"Historical post" - Jeju Island, March 2010

White-bellied Green Pigeon Treron sieboldii

White-bellied Green Pigeon Treron sieboldii

White-bellied Green Pigeon Treron sieboldii

White-bellied Green Pigeon Treron sieboldii

Bird News from Matt Poll with Youngho Kim, Jeju island, March 20, 2010
  A trip to a park near Jeju City was extremely rewarding. A striking female White-bellied Green Pigeon perched in a tree, feeding on green berries. It was quite approachable, and apparently this same bird stayed in the park last spring, favouring one kind of tree. It was hard to spot, as it matched the colour of the foliage perfectly, and was quiet and relatively immobile.

My thoughts at the time:
I probably spent close to 15 combined hours looking for this White-bellied Green Pigeon last year, and didn't see it. Why? It sits in trees and it's GREEN! I finally found it yesterday, and I almost fell over - my hands were shaking. Serious birdwatchers aren't called 'twitchers' for nothing. I kind of feel bad for this bird - she's been returning to the same park year after year, presumably to mate with a fine green fella. Unfortunately for her, she originally must have been blown here by a storm or lost her way. Finding her favourite kind of tree, she returns year after year, waiting for a mate that won't appear, as her potential green baby-daddies are all in Japan. That's how it goes.

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes

Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes

Bird News from Matt Poll with Youngho Kim, Northeast coast, Jeju Island, March 13, 2010
  A fairly quiet day on Jeju, with a lot of winter birds gone, and the spring migration season a few weeks off. At Hado, about a dozen Black-faced Spoonbills and (two Eurasian Spoonbills) were seen. Duck numbers have dropped off significantly. Several dozen Common Shelduck, a similar number of Spot-billed Ducks and Gadwall, a handful of Northern Shovelers, 200 Eurasian Wigeon, about 50 each of Pochard and Tufted Duck, and a single Pintail were left. About 30 Coot were also seen. A small but unidentified owl, possible a Tawny Owl, flashed by. 

  At Seongsan, a female Harlequin Duck gave distant scope views, in the company of several Black-necked Grebes. Nearby, a single Black-headed Gull mingled with Black-tailed Gulls, while a dozen Dunlin huddled near a handful of scuttling Kentish Plovers. 

  At the Halla Arboretum in Jeju-si, a female Hawfinch gave great close views. Several Pale Thrush thrashed through leaf litter, close to a walking trail. Back in Seogwipo, Barn Swallows are back in force, with dozens seen swooping low at all waterfront locations.

White Wagtail Motacilla alba

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni

Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus

Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus

Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus

Eastern Great Tit Parus minor

Japanese Bush Warbler Cettia diphone

Seogwipo, Jeju island, March 9, 2010
  'Small birds' ruled in the park today, on a decidedly crisp spring day. Budding trees were buzzing with a large mixed flock of Great Tits, singing Japanese Bush Warblers, Yellow-throated Buntings, and Japanese White-eyes. A pair of Daurian Redstarts pursued each other while making their distinctive 'rusty hinge' squeak. A female Red-flanked Bluetail flitted through riverside brush. About six Olive-backed Pipits perched in a nearby tree when flushed, above a stream that held an adult male leucopsis White Wagtail in summer plumage. This is notable because I usually see lugens White Wagtails on this stream. A male Pale Thrush foraged by the water's edge, and at least nine Dusky Thrush perched in a flowering tree. No evidence of the several dozen Mandarin Ducks that were seen in the park a couple of months ago, and similar Spot-billed Duck numbers have dwindled back to a regular half-dozen. Two skittish Little Grebes were also seen.

From my notes at the time:
Yesterday was super snowy. Today, not so much. Winter is truly over now. The locals have a word that roughly translates to 'Winter's revenge on Spring,' describing the brand of late winter blast we just got.

(*Note: This is a “historical post.” Whereas I started birding in Korea in 2005, this blog has only been active since early 2012 - these posts are an attempt to consolidate my early birdventures from the various blogs and websites where they reside, largely from the “Archived Bird News“ section of Birds Korea’s excellent website: http://www.birdskorea.org/Birds/Birdnews/BK-BN-Birdnews-archive.shtml. Find more historical posts by clicking on the "Historical posts" tab at the bottom of this post.
  For this post, most of images are lamentably poor-resolution screensaves, as many of the original photo files were lost in the infamous computer crash of 2011.)

"Historical post" - Jeju Island, February 2010

Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus

Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis & Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos

Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus

 Seogwipo area, Jeju island, February 21, 2010
  It feels like summer in Seogwipo, with sunny skies and weather much milder than last year. Two regular Ospreys in the harbour circled and swooped, but never dove into the water. A Japanese Bush Warbler was heard singing its 'summer song' loudly, rather than the regular 'check-check-check' call I'm used to hearing in the winter. In the hills northwest of Seogwipo, a Northern Goshawk dueled with two Large-billed Crows, and held its own for a few minutes. It left in a hurry when reinforcements arrived in the form of another six crows, one of which was missing most of its tail feathers. Two massive Cinereous Vultures were spotted just outside Seogwipo.

Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis

Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis

Jungmun, Jeju island, February 15, 2010
  While walking around Jungmun with some friends, I was surprised to see a half dozen Barn Swallows doing slow and low laps around the harbour near a yacht pier. These are the earliest Barn Swallows I've seen in Korea. Brown-eared Bulbuls and Japanese White-eyes were busy gorging themselves on berries and flowers in the trees, oblivious to nearby foot traffic.

Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes dauricus

Bibimbap - my post-birding go-to

Seogwipo, Jeju island, February 4, 2010

  A sunny and crisp day in Seogwipo. Two Striated Herons remain on their respective streams, and about 10 Pale Thrush were seen or heard, as well as two Meadow Buntings. A tiny Eurasian Wren scuttled across rocks in a riverside park (a personal first for Jeju). It's call was similar to a Japanese Bush Warbler, but 'wetter'.

 (*Note: This is a “historical post.” Whereas I started birding in Korea in 2005, this blog has only been active since early 2012 - these posts are an attempt to consolidate my early birdventures from the various blogs and websites where they reside, largely from the “Archived Bird News“ section of Birds Korea’s excellent website: http://www.birdskorea.org/Birds/Birdnews/BK-BN-Birdnews-archive.shtml. Find more historical posts by clicking on the "Historical posts" tab at the bottom of this post.
  For this post, most of images are lamentably poor-resolution screensaves, as many of the original photo files were lost in the infamous computer crash of 2011.)

"Historical post" - Jeju Island, January 2010

Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra (with Crocodilian Longtom Tylosurus crocodilus)

Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia & Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Western Great Egret Ardea alba, & Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola

Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus & Sanderling Calidris alba

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Dusky Thrush Turdus eunomus

Bird News from Matt Poll with Youngho Kim, Eastern Coastal Jeju, January 30, 2010
  A fine day of birding, in spite of gray rainy weather and several missed birds. We started in Seogwipo, and made our way east around the whole eastern half of Jeju, finally arriving in Jeju City.   
  At Pyeoson, 30 Kentish Plovers mingled with a flock of over 100 Sanderling. On the southeast coast near Sinsan we searched for a Saunders's Gull that had recently been seen there. We thought we'd found it, but 2 small whitish gulls turned out to be Black-headed Gulls (one adult winter bird, and one with 1st winter plumage). They were interesting to watch, as they hovered and dive-bombed aerobatically. A Pacific Reef Egret beat a thrashing fish (it looked like a Crocodilian Longtom) into submission, before swallowing it whole. The fish continued to thrash around in the Heron's throat for a minute or two. A Horned Grebe and and a Common Goldeneye were also seen nearby. 
  At Seongsan, large numbers (200+) of Eurasian Wigeon and Spot-billed Ducks mingled with smaller groups of Coot and Northern Shoveler. Nine Greater White-fronted Geese, a Horned Grebe, and a Dusky Thrush (the first I've seen this winter) were also present at Seongsan. 
  Hado held more large numbers of Eurasian Wigeon, and smaller numbers of Tufted Duck, Gadwall, and Coot. Several Great Egrets, Grey Herons, and Little Egrets stood guard near 15 Black-faced Spoonbills, and two Eurasian Spoonbills. About 25 Bean Geese landed noisily nearby. Along the northeast coast, Red-breasted Mergansers were plentiful, with several dozen seen. 
  We spent about two hours vainly searching for a spectacular male Harlequin Duck that had been seen and photographed by a Korean birder near Sehwa that day. Near Sehwa and west towards Jeju City, we further saw two Common Shelducks, six Eurasian Teal, more Eurasian Wigeons, several Pintails, a Grey Plover, nine Dunlins, two Pacific Loons, three Black-throated Loons and a Carrion Crow. The crow was notable in that Large-billed Crows seem to predominate on Jeju, and this was the first Carrion Crow I've seen here.

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata

Falcated Duck Anas falcata

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

 Seogwipo, Jeju island, January 24, 2010
  A sunny and crisp day in Seogwipo. Several Little Grebes and a shy male Falcated Duck joined two Red-throated Loons in the harbour. and two Ospreys circled high above. One of the loons had a bill that seemed quite pale for a Red-throated. In a nearby park, a regular Green Sandpiper was spotted on the river, while two Peregrine Falcons performed a noisy aerobatic foot-grasping display overhead.

Pelagic Cormorant Phalacrocorax pelagicus

Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata

Gadwall Anas strepera

Gull assemblage

Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris

Seogwipo, Jeju island, January 19, 2010
  There seem to be many more Pale Thrush about in Seogwipo, when compared to the same time last year. At least eight were seen or heard in thick brush around town. In the harbour, two Red-throated Loons cavorted close to shore, in the company of plentiful Vega, Mongolian, and Black-tailed Gulls. One of the Black-tailed Gulls was not in good shape, struggling with both fishing line and oil. Eighteen Gadwall, winter harbour regulars, fed near a small man-made waterfall. Further down the coast, a Pelagic Cormorant was drifting close to some cliffs. Nine Great Crested Grebes were also seen nearby.

Leaning into the wind on the ferry to Chuja-do

View from Chuja-do

Ships sheltering from a squall, viewed from my apartment

Chuja-do, January 17, 2010 

 The ferry to Chuja is majestically named "Pink Dolphin". As we steamed out of the harbour, the Jeju City skyline was a jumbled mess, and was mercifully soon out of sight. There's a secret reason why it's always cloudy in Jeju City. While all the Koreans stayed inside and slept for the duration of the ferry ride (except the two kids that passed out on deck, knocked out by seasickness meds), we spent the trip up on deck. It was insanely windy. It was peak-of-Halla-san-wind-passing-across-your-nostrils-sucking-the-air-from-your-lungs windy. So windy that I invented a deliriously fun new sport I call 'wind-riding'. I'm by far the best wind-rider in all of Jeju. At one point I was leaning backwards into the wind, knees bent back 45 degrees like Keanu in The Matrix. I know Kung Fu. Weee it was super fun, but also crazy cold, and I got knocked around a lot. We passed a few mysterious uninhabited islets on the way, and one or two little islands boasting only a handful of houses. Rugged individualists I suppose.

(*Note: This is a “historical post.” Whereas I started birding in Korea in 2005, this blog has only been active since early 2012 - these posts are an attempt to consolidate my early birdventures from the various blogs and websites where they reside, largely from the “Archived Bird News“ section of Birds Korea’s excellent website: http://www.birdskorea.org/Birds/Birdnews/BK-BN-Birdnews-archive.shtml. Find more historical posts by clicking on the "Historical posts" tab at the bottom of this post.
  For this post, most of images are lamentably poor-resolution screensaves, as many of the original photo files were lost in the infamous computer crash of 2011.)

"Historical post" - Jeju Island, December 2009

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni

Baikal Teal Anas Formosa

Seogwipo, Jeju island, December 22, 2009
  There has been an 'explosion' of Olive-backed Pipits and Japanese Bush Warblers in a small Seogwipo park, with about 10 of each seen by river's edge. A lone and seemingly exhausted female Baikal Teal (a personal first for Jeju) tried to keep up with 21 Spot-billed Ducks.

Red-billed Starling Spodiopsar sericeus

Far Eastern Skylark Alauda japonica

Far Eastern Skylark Alauda japonica

Bird News from Matt Poll with Youngho Kim, Southwest coast, Jeju island, December 20, 2009
  A chilly and cloudy day on Jeju, but as is always the case when birding with Mr. Kim, the day was full of great birding and and interesting local bird knowledge. West of Jungmun, about 70 Mandarin Ducks were spotted on a quiet river, along with handfuls of Little Grebe, Spot-billed Duck, Mallard, and Green-winged Teal. 
  On the coast, hundreds more Spot-billed, and two Great Crested Grebes. About 50 Far Eastern Skylarks foraged in a farmer's field near Moseulpo. Near Hwasun, no luck finding a reported Asian Short-toed Lark. On a tiny hill nearby, we had similar bad luck when trying to spot Long-tailed Shrikes that I was surprised to learn live there all year. In fading light, we came upon 32 Red-billed Starlings perched on power lines. I was equally surprised when Mr. Kim told me that this species can also be found year-round on Jeju.

Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus

 Seogwipo, Jeju island, December 13, 2009
  Numbers of Mandarin Duck continue to swell on a small secluded river in Seogwipo, with about 45 seen, along with 10 Mallard, about 30 Spot-billed Ducks, several Little Grebes, and three Eurasian Teals. The male Mandarins seemed to be fighting over the females, puffing up and bumping chests, and chasing each other off noisily. An Eastern Buzzard watched the ducks from a high perch, until it flew off after being harassed first by Brown-eared Bulbuls, and then by Magpies. The harbour was quiet - the loons and grebes of winter still haven't arrived.

Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra

Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra

 Jeju west coast, December 12, 2009
  On a non-birding trip to Jeju's west coast, I spotted a Far Eastern Cisticola and a Pacific Reef Egret.

Vizzing from my roof

Striated Heron Butorides striata

 Seogwipo, Jeju island, December 5, 2009
  A second Striated Heron that doesn't seem to mind Jeju's winter weather has been seen in Seogwipo. This one is a juvenile, and was seen on a different river than the adult that over-wintered last year.

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Striated Heron Butorides striata

Seogwipo, Jeju island, December 3, 2009
  On a chilly day in Seogwipo, a Striated Heron remains in a quiet spot on a small river. I have spotted this Heron on and off all year, skulking in riverside brush. Several Yellow-throated Buntings, Pale Thrushes, and Little Grebes were seen in local parks. A Common Kingfisher was feeding at the river's edge, and Daurian Redstarts remain plentiful and noisy. In the field where the Scaly-breasted Munias were spotted, A Northern Goshawk, several Olive-backed Pipits, and a late Hoopoe, but the munias appear to be long gone.

(*Note: This is a “historical post.” Whereas I started birding in Korea in 2005, this blog has only been active since early 2012 - these posts are an attempt to consolidate my early birdventures from the various blogs and websites where they reside, largely from the “Archived Bird News“ section of Birds Korea’s excellent website: http://www.birdskorea.org/Birds/Birdnews/BK-BN-Birdnews-archive.shtml. Find more historical posts by clicking on the "Historical posts" tab at the bottom of this post.
  For this post, most of images are lamentably poor-resolution screensaves, as many of the original photo files were lost in the infamous computer crash of 2011.)