Seogwipo, Jeju, March 1-2, 2014

Japanese Bush Warbler Horornis diphone

Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni

Tristram's Bunting Emberiza tristrami

  There were some unsolved avian riddles, as well as early signs of spring, on a rainy then sunny weekend. On the same hill where a Common Redpoll was seen two weeks ago, I encountered at least six Tristram’s Buntings skulking in the scrub. I’ve never seen Tristram’s in the winter - could they be outlandishly early migrants? Also of note were Japanese Bush Warblers in full song, and almost a dozen Long-tailed Tits (I’m still unsure how to separate trivirgatus and magnus Long-tailed Tits) in a nearby gully. Small groups of Olive-backed Pipits and Grey-capped Greenfinch moved through the woods and forest edge in several spots. 

  In the city, I’ve noticed a group of about a dozen White Wagtails noisily moving from the rooftops to one particular large roadside tree, daily just before dusk over the past week. Do White Wagtails communally roost?

  In a park in town it seems like Mandarin Duck and Spot-billed Duck (small numbers of Spot-billed do spend the summer on Jeju) numbers have thinned out considerably. Another sign of an early spring? Grey Wagtails and Red-flanked Bluetails can also be found in Seogwipo’s parks.

Big weekend in Seoul

female Hazel Grouse Tetrastes bonasia

male Hazel Grouse Tetrastes bonasia

Plumbeous Water Redstart Phoenicurus fuliginosus

European Robin Erithacus rubecula

Yellow-throated Bunting Emberiza elegans

Long-tailed Rosefinch Carpodacus sibiricus

Vinous-throated Parrotbill Sinosuthera webbiana

Sigh. The photog scrum/noisy social club

Subhojit and some real birders - note the scopes and binos

February 22

  For a ‘non-birding’ trip into Seoul, I managed to get a lot of birding done! On Saturday morning I got great long looks at Gangseo’s (in Gimpo) resident Plumbeous Water Redstart – an attractive and confiding bird. The rest of the park was buzzing with Naumann’s Thrushes, Yellow-throated and Rustic Buntings, as well as Vinous-throated Parrotbills. At the north end of the park, I encountered two Short-eared Owls, and the fifteen or so photographers that follow them around all day. Later in the day at Ilsan Lake Park I spotted a cracking male Long-tailed Rosefinch mixed in with some Yellow-throated Buntings.

February 23 (With Subhojit Chakladar)

  Early on Sunday I met up with Mr. Chakladar at Amsa, and lined up next to the photog phalanx to get a look at a long-staying European Robin – a truly stunning bird. We then headed to Namhansan, and after a lengthy stakeout we were rewarded with extremely close views of a pair of beautifully camouflaged Hazel Grouse. Also at Namhansan, we saw Eurasian Nuthatch, Brambling, Great Spotted and Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Coal and Marsh Tit, and a restless group of Rustic Bunting.

  The last spot we visited was the Han River at Oksu, with its massive rafts of ducks. We eventually saw the Baer’s Pochard, as well as a hybrid Baer’s. We also met up with some lovely Korean birders there, and it was a real treat to compare notes with such knowledgeable and passionate folks.

Common Redpoll on Jeju

Common Redpoll Acanthis flammea

  While on a bird-walk through the coniferous hills near Seogwipo, I spotted a single Common Redpoll mixed in with about two dozen Eurasian Siskins – a noteworthy record for Jeju. They're very rarely seen this far south.

Jeju in January

Eurasian Coot Fulica atra

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

Japanese Bush Warbler Horornis diphone

Dead loon, probably oiled

Eurasian Magpie Pica pica

Mandarin Ducks Aix galericulata - NOT in a hotel lobby...

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata (male, fully puffed)

female Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus

Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus

Eastern Great Tit Parus minor

Warbling (Japanese) White-eye Zosterops japonicus

White Wagtail Motacilla alba

Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes dauricus

female Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius

Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata

White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos quelpartensis
(Jeju subspecies, which is the provincial bird)

Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata feeding in tree

male Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata feeding in tree

female Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata

male Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata feeding in tree

Red-billed Starling (Silky Starling) Spodiopsar sericeus

White's Thrush (Scaly Thrush) Zoothera aurea

Varied Tit Sittiparus varius 

Tree Sparrow Passer montanus

Coal Tit Periparus ater

Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra

Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha

Seogwipo, Jeju Island - January 2014 highlights

 I have been checking my local Seogwipo patch daily for the past month. It’s been an unseasonably warm and hazy January, with double digit temperatures most days. I haven’t encountered anything unexpected, but Jeju has a nice mix of winter birds to see, some of which are not so common on the mainland at this time of year.

  The hills are alive with...tits! Varied, Long-tailed, and Coal Tits are exclusively found up at higher elevations, while Eastern Great Tits are widespread in wooded areas and parks. A White’s Thrush has been spotted several times at a dry riverbed that in summer is home to Japanese Paradise Flycatchers. I’ve also encountered several Bramblings at higher elevations, whereas Eurasian Siskins and Grey-capped Greenfinch can be found reliably in several parks around town. 

  These parks also feature Little Grebe, Green Sandpiper, White-backed Woodpecker, Red-flanked Bluetail, Daurian Redstart, White and Grey Wagtail, Olive-backed Pipit, Japanese White-eye, Blue Rock Thrush, plentiful Yellow-throated Bunting, as well as an overwintering Striated Heron. Pale Thrushes can be heard burbling through most areas with shady undergrowth, but rarely seen, as they are quite shy. On the 29^th I witnessed a group of close to 20 Mandarin Ducks awkwardly feeding on fruit in a large riverside tree – quite a spectacle!

  In and around the harbour, several Common Sandpiper, Pacific Reef Egrets, Mandarin Ducks (120+), several Gadwall, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Teal, a Common Pochard, as well as Common Coots, several Black-crowned Night Heron, and a Red-throated Loon. On the coast, Great Crested and Black-necked Grebes can be seen relatively close in to shore at a number of sites.

  Recently I was surprised to hear the exotic 'summer song' of the Japanese Bush Warbler - very early in the year I thought (January 27). Usually at this time of year they can be heard 'check-check-checking' from the underbrush. Their ‘winter call’ is very similar to the Eurasian Wren, a bird which can be found at several quiet riverside sites around town.

  On the 30th near Jungmun, I found a flock of almost two dozen Red-billed Starlings perched on wires, competing for berries with Brown-eared Bulbuls. Nearby, a small band of personata Black-faced Buntings moved through thick underbrush on a quiet riverside. White-cheeked Starlings and Dusky Thrushes have been conspicuously absent from Seogwipo this winter. Raptors were represented in January by several pairs of Eastern Buzzard, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk, several Peregrine Falcons, Common Kestrels, and a Northern Goshawk.

Seoul, December 31, 2013 - January 1, 2014

Marsh Tit Poecile palustris

Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca (mega rarity for Korea)

Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis

Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major

Ferruginous Duck admirers

Hyeonjeolsa Temple

December 31, Namhansan

  On a hazy and relatively warm last day of 2013, I visited the peaceful hills around Hyeonjeolsa Temple on Namhansan, in Seoul’s southeast. It was a treat to see a variety of birds I don’t get to see on Jeju, such as confiding single-digits numbers of Marsh Tit, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Nuthatch, as well as perhaps a dozen Naumann’s Thrush several Dusky Thrush (and an apparent Dusky x Naumann’s hybrid), and a Goldcrest. Several Great Tit, Varied Tit, Brambling, Large-billed Crow, and an Eastern Buzzard were also seen, but unfortunately I was unable to lay eyes on a Hazel Grouse, in spite of hearing one.

January 1, stream near Eungbong Station, (with Tim Edelsten)

  There was a nice assortment of ducks on a small stretch of river feeding into the Han, with most regular winter ducks represented. Notable were about 150 Mandarin Ducks, remarkable for this site. The star attraction was a cracking male Ferruginous Duck, looking spectacular as it swam lazily in the sun.

Mandarin Ducks removed from hotel lobby

  Good news! And a great article written by Charlie Moores. This makes me very happy - the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
http://www.birdskorea.org/Birds/Miscellaneous/BK-BM-Mandarin-Ducks-in-hotel-lobby.shtml