Gageo Island, May 25-26, 2023

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola

Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus

Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus

Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus

Tristram’s Bunting Emberiza tristrami

Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola

Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitaries

Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus

Kitty camped out where tired migrating birds make landfall

Japanese Keelback Amphiesma vibakari
 killed by a cat

Lighthouse at 3-gu (built in 1907)

Gageo's main harbour at 1-gu

Nightly shiksa at Jeil Pension

Homeboy whacking golf balls off Peregrine cliffs

May 25

-->57 species, but it didn’t feel like it, if that makes any sense.

-->A stunning male Citrine Wagtail in the dump at dawn, seen later towards dusk in the same spot.

-->A Forest Wagtail spotted on a shaded bit of road above the power plant. Been ages since I’ve seen one, and that was only a quick in-flight look. I spent an enjoyable 10 minutes watching it walk around quietly on the sun-dappled road, before it flitted into the…forest. Best wagtail ever?

-->More Richard’s Pipits, in both 1- and 2-gu.

-->Two Middendorf’s Grasshopper Warblers still singing in the quarry.

-->A cat was seen almost catching a White-cheeked Starling in the harbour.

-->Another cat was seen chasing a Black-faced Bunting in the harbour.

-->Several cats were staked out around the dump, where the wagtails gather.

-->The Chestnut-eared Bunting lingers in the dump.

-->A tiny warbler (?) was seen in the quarry – Asian Stubtail size or smaller, but it wasn’t solid brown, it looked lighter brown with darker markings and warm tones. Scratching my head. The looks were fast, and it didn’t vocalize, and the main impression it left was just how tiny it was. Will have a flip through my guides/brain.

-->A female Red Turtle Dove near the police station.

-->A dude was whacking golf balls against the cliffs in the quarry, where Peregrine Falcons hang out (and possibly nest?), and shorebirds and egrets patrol the beach below. The beach at the base of the cliff was littered with golf balls. How odd.

In 2-gu:

-->A male Red Turtle Dove at the northernmost tip of town (same one from 1-gu?).

-->A Fairy Pitta singing from the mountainside just outside 2-gu. Shortly after, two were heard singing from opposite 2-gu hills. On the way back towards 1-gu, two more (?) Fairy Pittas heard singing from a steep valley, and then another above 1-gu. So, accounting for birds moving around, 3-6 Fairy Pittas singing in the Gageo hills. Awesome! (Click here to hear recording)

-->A singing Lanceolated Warbler was heard.

-->A Kamchatka Leaf Warbler was seen (Looks just like an Arctic Warbler), and heard calling and singing on the road near 2-gu (Click here to hear recording).

-->A litter of kittens was seen – future bird killers. The mother cat had just finished killing a small snake (ID pending).

-->A male Tristram’s Bunting.

-->Great to see about 10 Yellow-breasted Buntings.

May 26

  Got woken up by the screams of a Grey-headed Lapwing circling the main harbour – nice! I later caught up with it in the dump, and even later in the quarry (assuming there was only one). Helluva bird! I got my first on Gageo ten years ago. It was one of those moments where I saw the bird for the first time, and it looked just like its illustration in the field guide. I yelped “Grey-headed Lapwiiiiing!” to Robin Newlin, who was with me at the time, and he went loping after it.

  My original plan was to ride out Gageo until Tuesday to see what this last burst of southerlies brings in, but plans change. The forecast for Gageo is now for a lot of rain until Tuesday, and I was warned that there may very well be no ferry on Saturday (and then for a few days after that) due to wind. So I threw my bindle together and caught the last Pink Dolphin to Mokpo. I’m in Gwangju now, with plans to search for Ruddy Kingfishers in the hills for the next few days.

-->Oriental Dollarbirds and Tiger Shrikes were everywhere on my last go-around, with perhaps as many as a dozen of each.

-->A male Red Turtle Dove still near the dump. What explains the male I saw in 2-gu? The same bird relocating, or a third bird?

-->A Fairy Pitta heard singing above 1-gu, as well as near 3-gu. One wonders if they breed on Gageo – plenty of dark, steep, inaccessible valleys for them…