Feet Wet

Warbling White-eye Zosterops japonicus

Rufous-tailed Robin Larvivora sibilans

Black (Japanese) Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone atrocaudata

Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus

Tree Sparrow Passer montanus

Eurasian Magpie Pica pica

Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis

Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis

Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha

Stink Bug sp?

My frothing rabies science fair volcano shoes, what a caper

Samseonghyeol, Shinsan Neighbourhood Park, Jeju City, May 5, 2023

  Whoops, woke up and I’m on Jeju Island, South Korea once again. Carpe diem…mumble mumble…zugunruhe…something something.

  It’s been profoundly rainy here on Korea’s largest island. Got rained out yesterday, and today’s birding plans with a buddy were also scuppered at the last minute, due to the torrential downpours. I just glared at the rain out the window, “Will I or won’t I”-ing. Then I threw on my poncho (Glad I packed it last minute!) and headed out towards a couple of parks north of Jeju City Hall. Not great photography conditions – sky-high ISO, no light, and rain on every bit of exposed glass, whenever I whapped the optics out from under the poncho. As usual, I’ve forgotten all my Korean bird calls and songs, if I ever knew them.

  Numerous Rufous-tailed Robins were in Samseonghyeol park (possibly as many as 10), maybe fresh in with the rain. They were all over – high and low, singing and silent, skulky and half-showy. Mugimaki, Asian Brown, and Blue-and-White Flycatchers were also about.

  Pacific Swifts and Barn Swallows (Jebi) swooped high overhead – if you listen closely enough, Jebis actually say ‘Jebi!’

  Leslie found a Sakhalin Leaf Warbler in the park a week or so back, and I didn’t actually expect to find one as well. But…I’m pretty sure I did. I suck at phyllos, by the way, but I’m eager to learn. Away from the Pale-leggeds that were all flitting about up in the mid-canopy, a single, similar-looking phyllo was lurking alone in a big pile of scrub and cut branches. Its call was a metallic ping, but it was noticeably lower in tone than the similar Pale-legged Leaf Warbler call. I got quick bino looks, but I don’t think there’s much to reliably separate them from Pale-legged in the field. I didn’t get a picture, and will have to sort through my recordings and see what I got. Anyway, I'll have to crack some books on that one to get it buttoned up.

  Single Pale and Brown-headed Thrush were seen briefly in Shinsan Neighbourhood Park later. Best for that park, and for the day, was a Black Paradise Flycatcher. I spotted a male first, swooping high over the trail in the gloomiest, quietest corner of a riverside trail. It was my first sighting of the stunning species for a few years, and the initial bino views almost made me fall over. Lovely bird. It swooped lower, and flushed a red-brown bird in the process. The other bird turned out to be a female Black Paradise Flycatcher, and they both vanished down the valley. Both were silent, and very shy.

  Oh, a funny thing happened on my way out of the second park. I walked past a couple of young Korean lads in the parking lot, and noticed that they were pointing at my shoes. Oh cool, they appreciate my fly kicks, mannn. Then I noticed they looked worried. I looked down at my shoes, and understood their concern. So here’s what happened. In preparation for some marathon spring birding, I slapped some fresh new Odour Eaters into my shoes, because who wants smelly feet? Not me, no sir. These Odour Eaters are super-charged with Arm & Hammer baking soda, for extra feety freshness. Yay! Here’s where it gets gross/interesting. So, I’ve been wearing the same socks for a few days, because I’m trying to hold off doing laundry for as long as possible, because I’m a big strong man living out of a carry-on bag, and I got this, heh heh. I guess, after several days of travel stress sweat, my socks picked up some vinegaryness. Baking soda…plus vinegaryness…plus pints of rainwater, and bing bang boom, when I looked down at my shoes, there were dual science fair volcanoes foaming out of the toe caps, like that’s just what they were designed to do. Maybe it was the jet lag, but I looked at my erupting shoes and just started laughing like a maniac, and didn’t stop for a minute or two. The Korean lads backed away slowly, then probably broke into a sprint when they rounded the corner. I may keep the Odour Eaters in there, because that will surely make for an excellent party trick.

  Currently drying out all my gear that got rainihilated. Tomorrow I’m linking up with my Jeju birding pal of old, Mike, at 4am. We have some plans. On that note, I may have a jet-lag doom-nap now.