Birding on Jeju Overview Article

 This past summer, I was asked to write a brief overview of birding on Jeju Island as part of a birding locations series for the excellent birding website 10,000 Birds. This website features a wide variety of birding related articles from trip reports, guide interviews, location overviews, and gear reviews, among others. I strongly suggest checking it out for those interesting or already involved in birding.

While it's not a perfect write up, I feel it can be good introduction for those planning to visit and wanting to try things on their own. Please take a look at it here: 

https://www.10000birds.com/jeju-south-korea-profile-for-birders.htm

2026-09-13: Halla Eco Forest

 A brief evening stroll through Halla Eco Forest. It ended up being too chilly for butterflies and other insects, but I got excellent views of a Siberian Weasel roaming about. It seemed like a young on because of the darker fur and very bold behaviour.

Siberian Weasel

Some bird sightings of interest was my first Blue-and-white Flycatcher in this particular park, as well as quite a few Grey-streaked Flycatchers. Migrants, or were they breeding on Hallasan?

Blue-and-white Flycatcher

Grey-streaked Flycatcher

Grey Heron

Last but not least, a close encounter with a Chinese Many-toothed Snake, a species only found on Jeju in the Korean peninsula, but of course ranges much further south through China into Vietnam.

Chinese Many-toothed Snake

Chinese Many-toothed Snake

2026-08: Summer in Seonheul Gotjawal

 I visited Seonheul Gotjawal often this summer to search for a particular butterfly, Arhopala japonica. This species is fairly common in Japan, but in Korea, this species is only found on Jeju and some southern areas of the mainland, so it's quite special in a regional context. Out of all the visits I only saw one once, and got very nice views of its gorgeous blue. Of course there were plenty of birds and other interesting insects found throughout the visits.

Arhopala japonica

Oriental Greenfinch

Graphium sarpedon

Rhyothemis fuliginosa

Black Paradise Flycatcher

Black-spotted Frog

Eurasian Jay

Grey Heron

2026-08-23: Late summer heat and early migrants on Chuja Island

I took a day trip to Chuja Island to try my luck for seabirds and to see if any migrants are around on the island. The sea was pretty good, with plenty of Streaked Shearwaters and Swinhoe's Storm Petrels, both of which breed on islets between Jeju and the mainland. A large group of Common Terns was spotted on the return boatride, as well.

Streaked Shearwater

Swinhoe's Storm Petrel

Common Tern

The island was somewhat quiet as expected, but got a couple Sakhalin Leaf Warblers (confirmed with call), Oriental Cuckoo, and a brief view of a Fairy Pitta (my first visual of one on Chuja). Not a bad visit, but very hot.

Sakhalin Leaf Warbler

Japanese Bush Warbler

Oriental Cuckoo

Orthetrum melania

2026-07: Jeju City Birds

 A few birds seen around Jeju City in July. Brown-eared Bulbul feeding its young in a tree right in downtown Jeju, Eastern Spot-billed Duck family along the coast, and a Pacific Reef Heron perched nicely in the harbour.

Brown-eared Bulbul

Eastern Spot-billed Duck

Pacific Reef Heron

2026-07-02: Dollarbird

 Dollarbirds are regular migrants throughout Korea in spring and fall, and fairly common summer visitors on the mainland of the peninsula. It's somewhat difficult to find them on Jeju in summer as it seems not many stick around. But, I got quite lucky finding a pair this summer in a rural area on the east side of the island. They hung around for several weeks, so it's possible they were breeding.

2026-06-27: Jeju Westside Daytrip

 A bit of a last minute plan to show some visitors the excellent birds around Jeju lead to a very nice early summer day of birding. Highlights included Fairy Pitta, Black Paradise Flycatcher, Oriental Honey Buzzard, and Whiskered Tern. Plenty of regular resident birds were seen well, through a variety of habitats including mountain, forest, coast, and a reservoir. Not too hot yet, still pleasant weather.

Fairy Pitta

Black Paradise Flycatcher

Light-vented Bulbul

Oriental Honey Buzzard

Peregrine Falcon

Red-billed Starling

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Great Cormorant - not always seen around Jeju in summer

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

2026-06-08: Ducklings and a Bittern

 Late spring can be a good time for migrants still, although pickings are slim by June. Regardless, I got very lucky this morning with excellent views of a Yellow Bittern migrating through. I actually snuck up on it unintentionally, but once I realized what it was I froze and got as many photos as I could and a bit of video. But soon the gig was up and it took one look at me and flew off somewhere a bit further.

Scattered throughout the rest of the coastal wetland were many small ducklings. Eastern Spot-billed Duck is a resident species on Jeju, and often they will have a couple broods each season.

Yellow Bittern

Yellow Bittern

Eastern Spot-billed Ducks

Eastern Spot-billed Ducks