Chuja-do, April 16-17, 2019

Asian Stubtail Urosphena squameiceps

Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus

Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus

Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis

male Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus

female Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus

Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla

Grey-backed Thrush Turdus hortulorum

I had this whole place...

...all to myself - creepy.

The view of peaceful Shinyang 1-Ri from my hill
(Jeju's Halla Mountain is visible just behind 'Lion Islet') 

Coming into Chuja

Bring on the islands!

  On the 16th, a dawn surprise in the form of a Redwing! It was associating with a mixed group of other turdus thrushes, and they all flushed when I came down a trail. I got long bino looks at the Redwing as it perched up in a tree for less than a minute before flying off. It was most definitely a Redwing, and not one of several possible confusion species (such as Grey-backed Thrush, female Japanese Thrush, Naumann's x Dusky, et al). I almost got a record shot, but of course the camera went into ‘autofocus hell mode,’ and the opportunity was over just like that. I loitered in the area for over an hour and checked it two more times throughout the day, but the bird was not to be re-found. I was bummed-out and disoriented by the whole thing for a bit, but that’s birding, I suppose.
  Also: a Siberian Rubythroat, three Eurasian Wrynecks, a White's Thrush, several Brown-headed Thrush, more than 30 Grey-backed Thrush, and two Daurian Redstarts. More Asian Stubtails were out, with over 50 seen or heard on the day. Red-flanked Bluetail numbers were much reduced compared to yesterday, with perhaps less than 150 recorded. In addition to the multitude of singing Japanese Bush Warblers, I spotted a lone Korean Bush Warbler at the very southern tip of the…southern tip.

  The following day, just a few hours in the hills in the morning before the 11:00 a.m. ferry to Usuyeong, a small port south of Mokpo. New for the island today included a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and a Grey Thrush. Only about 25 Red-flanked Bluetails today. Loads of Grey-backed Thrush around at dawn, with flights of Bramblings constantly overhead.

  I’m in Mokpo now, ready to strike west.

Chuja-do, April 14-15, 2019

Stejneger’s Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri

Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina

Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana

female Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus

male Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus

Tristram’s Bunting Emberiza tristrami

Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza chrysophrys

Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla

Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala
(partially leucistic)

Northern Boobook (Brown Hawk Owl) Ninox japonica
(heading north towards Chuja)

"Wryneck Road" down to the southern tip

"Path to Heaven" behind my minbak

  Great to get back to Chuja-do, a medium-small set of bridge-connected islands 2/3 of the way to the mainland from Jeju. I visited a few times back in my Jeju days, but those were day-trips in winter and summer, with just a superficial scouting of the lay of the land, so it was awesome to take a much deeper dive into the fruitful hills, especially in spring.

   At least 30 Streaked Shearwaters were seen from the ferry, which was quite large and had open deck access, allowing me to freeze my mitts off in search of pelagic birds. A Northern Boobook was spotted heading north low over the waves. A loon sp. and a thrush sp. were seen doing the same.

   I got dropped in the small town of Shinyang 1-Ri in the late afternoon, which I was not expecting (I had always disembarked in the large main town on the north island), but decided to stay the night to explore the southeast section of the island - I ended up staying three! I was the only guest in a huge minbak complex on the hill – it all felt very The Shining. The place, like many other facilities in town, had that charming ‘brand-new-yet-falling-apart’ vibe going on.

   On a quick recon jaunt, the bushes in the lovely, quiet hills were heavy with birds! The most numerous migrants were Red-flanked Bluetail (120ish), Black-faced Bunting (70+), Brambling (65+), and Stejneger’s Stonechat (30+). Other migrants were seen in single-digit numbers, such as Asian Stubtail, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Narcissus, Blue-and-White, and Asian Brown Flycatchers, as well as Tristram’s and Little Bunting. Black-crowned Night Herons were heard after sundown. Of note, both Brown-eared and Light-vented Bulbuls inhabit the island, with the latter greatly outnumbered by the former.

  

  A full day in the field on the 15th – my eyebrows are bruised from binocular reps! A thorough circuit of Chuja’s southeastern headland for the entire morning, and some of the post-siesta afternoon. Again, every trail and path from sea-level to the hills was blanketed with Red-flanked Bluetails – easily over 600 were seen throughout the day. This is a well-estimated, if conservative number – there was one or more individual within sight at all times, and I was often flushing one off the trail every few seconds...that's over ten hours in the field. Still plenty of Black-faced Buntings (370+), Bramblings (140+), Stejneger’s Stonechats around the harbour (85+), and Asian Stubtails (40+).

   Also: A Chinese Blackbird was spotted just after dawn, but would not submit to being photographed; seven species of bunting were logged; no woodpeckers seen, but evidence of their existence is around; a Great Crested Grebe in the harbour; a dozen or so Ashy Minivets over the hills; several Dusky Warblers, Red-throated Pipits, and Grey-backed Thrush (I'd forgotten how blueish they look in flight!) seen around town. While only one Great Tit was seen, small bands of Yellow-bellied Tits can be found in most corners of mixed hill forest.

  The habitat in and around Sinyang 1-Ri is a welcome example of ‘old school’ island habitat, with a mix of bamboo, conifer and deciduous trees in the hills, scruffy old gardens, small agricultural plots, and overgrown mountain trails. So much birding potential here! Accessible by ferry from both Jeju and the mainland, it’s a wonder more birders haven’t ended up here.

Ryukyu redux

male Ryukyu Minivet Pericrocotus tegimae
(Showing its 'mini-vest' well)

male Ryukyu Minivet Pericrocotus tegimae

female Ryukyu Minivet Pericrocotus tegimae

female Ryukyu Minivet Pericrocotus tegimae

Ryukyu winds hitting Seogwipo...

  I’ve been without internet for a while, much to catch up on. Firstly, my last day of birding on Jeju, April 13th. Here’s what I wrote about that memorable day…

  Seogwipo was so lively yesterday that I dragged Mike Balfour, my Jeju birding buddy of old, all the way back down from the north-side today so he could try for a Grey Thrush in my second-favourite park. We did not find any, so instead had to settle for a pair of confiding Ryukyu Minivets that called to one another and fed in low trees for 30 minutes before flying off. WHAA?! This is the second record of the species in Korea (and the first record of a female), after I found one on Gageo Island in May of 2013. The species, once an Ashy Minivet subspecies, has been colonizing northward in Japan lately. Hopefully today’s sighting means they’re also coming this way. Is it possible they will colonize Korea like Light-vented Bulbuls have over the past 20 years, or were these just more rare overshoots? I’m betting they visit coastal Korea more frequently than twice in seven years, and are perhaps overlooked.
  All in all, I think it’s a bit creepy that I found Ryukyu Minivets again. A couple of years ago I actually wrote a story about a birder who gets cursed by a Jeju shaman for some reason and starts seeing Ryukyu Minivets all over the world. Other birders accuse him of stringing, so he hides out in the Arctic. The minivets torment him in great whirling, shreeping flocks, and the guy eventually walks into a swamp because of it. It was such an awesome story that it never got published. Anyway, weiiiiird.

  The pair's contact calls I recorded that day can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/mat-poll/minivet-april-13

Narc Park

Halla Mountain looms

Grey (Japanese) Thrush Turdus cardis

Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina

Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina

Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana

Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana

female Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana

male Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius

female Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius

Japanese Bush Warbler Horornis diphone

Seogwipo, April 12, 2019
  The park so nice, I did it twice. After a dawn raid of a small island in the harbour turned up little, I had a siesta then returned to my scruffy park for a couple of hours, because why not, eh. On the way out of the harbour, I watched a pair of Blue Rock Thrushes do a dance, then noted that the Black-winged Stilts had moved on.
  In the park, I encountered Narcissus Flycatchers pouncing on prey from low trees at four separate spots – I’d forgotten how absolutely spoiled rotten I was in Seogwipo when it came to refuelling Narcs! Narc Park! Ok, settle down, you’re drunk on flycatchers. While I was pondering that I hadn’t seen any Blue-and-White Flycatchers yet, a bold Japanese Bush Warbler came in close to my perch and eyeballed me for a while, before it check-checked its merry way over to the next bush on its patrol route. I noticed that Japanese Bush Warblers sing “S-S-S-S-South KoREA!” Then...I saw a Blue-and-white Flycatcher. Some Japanese White-eyes were seen pulling at spider’s webs, collecting them for nesting materials.
  On the way out, I decided to give what I long-ago dubbed “thrush corner” one last check, and was rewarded with the sight of two (or more) Grey Thrushes foraging under low fruit trees. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of those! Always a fun bird, and have I mentioned how much I love Turdus thrushes? I have, surely. I've seen eight species of Turdus Thrush in that park over the years…pretty soon, the Brown-headed Thrushes will be bouncing among the rotting boardwalks, while Ashy Minivets shreep from the trees above them. I won’t see all that, because I’ll be on a tiny island in the Yellow Sea. High five! I may not have internet again for a few days...

Back home to Soggy

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

Grey-backed Thrush Turdus hortulorum

Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus

Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina

Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa latirostris

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

Dolharubang

My former neighbourhood

Lovely old park

Another old patch

Good eating

My happy place: Flycatchers, burbling cold 

Hallasan water, and a flurry of cherry blossom petals...

Seogwipo, April 11, 2019
  Whereas I left Gangneung with a heavy heart, I floated through Seogwipo today on a fluttery, weightless heart. A town of memories and ghosts, and a vastly different feel from Gangenung, bird-wise...guess it’s the whole sub-tropical vibe. The southern drawl of the Brown-eared Bulbuls was odd to my ear, and the Great Tits - they sound totally different from up north! I wasn’t sure what I was hearing at first.
  I spent six hours checking in on old haunts, and while there have been some changes over the past five years, most of my fave spots were, for the most part, just how I left them. Seogwipo was my second home for years, and the backyard of that home was my preferred overgrown river park, where I whiled away many a morning stumbling upon great birds, with many lifers and rarities among them (such as Scaly-breasted Munia, White-shouldered Starling, Zappey’s Flycatcher). I went in with my stomach in fists, fearful I would see concreted riverbanks and dumb coffee shops. Everything unclenched when I walked down in the dim light and saw that such was not the case. It was exactly the same – creepily so. It was like some dead teenage son’s bedroom – untouched while everything else around it moves on. The same patch of grass is bare, the same tree limb blocks a path, the same planks on the boardwalk are missing – I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed noting all that. Don’t ever change, overgrown park. Time for a nap.

Notable:
Black-winged Stilt-4 in the harbour
Pacific Swift-2 way up high
Barn Swallow-120+
Red-rumped Swallow-12+
Asian House Martin-9 flying slightly higher than the other hirundines
Olive-backed Pipit-8 in the park
Pale Thrush-6 heard bupping from the undergrowth
Grey-backed Thrush-1 at dusk
Japanese Bush Warbler-how I missed that song…
Narcissus Flycatcher-1 male in the park
Asian Brown Flycatcher-2 in the park
Japanese White-eye-70+ twinkling from every form of greenery
Black-faced Bunting-1

Au revoir, Gangneung

Dusky Thrush Turdus eunomus

Stejneger’s Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri

Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala

Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens

Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens

  I’ve just wrapped up my Gangneung sojourn – ‘twas the fifth Korean province I’ve lived in, crazy. I’ll miss Gangneung’s scruffy pride, and my old-school farming neighbourhood, which was being carved into by new apartment construction sites as I left. If I return one day, I have a feeling, that, like my return to Gimpo 12 years after living there, it may be unrecognizable to me. Or perhaps it would be like a recent return to Jeju, where I came away feeling wounded inside at the voracious rate of ‘development’ there. The grass is always greener in the past, I suppose, especially when the grass of today is concrete. What?
  Anyhow, I leave with a surprisingly heavy heart – I would have enjoyed experiencing Gangneung’s other two seasons, bird-wise (especially the locally nesting Watercocks, grrrr). As always, I learned a lot about Korea’s birds, as I tried to stuff the gaps in my knowledge, one mistake at a time. I made some progress with gulls, but don’t ever ask me about gonydeal angles, or anything goofy like that, heh heh. Seems I’m not as dialed into the finer points of pipit/wagtail identification as I had convinced myself I was, among other things.
  Well, time to head south…then north, one island at a time! Here’s hoping I head into this spring a bit better prepared to deal with the ‘stimulation overload’ I experienced when I first got to Gageo Island in late April of 2013. One bird at a time.

Gangneung, April 1-6, 2019
  Quiet in the ‘house hills’ on April Fool’s Day. The following day on the river, a first-of-year Common Sandpiper, and six more Red-billed Starlings spotted skulking in low trees at the river’s edge. Where do these birds nest? I’ve seen several species of starling in Korea nesting in hollow metal telephone poles, but I’ve never seen Red-billed nesting, so who knows.

  On the third, I walked the lake for the last time. A mix of only several hundred waterfowl is all that remains on the lake, and almost no gulls left. Of note, two Mandarin Ducks spotted, a half dozen Little Ringed Plovers, a lone Far Eastern Skylark in the fields, a single Barn Swallow, two Dusky Thrush, a female Black-faced Bunting in a spot where I hadn’t seen any all winter (spring movement?), nine Pallas’s Reed Buntings, and my first Common Reed Bunting for Gangneung (my 158th and final species for Gangneung).
  At the tail-end of the walk, I encountered two Buff-bellied Pipits – one showing the familiar pink-orange legs, while the second had dark legs not typical for Buff-bellied. I flipped through the pages in my mental field guide to potential rare species such as Water Pipit, but after puzzling through with a little help from friends, it seems most likely it was just a Buff-bellied with unusually dark legs.

  The next day, I did my final river walk and logged 35 species. A vicious wind ripped through town all day and later into the night, which unfortunately led to the spread of devastating wild fires north and south of Gangneung that night. Two more Mandarin Ducks and only a single Barn Swallow were seen at the start of the walk. Four Red-billed Starlings were again observed skulking low along the river bank, including one pair seen acting territorial around a large bush where I saw similar activity two days earlier. The case for riverside nesting seems to be strengthening. Too bad I won’t be around to confirm this hypothesis, as I too must follow the winds of spring. A lone male Stejneger’s Stonechat was another hint at the torrent of migration that will pass north through Korea this month. Ah, I haven’t observed any Siberian Accentors in town since March 16th.

  At dawn on my last day in Gangneung, I was woken by the staccato burring song of a Dusky Thrush from the hills behind my house. That’s it that’s all.