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| Asian Stubtail Urosphena squameiceps |
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| Grey (Japanese) Thrush Turdus cardis |
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| Chinese Blackbird Turdus mandarinus |
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| Chinese Blackbird Turdus mandarinus |
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| Brown-headed Thrush Turdus chrysolaus |
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| Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola |
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| Ochre-rumped Bunting Emberiza yessoensis |
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| Yellow Bunting Emberiza sulphurata |
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| Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina (with a rather chunky bill) |
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| Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina |
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| Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa latirostris |
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| Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus |
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| An incongruous trio on the mossy slab |
Back on Gageo! Not much from the Mokpo-Gageo ferry besides some Ancient Murrelets – no Streaked Shearwaters like the ones I saw on the Chuja-Usuyeong ferry on the 17th. While it’s great to be back on Gageo, there have been some negative developments at many of the 1-Gu hotspots familiar to island birders.
The quiet harbour I recall has been replaced by incessant noisy dredging, as well as extensive construction on a massive new concrete jetty. Perhaps to supply this thirst for concrete, a constant theme in Korea, the quarry is no longer dormant. It is operating at full tilt, and the topography is much changed there. There is no longer a wide tract of reedy gravel favoured by species such as Oriental Plover, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Oriental Pratincole, and Little Whimbrels, among many others.
Most upsetting is the seemingly pointless felling of most of the trees in the area next to the school, as well as some of the top half of the gully. Once a shady, flowered refuge for migrating birds, the area is now a sun-bleached wasteland where locals have started dumping their refuse. I don’t begrudge anyone their progress or infrastructure, but it stings to witness pointless destruction of habitat.
The ferry got in at noon, so I did a six-hour scan of 1-Gu in the p.m. to figure out what is kicking about town. Overall, less birdy than Chuja so far, but a similar feel to the composition of migrants.
Highlights: one Cattle Egret in the harbour; two Intermediate Egrets near the mossy slab, seemingly having trouble finding a source of food; someone’s tame leg-banded pigeon is hanging out in the harbour; several Goldcrests above the quarry; six Narcissus Flycatchers; three Ochre-rumped Buntings; one Yellow-breasted Bunting; two Daurian Redstarts at the dump.
April 19, 2019
Gageo was socked-in with fog for the entire morning and most of the afternoon, with 54 species logged over eight hours.
Highlights: two Grey-faced Buzzards; four species of pipit (1 Pechora, 4 Red-throated, 26 Olive-backed, 11 Buff-bellied); one or two Chinese Blackbirds in the old gardens; several Brown-headed and Grey-backed among the more numerous Pale and Dusky Thrushes; small numbers of Dusky and Yellow-browed Warblers; at least 15 Narcissus Flycatchers; one Varied Tit; two Common Rosefinch in the fog above the quarry just after dawn; six Red-billed Starlings; and a Large-billed Crow above town.
Seven species of bunting were counted, including single examples of Yellow-breasted and Japanese Yellow Bunting. Unfortunately, the long strip of weeds and flowers in the main town where I spotted both of these decreasingly-common birds was weed-whacked down to the dirt sometime during the day. It would be helpful if such landscaping work was abstained from during the few weeks of migration season, as any source of refuge and food, even one as seemingly insignificant as a 100-metre strip of grass and flowers, can spell the difference between life and death for exhausted birds fresh in. Perhaps the team of government bird banders could help organize such an education initiative? Why not help preserve bird habitat as well as keeping track of numbers…
Highlights: two Grey-faced Buzzards; four species of pipit (1 Pechora, 4 Red-throated, 26 Olive-backed, 11 Buff-bellied); one or two Chinese Blackbirds in the old gardens; several Brown-headed and Grey-backed among the more numerous Pale and Dusky Thrushes; small numbers of Dusky and Yellow-browed Warblers; at least 15 Narcissus Flycatchers; one Varied Tit; two Common Rosefinch in the fog above the quarry just after dawn; six Red-billed Starlings; and a Large-billed Crow above town.
Seven species of bunting were counted, including single examples of Yellow-breasted and Japanese Yellow Bunting. Unfortunately, the long strip of weeds and flowers in the main town where I spotted both of these decreasingly-common birds was weed-whacked down to the dirt sometime during the day. It would be helpful if such landscaping work was abstained from during the few weeks of migration season, as any source of refuge and food, even one as seemingly insignificant as a 100-metre strip of grass and flowers, can spell the difference between life and death for exhausted birds fresh in. Perhaps the team of government bird banders could help organize such an education initiative? Why not help preserve bird habitat as well as keeping track of numbers…
April 20, 2019
I tested my knees with the long walk up to 2-Gu in the north of the island, a solid two-hour walk (one-way). The long flat stretch in the middle isn’t so bad, it’s the steep bits at either end that shake one’s morale and resolve. On the way: a lone Black Wood Pigeon clacking through a gap between trees; four Blue-and-White Flycatchers; upwards of 25 Narcissus Flycatchers (they were everywhere); and a flock of 11 Yellow-bellied Tits foraging through the treetops.
In among the wind-tormented cliffs of 2-Gu proper, a Japanese Quail, a Pacific Swift, an Eastern Yellow Wagtail, a Eurasian Wryneck, two Grey Thrush, two or three Chinese Blackbirds (!), and eight White-cheeked Starlings. The mostly-abandoned village of Hangri, perched on the cliffs amidst flowers and goats is a place of magic and ghosts, and I sensed them all. What am I on about?
I tested my knees with the long walk up to 2-Gu in the north of the island, a solid two-hour walk (one-way). The long flat stretch in the middle isn’t so bad, it’s the steep bits at either end that shake one’s morale and resolve. On the way: a lone Black Wood Pigeon clacking through a gap between trees; four Blue-and-White Flycatchers; upwards of 25 Narcissus Flycatchers (they were everywhere); and a flock of 11 Yellow-bellied Tits foraging through the treetops.
In among the wind-tormented cliffs of 2-Gu proper, a Japanese Quail, a Pacific Swift, an Eastern Yellow Wagtail, a Eurasian Wryneck, two Grey Thrush, two or three Chinese Blackbirds (!), and eight White-cheeked Starlings. The mostly-abandoned village of Hangri, perched on the cliffs amidst flowers and goats is a place of magic and ghosts, and I sensed them all. What am I on about?
Note: I’m having trouble getting pictures off my phone, so
I’ll have to post all the lovely habitat shots at a later date.
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