Vernal Grumblings II – Gangneung, March 8-10, 2019

Koreas, now and then

Part of a huge cloud of (mostly) Black-headed Gulls, put up by an Eastern Buzzard

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata

Falcated Duck Anas falcata

Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus

Red-billed Starling Spodiopsar sericeus, with two White-cheeked Starling Spodiopsar cineraceus (look for white rumps and unspotted wings)

Japanese Wagtail foraging
(Note: videos play clearer on the second play)

  Smoggy and mild on the Namdae River on March 8th, with more signs of the seasonal change that is slowly spooling up. Two Great-crested Grebes attired in smart breeding plumage were already engaging in their gentle courtship dance. A pair of Falcated Ducks foraged mid-river – my first sighting of a breeding-plumaged male in Gangneung (at least I have no problem IDing those, ha ha). Only a handful of Eurasian Coots left at the river mouth, and nearby, several Pallas’s Reed Buntings, most on their way towards breeding plumage. There was a bump in PRB numbers a couple of weeks back. Still large numbers of Black-headed Gulls (700+), with some showing the first signs of their namesake breeding hoods. 

  The following day at Gyeongpo Lake, a full circuit of my favoured spots turned up 46 species in three hours. Finally, a day with no smog! It’s a grim state of affairs when a day of breathable air is something to write home about. The air quality in Korea wasn’t anywhere near this horrific just a few short years ago, not even close. Whinge whinge whinge.
  Large numbers of Common Pochard (650+) were crowding up on the lake, with overflow spilling out onto ancillary waterways. Got good looks at a Ring-necked Pheasant while searching for a vanishing Dusky Thrush. No sign of last week’s Japanese Bush Warbler, perhaps there were too many noisy park visitors in its formerly quiet corner of the park. It did seem to be an exceedingly shy and skulky bird.
  Grey-capped Greenfinch were seen to be flocking up more than earlier in winter, with a group of 60+ being the largest. A lone Hawfinch confused me for several minutes, until I secured a brief view of its stonking great big bill. A ripple of at least 110 Far Eastern Skylark over the fields seemed geographically restless.

  I walked the river on March 10th, and was met with stout wind and fresh air in the morning that succumbed to showers and, you guessed it, smog in the afternoon. The river had risen noticeably from just two days earlier, most likely swollen with snowmelt.
  A pair of Mandarin Ducks was sighted on the stretch near my house, and was shortly followed by a pair of Falcated Ducks. Two Long-billed Plovers were also notable on this section of river. A flight of at least 90 Red-billed Starlings wheeled along the river with two White-cheeked Starlings folded in. I spotted them at a point about 45 minutes (on foot) away from my neighbourhood – I guess that’s where they’ve gone! Perhaps there are more fruit trees around there, as the ones in my area have been pretty well eaten out.
  Common Gull numbers were way down, from hundreds last month to just a handful. The ranks of Black-headed Gulls, on the other hand, have more than doubled in just two days, with a conservative count of 2,100 near the river’s mouth.
  Hmm, I haven’t seen any Northern Lapwings since February 23rd.