Slow May

Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

  Still a disturbingly quiet May here on Geoje Island, bird-wise.

The Perils

Chinese Red-headed Centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans

Chinese Red-headed Centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans

Bales and baggies of dried centipedes for sale at a Jeju market

  One of my scariest birding moments happened the other day. I was motor-biking around Geoje's west coast rice fields, when I came upon a heap of rotting deer faces. While studying this novel fly-ridden horror, I had an impulse to look down at my leg, and happened to see a hefty Chinese Red-headed Centipede scuttling up towards my crotch. We’re talking a red-faced, venom-fanged demon nine inches long. I swatted at it with my mercifully-gloved hand while grimacing and making a high-pitched Wuuuuuh! sound. As I swept my hand back up, the centipede clung to my glove for an instant, before spiralling through the air straight at my face in slow-motion. I flinched, and when I opened my eyes I couldn't locate it. So I jumped up and down like a ninny, swatting frantically at my clothes, doing the centipede dance. I finally spotted the brute heading into the leaf litter, and had enough time to snap a picture, before checking my underpants for damage.
  You can find these centipedes for sale at Korea’s rural markets, dried and in little bundles. Elderly Koreans grind them up for use in hillbilly energy drinks or something. Whatever floats your boat, eh.

The places

Mines...they really don't want us birding back there!

  All in all though, I can't really complain! Birding on Geoje and Busan has led me to some gorgeous spots...

Late April birds...(where are they?)

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius

Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus

Varied Tit Sittiparus varius

Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus

Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus

Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus

Korean Water Deer Hydropotes inermis

Korean Water Deer Hydropotes inermis

 I have come to realize that I was completely spoiled on Jeju when it came to habitat. Usually, late April in Korea is a magical time filled with colourful and spectacular migrating passerines. The last three Aprils on Jeju saw me knee-deep in Brown-headed, Japanese, Siberian, and Eyebrowed Thrush, Asian Brown, Blue-and-white, and Japanese Paradise Flycatchers, Ashy Minivets, Chinese Pond Heron, Oriental Pratincole, and the sexy list goes on. And this was literally in my backyard in Seogwipo.
  Sadly, this is not the case on Geoje. I have been searching since I got here in January, but I just can't seem to find 'the spot'. Maybe there isn't one. Maybe the migrants are sticking further west - they're certainly being spotted on Jeju and places like Gageo-do.
  Last weekend JP and I went to Taejeongdae in Busan with high hopes, but we didn't see a whole lot, not even a Japanese Robin that he spotted there a while back. The birding gods are not smiling on me this time round.
  Yesterday, blessed with a rare day off, I checked out another nearby island. I found another seven Black Wood Pigeons, but not a single flycatcher or thrush (that wasn't a Pale Thrush!).
  I'm going to keep at it.

Black Wood Pigeon redux, with JP

JP, living the dream

Badass biker-birding!

Those are canola flowers - I often snack on them while birding!

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus feeding

Arctic Loons (Black-throated Loons) Gavia arctica

Black Wood Pigeon Columba janthina

Fire-bellied Toads Bombina orientalis getting cannibalistic

Fire-bellied Toad Bombina orientalis

  Last weekend the singular JP came out from Busan to check out 'Black Wood Pigeon Island' with me. We found at least a dozen this time. In spite of almost tripping on them after a while, I remained fairly enthusiastic about each new one we spotted! Other birds of note included some wicked-looking Black Kites, numerous Korean Bush Warbler, A raft of Arctic Loons, and a Blue-and-White Flycatcher, my first flycatcher of the year. We also spotted at least 100 Brown-eared Bulbuls rallying together and flying north towards 'mainland' Geoje-do. Also notable were dozens of Fire-bellied Toads in an old flooded Japanese gun emplacement.

Geoje-do lately

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

White-cheeked Starling Spodiopsar cineraceus

Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius

Tadpoles a'roiling

Mountain Grass Lizard Takydromus wolteri

  Full-blown migration is moments away here in Korea, and I'm excited. I'm heading out early tomorrow morning to see what's about on the south side of the island.

Chinese Penduline Tit

Chinese Penduline Tit Remiz consobrinus

Chinese Penduline Tit Remiz consobrinus

  A walk through the fields near my apartment yielded some interesting birds this morning. Aside from the steadily decreasing numbers of Spot-billed Ducks, notable were several dozen Buff-bellied Pipits noisily foraging in the rice fields. Most exciting was a loose group of about 50 Chinese Penduline Tits moving lazily through the reeds. I've never seen Pendulines in these fields, so they must be moving through.
  On the weekend I witnessed a dozen Grey Herons performing deft aerial maneuvers better suited to Rollers or Swallows! It was quite uncharacteristic and impressive to watch - I'm guessing it was part of a courtship display.

Black Wood Pigeon

Heading to Wood Pigeon Island

Black Wood Pigeon habitat

Black Wood Pigeon Columba janthina

Black Wood Pigeon Columba janthina

Black Wood Pigeon Columba janthina

 Here is a bird I have been dying to see for a few years. Near threatened, this bird is only found on small offshore islands. I got an early start on Saturday and headed to a nearby island to check for anything interesting - the Black Wood Pigeon definitely qualifies! I heard it crooning eerily, and got a quick glimpse of one high up in the treetops before it flew off. I was gutted I didn't get a better look. I hung around for almost two hours, going mad from craning my neck upwards trying to locate the noisy but elusive birds. When it was almost time to get back to the ferry, the birding gods smiled on me, and two of these impressive birds fluttered down onto a tree right at my eye level. Amazing!

  A Black Kite, and numerous Japanese Bush Warblers singing their summer songs were also notable on the island. Back in Gohyeon, Little Ringed Plovers and Grey Wagtails have been arriving over the past week, a good sign that summer is around the corner. In the harbour, most of the Great Crested and Little Grebes are starting to assume their summer plumage. The large group of Eurasian Wigeons near my apartment seems to be thinning out lately, and I've noticed large numbers of Grey Herons in the area over the past week.