|
|
|
|
|
January February March April May
January February March April May June August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December Review 2006
January February March April May June July August September October November December Review 2005
January February March April May June July August September October November December Review 2004
January February March April May June July August September October November December Review 2003
February April May August September October November December Review 2002
For more bird news, try these excellent sites:
Seosan (KIM Hyun Tae) National Parks Migratory Bird Center - Hong Do BIRDKSH (Kim Sung-Hyun) Gangneung City (CHOI Soon Kyoo) Korean Wild Bird Society (Korean Language Birding Forum)
For an interesting blog on the endangered Nordmann's Greenshank please go to nordmanns |
Latest Bird News from Nial Moores (unless stated otherwise).
May 1: Eochong Do Clearing weather saw major departures of birds, but even so 108 species were logged, including the Black-faced Spoonbills and Amur Falcon again, as well as increasing numbers of accipiters (with 10 Chinese Sparrowhawks and 25 Japanese (Lesser) Sparrowhawks A. gularis) and 2 Oriental Pratincoles flycatching like oversized wagtails less than 10 metres from suitably impressed observers. 300 Ashy Minivets for the day was presumed a new Korean high count, while 25 Black-naped Orioles Oriolus chinensis were no less welcome.
May 2.
The first Broad-billed Rollers Eurystomus orientalis (3) were logged, as well as another (or
the same?) Amur Falcon and at least 35 White-throated Needletails
Hirundapus caudacutus.
News from Dr Park Jin-Young on Gageo Do included another Korean Tree Pipit, male
Black Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone atrocaudata and male Pied Harrier
Circus melanoleucos chasing down 150+ Little Buntings at Hangri.
May 3
No Spoon-billed Sandpipers, but among an estimated 20,000+ shorebirds in one area were ca 1500
summer-plumaged Red-necked and one Little Stint C. minuta, plus ca 3
Nordmann's Greenshanks Tringa guttifer and 3 Asiatic Dowitcher
Limnodromus semipalmatus (a species recorded less than 10 times in Korea up to now).
From Gageo Do, Dr Park Jin-Young reports 2 Blyth's Pipits, which remain two days.
May 4
A visit to the Seosan reclamation lakes produced this trip's perhaps greatest and most welcome surpises.
A distant flock of birds "out on the water" turned out to be 1300 extremely late serriostris
Tundra Bean Geese, and 2 striking Swan Geese Anser cygnoides!
May 4
News and photos from Kim Hyuntai's website reveals Greater Short-toed Lark
Calandrella brachdactyla and Korea's third Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus,
both at Seosan.
May 5
A couple of hours birding at Yeong Jeong next to the aiport before catching various flights home were
rewarded with stunning close-up views of a breeding plumaged Chinese Egret and several
Saunders's Gulls...highlight for some, however, were views of the far commoner but still beautiful
Varied Tit Parus varius.
From Gageo Do, Dr Park Jin-Young reports a female Citrine Wagtail, a rare migrant.
Rain with strong SE winds started
to drop migrants onto Eocheong Do in the late afternoon. The scene was somewhat reminiscent of a week
earlier, but the species composition was strikingly different, comprising several mid-spring migrants such as
the grey-brown flycatchers and Red-tailed Robins.
Ashy Minivet: 120+
May 7.
Constant heavy drizzle and fog throughout the day led to large parties of foraging flycatchers, with no
less than 6 species in a couple of the groups!
Some highlights included:
Red-tailed Robin: 35+ (many seen excellently foraging on roads or stone walls)
From Gageo Do, Dr Park Jin-Young reports a Grey-headed Lapwing (May 7-8), an adult male
White-shouldered StarlingSturnus sinensis (about the third for Korea), and a Tree Pipit
, the second of the spring on Gageo Do. First found in Korea on Gageo Do in 1999, this species is now
being recorded annually in small numbers, with possibly 10 claimed records in total.
May 8
Gradually clearing skies led to the recording of 99 species on the island (probably only 1000 ha in extent).
Best included:
Chinese Sparrowhawk: 5+ arriving exhausted in the evening, giving excellent views.
May 9
An early morning return to the mainland by boat included excellent views of 4 and distant views of 5 other
Ancient Murrelets...
While from Park Jin-Young, still on Daehuksan Do:
May 13
Afternoon arrival at Yeong Jeong Do, with US birder Martha Walsh-McGehee: 10-minute stop to take in a full
breeding plumaged Chinese EgretEgretta eulophotes, before driving down to Saemangeum
for the evening high tide.
At the Dongjin River, Saemankeum, highlights included:
May 14th
Early morning at Mankyeung
A roost of at least 40 000 shorebirds watched extremely close and well in sharp early morning light.
As the boat to Eocheong Do was cancelled due to poor weather, we travelled quickly down to Mokpo instead,
stopping en route for Long-toed Stint (3), and caught the boat across to Daehuksan.
From the outward ferry highlights included:
From the return ferry, Nial travelling alone, saw -
May 15-16
In heavy rain and strong winds,a fall of commoner migrants took place on Taehuksan: highlights of birds seen
by KIM Su-Kyung and Mandy included :
Also Ancient Murrelet: 1 from the return ferry
May 17
A visit to Gwangneung Arboretum and surrounding forest produced many sightings of Japanese
Pygmy,Great Spotted and White-backed Woodpeckers, singing Siberian Blue Robin and
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher 'scoped, and the briefest glimpse of Ruddy KingfisherHalycon
coromanda. Although at least 6 were heard, none gave decent views...None of the 5 or so
Indian CuckoosCuculus micropterus heard showed either, unlike 2 very obliging
Oriental CuckoosCuculus saturatus, and a couple of Grey-backed and White's Thrushes.
May 18
A morning spent at Ganghwa Island provided stunning views of Black-faced Spoonbill
down to 20 m as it fed in a roadside rice-field, 14 Chinese Egret in one group (and many other
singles), a few Oriental Honey BuzzardPernis ptilorhynchus and an extremely well-watched
singing Forest WagtailDendronanthus indicus.
May 19
Nial back to Eocheong Do in search of later spring migrants, and to spend time with key people on the island
to explain about the possibilities of birdwatching-based eco-tourism...
Birding highlights, among 95+ species recorded, included :
Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler Locustella certhiola: 3 + (the first Locustellas of the spring on Eocheong Do)
May 20
Eocheong Do: sunny conditions, but still 81 species recorded.
Most interesting was a steady passage of Chinese Sparrowhawks (with 75+ north in one hour).
May 21
Eocheong Do. Sunny, becoming cloudier by afternoon.
87 species recorded, though a significant departure took place in the early afternoon.
 Schrenk's Bittern, Photo © Nial Moores
White-breasted Waterhen: 2
May 22 Eocheong Do
Highlights amongst 70 spp included
May 23 Eocheong Do
Blyth's Pipit: 1
On return boat journey
Pomarine Skua: 1 Photographed (first documented record)
Also 4+ Ancient Murrelet |
|
