from my side of the river. Probably Long-billed. In related news, Common Ringed Plover, rare in the Korean context, are apparently recorded with some regularity along the Namdaechon in winter. Something to keep alert for.
 When I was almost done for the day, I bumped into a friend of Youngwhan’s, and the three of us ended up checking out the scrubby, 'old-fashioned' fields between Gangneung and Yangyang. Loads of Far Eastern Skylarks (I…think?) about, and got better looks due to being in a vehicle. One impressive flock held well over 100 birds. The day felt unbirdy on the whole, so I was surprised when the list for the day almost hit 50.
  Picked up a copy of Mark Brazil’s new regional offering, Birds of Japan. Maybe I’ll have some thoughts on it in a bit, still sizing it up.