Vernal reveries

Trail of birds

  Haven't been birding much of late, summer birding doldrums, innit. Hey, I saw a Cedar Waxwing yesterday, it came down to watch me read on the porch. Does that count? Freeeeeep! I've been working on finishing up a writing project I started way back in late 2017. Nothing may come of it, but if you ain't tryin', you dyin'.
  Still a few odds n ends I could post from this spring in the Yellow Sea. Here's a video of me huffing and puffing my way up the last stretch of the trail above Gageo Island's quarry, on April 26th. It was lousy with birds, mostly exhausted fresh-in Olive-backed Pipits and assorted buntings, and a Barn Swallow flushing from the fence. Had to pay attention to the ground ahead of me, to avoid trodding on anything. Sorry about the annoying velcro scraping sound.
  During the cold snap, there were loads of exhausted hirundines desperately trying to soak up any errant slice of sun that broke through the overcast. Many died during those chilly few days.

Hirundines bask in the wan sun during a Gageo Island cold snap

Gageo Island randoms

Gageo's main village at 1-Gu

Downtown Gageo

China: 390 km...Seoul: 420 km

The empty mid-week ferry to Gageo
(the return ferry filled up at one of the more touristy islands)

Highjacked by a group of mainland tourists – "Eat eel and drink soju with us!"

Hearty nightly shiksa at the lovely Jeil minbak

Rainihilated

Where the creepy old school used to be in 2-Gu

A Chinese fishing boat, closely watched by the Korean Coast Guard

I'm a frayed knot

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!

Out and about on Gageo Island

Gageo's harbour and 1-Gu village as seen from
 the grassy bluff in the next picture...

...and from half-way up the steep zigzag road in the previous picture 

The path up and out of the quarry in the pea soup

Mysterious stone paths and walls up in the hills

The long road to 2-Gu, as seen from atop the pass

Looking down into 2-Gu - the creepy old school has been razed since 2013

The switchback road out of 2-Gu, and a sprinkling of houses
 on the cliffs, perhaps only 3-5 of which are still inhabited

The haunted goat cliffs

Lonely Hangri Village in 2-Gu

'Turdus Trail' in Hangri Village, 2-Gu

One of numerous abandoned houses in Hangri Village,
harkening back to a different century (or two) 

The even more remote village at 3-Gu

Gageo's lighthouse at 3-Gu

  May 2nd was last morning on Gageo, and was the first birding session there without recording a new species…so I left. My original plan was to head to Eocheong Island at the beginning of the week, but I got logistically complacent, and kept rolling the dice on ‘one more day’ on Gageo. Currently in Seoul for a few days of rest, laundry, and shaving my migration beard. The next plan is to strike west from Incheon.

   For most of my two weeks on Gageo, the winds stubbornly blew out of the north – so no big fall of Verditer Flycatchers for this guy. Can’t complain though, it was supremely rewarding to be witness to a small slice of the dynamic force of nature that is spring migration on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Still, it would have been fun to be there when those exotic southerly winds blew! There’s always next time…or is there?

   Through my two-week sojourn, Gageo played host to loads of titillating species one can only reasonably expect to see on Yellow Sea islands on migration. The island also held a few surprises, and decent turnover most days. There were highs, and most definitely some lows. I will remember the cold snap and resultant die-off long after I want to forget it – those were a heavy few days.

  Geez, my sleep schedule is still on Gageo time – Gageo-lag. Time for a nap.