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.

Socheong Island, May 8, 2019

Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana

male Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia

female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia

male Mugimaki Flycatcher  Ficedula mugimaki 

female Mugimaki Flycatcher  Ficedula mugimaki

Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla

Radde’s Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi

Radde’s Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi

Siberian Blue Robin Larvivora cyane

Eastern Great Tit Parus minor
(the bird first caught my attention because of the greenish wash through
 the belly...which turned out to be cast from the foliage below. It's also banded.) 

Daecheong-do

Socheong's sleepy main village

The sleepier second village 

  There is still stuff from Gageo I’ve got to post, but that can wait. I’ve been on beguiling Socheong Island for a few days now. It’s uncomfortably close to North Korea, and the local garrison of grinning military lads have a habit of testing their weapons at dusk – starting with rifles and heavy machine-guns, and ending with what sounds like small artillery and miniguns. So that’s had me biting my nails at night, heh heh. Guess you gotta let ‘em know you’re still keen to have a go.

   On all days (May 8-10), I’ve noticed: loads of Rufous-tailed Robins; not much in the way of pipit or wagtail variety; plenty of Eyebrowed and Grey-backed Thrushes; a good number of Yellow-browed and Tristram’s Buntings; and a lot of Mugimaki and Yellow-rumped Flycatchers (but no Narcissus, which is to be expected). There are also a dozen Taiga flycatchers around the island (well-counted) – have there been similar high counts in the past?

   The 4+ hour ferry from Incheon to Seocheong Island started early, and so did many of the passengers. Many rather unwisely scoffed back their greasy, spicy package-tour breakfasts, then washed it all down with the ubiquitous Korean white lighting: soju. Less than an hour out of Incheon, the seas angered. Pretty soon, the place looked like Jonestown, with ill Koreans splayed out everywhere, some weeping. I, on the other hand, was feeling smug and lovely, having popped my sweet sweet Korean Dramamine before boarding. The boat was packed so I didn’t get a window seat, which sucked, but oh well.

   I hit the ground running on Socheong, going on exploratory walks around town in all directions, droning round the hills trying to figure out how the island was put together.

   To my dismay and horror, pheckin phyllos were dripping from every leaf. I managed to pick through a lot of them, but I’ll admit I have a ways to go with phylloscopus warblers. There were a goodly number of Dusky Warblers around, with several Radde’s Warblers mixed in to make it interesting. Pallas’s Leaf Warblers were also present in most leafy spots.

   The day ended with 50 species…no shorebirds and almost no swallows. I was thrilled to find Chestnut-flanked White-eyes in many hilly spots, a species I had long hoped to reconnect with after getting brief looks many years ago. I call them “Chesties.” What? What?

   At the end of the day, I glimpsed what I describe as a scaled-down, inaccurate White’s Thrush. The next day, I would discover what it was, and…it’s a good’un!

Light-vented Bulbul (!!) - November 22, 2012

Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis

Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis

  To say it's been a good birding week is the understatement of the year! I headed out on one of my luxurious 3-hour lunch breaks in search of a Long-tailed Shrike that visiting birder Stephen Judd recently spotted out on the east coast. I didn't manage to catch up with the shrike, but the area had a great 'birdy' feel to it. I decided to check out a scrubby agricultural area on the way out and I'm sure glad I did. I quickly spotted two gleurp-gleurping Light-vented Bulbuls!
  This is a bird that was only first sighted in Korea over the past decade, but appears to be busy colonizing the Hermit Kingdom, with breeding suspected on Socheong-do in the Yellow Sea. It's not really the sort of bird you'd expect to find in the southeast of mainland Korea. Well I guess Geoje IS an island, but it's still a pretty darn rare bird round these parts, so I must have done something to please the birding gods!