Seosan, November 28-29, 2015

Surreal Seosan

Near Jiri-san

Subs and Loghry scanning Lapland Longspurs amidst the stubble

Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus

Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus

Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus (left) with Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus

Cloud of Lapland Longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus) - a very satisfying name to say...try it

Distant Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus

  On November 28-29, I met up with two good friends, Loghry and Subho, for a grueling yet amazing weekend of birding at a huge site still full of birding potential, in spite of signs of trouble everywhere (concrete...construction...). We ended up logging 66 species for the weekend, with several surprises among them. Saturday was dim and overcast, with chilly temperatures hovering around freezing, and snow from earlier in the week still covering most of the landscape.

  On a weekend with many highlights, some bird encounters nevertheless stood out as noteworthy. We soon caught up with one of our target species, as 300-400 Lapland Longspurs shimmered restlessly across the landscape in undulating flocks, before coming to land in the fields. They vanished amidst the stubble and skulked among the furrows like mice upon landing, never giving very close looks. Soon after that encounter, we spotted two Tundra Swans mixed up with at least a hundred Whooper Swans, and we spent a long time comparing the two similar species.

  Several hours later, in a memorable and serendipitous birding moment, we pulled the car over next to a man-made pond to have a brief snack, as the rain started up again. While we were eating, all three of us casually looked to the right at the same time and saw a motionless shorebird on a spit of mud several metres from the car. Looking like a ‘Grey-tailed Tattler with issues’ at first glance, we stared at the bird in silent confusion for several seconds before starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It had to be...but it couldn’t be...it WAS...a Long-billed Dowitcher! A most welcome and unexpected encounter with this less than annual vagrant.

  Other notable target birds we spent time with included a Chinese Grey Shrike, a Lesser White-fronted Goose, and three Eurasian Bitterns. Geese were everywhere this weekend, with at least 5,000 Bean and Greater White-fronted Goose seen in and over the fields at all times. The most abundant raptor was Eastern Buzzard, with at least 19 seen over the weekend - several reddish individuals among them. A handful of Common Kestrels and Northern Goshawks were seen patrolling the fields, as well as three Hen Harriers. Multiple flocks of 30-60 Grey-capped Greenfinch and Brambling were seen near villages and lightly wooded areas, and lone Dusky and Naumann’s Thrushes in the same tree was an interesting sight. Yellow-throated, Rustic, and Black-faced Buntings were also present in most scrubby areas.

  On the 29^th, the skies were still overcast, and the temperatures were warmer (with most of the snow melting) with intermittent rain. The day was also a much quieter one, bird-wise. In the late morning, a Snow Goose was spotted with several hundred Bean and Greater White-fronted Geese near Seosan Birdland. None of the busloads of visitors to this tourist trap took note of the spectacle of wild geese within a stone’s throw of the parking lot. The visitors we saw were more interested in frightening a caged one-winged Cinereous Vulture and quivering Northern Goshawk by dancing (to the music being pumped out of speakers) and shouting in front of the cages, then laughing when the birds got agitated. These birds, along with a captive Eurasian Eagle Owl and Peregrine Falcon among others, were a pitiful and depressing sight indeed. For those interested in ‘birding’, several oversized fibreglass Hooded Cranes had been planted in a field for guests to look at through scopes. An enclosure next to Birdland held hundreds of Mandarin Ducks in cramped quarters, for some reason. This situation definitely merits further investigation. All in all, this place felt like a poorly thought out and grim attempt to soak up tourist money.

Suncheon, December 24, 2015 – January 9, 2016

Long-tailed Rosefinch Carpodacus sibiricus

Pallas’s Rosefinch Carpodacus roseus

(left:male, right:female)

Vinous-throated Parrotbill Sinosuthera webbiana

Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus

Reed Harvesting

Area stripped of reeds

Suncheon Bay

  The reeds at Suncheon Bay at this time of year are constantly rustling with restless Vinous-throated Parrotbills, Chinese Penduline Tits, and Pallas’s Reed Buntings (though almost no Common Reed Buntings yet). There are now noticeably less reeds for these birds, as truckloads of workers have been harvesting large swaths of reeds from the area lately, leaving the inevitable piles of trash behind them. Another issue is that one has to be careful where one steps these days, as a disturbing and widespread new trend at the bay seems to be ‘outdoor bathroom breaks’ – a truly repulsive situation.

  The bay was gloomy and chilly on December 24^th, with the obvious highlight being a brief encounter with a female Bluethroat. Other noteworthy bird sightings included a Western Osprey, just one Cinereous Vulture, and a dozen Lapland Longspurs. Two days later in the hills north of town, seven Pallas’s Rosefinch were a treat to watch as they fed in a roadside ditch just after sunset.

  On the final day of 2015, an Eastern Water Rail and the overwintering pair of Hen Harriers were seen, but the real excitement for the day came in the form of three Pine Buntings. This is a long-awaited species for me, and this sighting was apparently the most southerly mainland record.

  A Siberian Accentor on January 2^nd was a personal new species for the site, as were two Long-tailed Rosefinch on January 9^th. Later in the day, I was fairly surprised to see a lethargic Long-billed Dowitcher. Six White-naped Cranes were also a welcome sight.

Shorebird School 3

Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus

Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes

Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes

Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos

Sanderling Calidris alba

Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus

Mucking through the muck

Mr. Extreme gets real low

How benches are made

Camping Domaine Florent, Sept 19, 2021

  On the northern banks of Lake Champlain lies Camping Domaine Florent. The place is a curious blend of summer residences that felt like the passengers on a cut-rate cruise ship had washed ashore and decided to form their very own dystopia.

  I went there with George and Ben on Sunday to walk through the mud and scope out the shorebirds. We logged 12 species of shorebird (among 50+ species on the day), and there were lifers for all, huzzah. The rock star bird of the day was the Long-billed Dowitcher, which was also a rock star bird in Korea.

  It was neat to be able to walk down the beach taking in the shorebirds, then walk back through the woods, picking through the confusing fall warblers.

  My eyeholes still burn a bit from all that sun. That’s what I get for mutating into a nocturnal creature.