Socheong Island, May 9-11, 2019

Chinese Thrush Turdus mupinensis

Chinese Thrush Turdus mupinensis

White’s Thrush Zoothera aurea

Japanese Grosbeak Eophona personata

Chestnut-flanked White-eye Zosterops erythropleurus

Chestnut Bunting Emberiza rutila

Rufous-tailed Robin Larvivora sibilans

Lighthouse valley in the sun...

...and in the fog

  On May 9th, I focused on the north of the island and the area around the lighthouse, but the bird of the day was discovered in town. The day ended with 61 species recorded.
  In and around the lighthouse valley, a Chinese Pond Heron, several Common Rosefinch, and what I suspect was a Hume’s Leaf Warbler, but probably best to leaf that one alone. Two Japanese Grosbeaks were spotted along the road to the lighthouse.
  At least four Black-naped Orioles (my Korean spark bird!) were kicking around in the hills, but they’re hard to get close to, or even see…especially for a bird so loud, both visually and vocally. Squadrons of Light-vented Bulbuls patrolled most areas of coastal forest edge. A Eurasian Wryneck was lurking just out of town, and then I found something better.
  In a garden on the edge of town, a spotty thrush flushed up onto a tree limb. When I got the binos onto it, I was stunned to see stark vertical slashes of war-paint across a creamy buff face – Chinese Thrush! This species was first recorded in Korea in 2003…on Socheong, of course, and there are only a handful of Korean records. I got a record shot through the gathering fog, then floated all the way back to my minbak.

  The following day, I recorded 60 species on the island. It was foggy as all get-out for the whole morning, and I walked to the lighthouse valley again. Amazingly, I heard a Chinese Thrush singing there, but could not sight the bird in the pea soup. When I got back to town an hour later, the ‘original’ Chinese Thrush was still in its garden, which means there were at least two, and possibly three (the bird from the 8th was seen in another part of the island altogether) on Socheong.
  The road to the lighthouse held two mysteries. A loud call stopped me in my sodden boots in the late afternoon. It sounded like a barking ape starting a reluctant car engine: wonka chonk chonka…ending with a fading wunk wup wup. Ten minutes later there were three husky dove-like coughs. Oh, and I got some shots of a weird cuckoo that I’ll puzzle through tomorrow.

  A quick loop on my last (sweltering) morning on Socheong produced several new birds: a Daurian Starling, a cracking male White-throated Rock Thrush (typically camera-shy), a flyby Cattle Egret, several Common Kingfishers, and my first Asian Stubtail for the island, but definitely not the first of spring. The Chinese Thrush (I finally put up the better image I got that day) continues in its garden.

  Before leaving, I had to rescue a Rufous-tailed Robin that got trapped in the small ferry terminal. It flew ceiling circuits for five minutes, before tiring and ramming into the window and falling to the floor. I got it in a gentle bander’s grip and released it in a flat area. It flew off looking hale, but who knows. I hope it makes it to where the winds want to take it.