"Historical post" - Jeju Island, February 2009

Southwest Jeju Island

Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica

White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi and Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

Black-throated Loon Gavia arctica

Far Eastern Skylark Alauda japonica

Kimchi jiggae, good for rewarming frozen innards

Bird News from Mathew Poll and Mike Balfour
Jeju West Coast, February 28, 2009
  At a beach near Moseulpo, a spectacular close view of a Pacific Loon was a treat, and several Black-throated Loons were also spotted. Nearby, a single Red-necked Grebe kept company with a raft of about 50 Great Crested Grebes. Also among the raft was a single female White-winged Scoter. An Osprey sat on rocks near the shore. In a field among old Japanese concrete aircraft hangars, several Far Eastern Skylarks were seen.

Japanese Bush Warbler Cettia diphone

Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra

Striated Heron Butorides striata

Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus

Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos

"The Zissou," while hiking Oh-seung-saeng Oreum in Jeju's early days

Jeju island, February 14, 2009
  Stunning summery weather made for a great day of birding in Seogwipo. In the harbour, 14 Great Crested Grebes drifted together offshore, while two Pacific Reef Egrets hunted for fish in tidal pools using a wing-flapping technique. A single Hawfinch and an Osprey were seen near the harbour.
  Along several streams, about 20 Japanese Bush Warblers were seen and heard in the underbrush. A similar number of Pale Thrush bubbled noisily from paths into the undergrowth at my approach. The Striated Heron remains in its corner of a stream, and appeared to be eating insects from a mossy rock. A Common Pheasant, Common Kingfisher, a pair of Bull-headed Shrikes, several Green Sandpipers, and a White-backed Woodpecker were also seen near the stream. A loosely mixed flock of about 40 Eurasian Siskin and Grey-capped Greenfinch moved through the tops of nearby coniferous trees, while a male Daurian Redstart deftly caught insects over the stream at sunset.

(*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 2009

Seogwipo waterfront behind my apartment

One of Jeju's iconic but vanishing diving grannies, the tough-as-nails Haenyo

Jeju Island, January 30-31, 2009
  Tim Edelsten came down for the weekend in search of two grey Jeju specials - Grey Bunting and Pacific Reef Egret. The former wasn't found at a once-quiet spot near Jeju City, and we only got a brief glimpse of the latter the following day in a continual downpour. Was good to hang out with Tim though.

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis

Chinese Grey Shrike Lanius sphenocercus

Shiwha (Near Seoul), January 25, 2009 (With Tim Edelsten)   
  I met up with Tim Edelsten on a frigid trip up to Seoul - meeting my fellow first Birds Korean after birding in Korea for years! At first he questioned my dubious headgear choice (may have been a rainbow tuque), but we got on fine.
  Usually quite serious, Tim practically levitated with ecstasy after getting scope views of two Long-tail Ducks. We also had a dozen White-tailed Eagles on the ice, a Chinese Grey Shrike, and a decent waterfowl assemblage, but my favoured encounter of the day was with an enchanting flock of Chinese Penduline Tit, which had Tim scratching his head and giving me the side-eye, ha ha.

Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus

Black-throated Loon Gavia arctica

Striated Heron Butorides striata

Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

Warbling (Japanese) White-eye Zosterops japonicus

Seogwipo, Jeju island, January 17, 2009
  A glorious warm day for birding in Seogwipo. Over the harbour, an Osprey hovered and glided for several minutes, while a Black-throated Loon bobbed in the water close to shore. Two flocks of about 20 Dusky Thrush were seen in bushes overlooking the harbour.
  A short distance away, there was a lot of bird activity in a ‘resting place’ along a small river. Common and Green Sandpipers, a Striated Heron, several Spot-billed Ducks and a Common Kingfisher were spotted in and around the river. Both White and Grey Wagtails, and Olive-backed Pipits paced on the grass.
In the trees and bushes nearby, a Yellow-browed Warbler was seen near some Japanese Bush Warblers, while Japanese White-eyes moved actively through the treetops. 

Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata

Common Coot Fulica atra escorting a Gadwall Anas strepera

Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus

Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus with Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia

Meadow Bunting Emberiza cioides

Bird News from Matt Poll & Mike Balfour
Hado-ri and Seongsan-po, Jeju island, January 4, 2009
  Chilly and overcast, but a great day for birds, with 45 species listed. At Hado-ri, huge numbers of Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Coot, Common Teal, and Temminck’s Cormorant were seen. Smaller numbers of Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall and Common Pochard were also seen. Several Dusky, Pale, and White’s Thrush were found in the scrub at the water’s edge.
  We were surprised to see a Black-crowned Night Heron and winter-plumaged Chinese Pond Heron flush simultaneously from a large ditch. An immature Greater Spotted Eagle circled above a small hill, while a Peregrine Falcon and Osprey hunted nearby. A single Black-faced Spoonbill paced up and down the shore with several Great Egrets. Eight Northern Lapwings and a single Common Greenshank were seen near the road as we were leaving.
  At Seongsan-po, similar large numbers of ducks were evident, with several Pintail and Common Goldeneye seen. A handful of Meadow Buntings, and Grey-capped Greenfinch were seen in undergrowth near the sewage plant.

Warbling (Japanese) White-eye Zosterops japonicus

Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis

White Wagtail Motacilla alba lugens

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius

Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata

Japanese Bush Warbler Cettia diphone

Nun-kot - "Snow flowers"

Hiking Mount Halla

Seogwipo, Jeju island, January 3, 2009
  A beautiful warm and sunny day in Seogwipo. Thirty species listed for the day, five of them lifers for me. Noisy Japanese White-eyes and Brown-eared Bulbuls seemed to populate most of the overhanging trees. Common Sandpipers, lugens White Wagtails, Grey Wagtails, and Blue Rock Thrushes were plentiful by the harbour. Two Pacific Reef Egrets hunted patiently by some tidal pools. Two pairs of Great Crested Grebes could be seen a bit further out from the shore. Several Common Kingfishers, Little Grebes, Pale and Dusky Thrush, Bull-headed Shrikes, and Large-billed Crows were also seen in the area.
  Cheonjiyeon Falls held some interesting species, such as a single Coot, several Gadwall and Common Teal, and at least 30 Mandarin Ducks on the rocks opposite the falls. Several Japanese Bush Warblers were spotted amongst some wet rocky scrub, loosely flocking with Japanese White-eyes. Spot-billed Ducks and Mallards were plentiful at both locations.

(*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" - Ilsan and Deokjeok-do, May 2008

left: Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica  middle: Grey-streaked Flycatcher Muscicapa griseisticta  right: Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia

left: Tristram's Bunting Emberiza tristrami  right: Chestnut Bunting Emberiza rutila

left: Rufous-tailed Robin Larvivora sibilans  right: Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus

Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

My secret little patch on the mountain, great for migrants

 Jeongbalsan, Ilsan, May 10, 2008
  The steady trickle of migrants and visitors to my ‘secret quiet forest edge’ on Jeongbalsan continues. Asian Brown Flycatchers are the most abundant species of late, with about a dozen seen, and many others heard. Two Grey-streaked, several female Mugimaki, a male Blue-and-white, and two male Yellow-rumped Flycatchers were also seen busily feeding. Yellow-browed Warblers were also present in strong and vocal numbers, and several Asian Stubtail were heard but not seen. Three Rufous-tailed Robins were seen, and several others were heard. A male Chestnut Bunting was seen near some Tristram's and Black-faced Buntings. Black-naped Orioles have returned to Jeongbalsan, mewling loudly from the treetops. Also seen was a Brown Shrike and an Eyebrowed Thrush.

2012 thoughts: This was my last birding session in Ilsan before I left for Australia. I thought I was never coming back to Korea, but I was wrong! I got to my spot, sat on a log, and waited about 15 minutes. I was soon surrounded by some great migrating buntings and flycatchers, and the Rufous-tailed Robins and Brown Shrike were a nice surprise.

left: Chestnut-cheeked Starling Sturnus philippensis  right: Korean Bush Warbler Horornis borealis (formerly 'Cettia canturians borealis')

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

left: Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla  right: Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

Deokjeok generations

The old lady in the hills - there's a chapter about her in my book, which, sigh, will come out one day

Her neighbourhood

Bijonbong Mountain, seen from Soppo-ri

 Deokjeok-do, May 3-5, 2008
  A weekend of mixed rain and sun on Deokjeok-do. The highlight was watching a male Chestnut-cheeked Starling that appeared to be catching insects from its perch on an antenna for 20 minutes, right outside the window of the minbak that I was staying in. At least a dozen Yellow-throated Buntings were mingling with a similar number of Tristram’s and Black-faced Buntings. Several Korean Bush Warblers sang loudly from hidden perches the whole weekend. At one point one defended its perch from an Olive-backed Pipit. 
  A Eurasian Hobby was harassing a large flock of Barn Swallows. Ten Cattle Egrets followed a tractor as it plowed a rice field, while several Little Buntings fed at the edge of the same field. Also seen were a dozen Chinese Grosbeaks, a Common Kingfisher, a Black-naped Oriole, abundant Grey Wagtails, a male Chinese Sparrowhawk, a Little Egret, and several Blue Rock Thrushes engaging in courtship displays. The only shorebirds seen were four Eastern Oystercachers.

Hindsight from 2012: Another weekend of solid birding on Deokjeok island! One of my favourite moments came when I was up in the hills, sitting on a concrete ledge for 30 minutes, trying to decipher a noisy and furtive bird. An old Korean lady watched me from a distance for a while, then came over and offered me some hard candy that was possibly older than she was. I showed her some pictures of the birds I’d seen that day, and we had a lovely non-conversation about birds for about ten minutes.
  My highlight was the Chestnut-cheeked Starling right outside my window. Watching Cattle Egrets at close range as the sun went down was another one of those great birding moments. Deokjeok-do, about a 45-minute ferry-ride west of Incheon, clearly has some good migrants moving through in the spring and fall. However, as with most great birding spots in Korea, it looks like rampant development is steadily encroaching on the suitable habitat, with a wide array of construction projects underway in various parts of the island.

Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

Jeongbalsan, Ilsan, May 1, 2008
  I have been taking advantage of long lunch breaks and great weather to observe a steady trickle of great migrants and visitors on a quiet area of Jeongbalsan this week. There is a great mix of grass, reeds, scrub, forest edges, drainage ditches, and a variety of trees in this area. Many of the birds were only observed on one day only.
  At least a dozen Asian Brown Flycatchers called high in the treetops. Startling to watch was a female Common Kestrel in the process of making a kill – it appeared to be a passerine with some yellow plumage, perhaps a Black-faced Bunting. A pair of mating Grey-headed Woodpeckers was seen, and many others were heard calling noisily in the forest. Many vocal and active Common Pheasants were seen and heard at the forest’s edge. A mystery owl was seen perched in a tree. Highlight for the day was an unmistakable male Siberian Thrush, seen briefly skulking at the forest’s edge.

Notes from 2012: Catching the Kestrel in the process of making a kill was an intense experience. I was only 20 feet away, crouching behind a small ridge, observing some buntings. Something blacked out the sun for a second, and then ‘Poof!’, a flurry of feathers and wings. That got my heart beating!
  My encounter with the Siberian Thrush rates highly on my list of photographic failures. I was sauntering around the forest edge, and came around a bend when I literally almost stepped on a stunning male Siberian Thrush (another lifer!). It scuttled a few feet away from me, and we looked at each other for about six slow-motion seconds. I slowly raised my camera, took a picture, and it flew off into the woods. The lighting was perfect, with the sun at my back, and the range was ideal for an excellent picture. Of course, I was so nervous, I basically forgot to focus. I got a great shot of a black blob with a white smudge of an eyebrow. Argh.

(*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.)