I really enjoy birding my local patches the most, but sometimes a special bird drops by Korea, and it's just too tempting to go check it out. This winter Korea's first documented Red-tailed Shrike was found in Gimpo, just 30 minute drive northwest of Seoul. It was first found around end of December or early January, and was well documented by locals throughout the winter. There was a bit of controvery regarding it's identification - was it a Brown Shrike? Was it an Isabelline? Was it a hybrid? Seems the consesus is it's a full Red-tailed Shrike. The little fella was so popular that it was even captured by local researchers to band it and nab a feather for some DNA analysis. Well, luckily it's still doing well three months later, and looking prettier than ever as the plumage begins to reveal the nice reds and whites commonly found on this species.
Given that this bird was being photographed back in January, I was really tempting fate and risking a dip (as I've done a few this winter) by flying up in early March (!) to look for this, but I guess I like living dangerously.
But first, what birding trip to mainland Korean farmland in the winter is complete without geese?
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| Greater White-fronted Goose |
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| Greater White-fronted Goose |
Greater White-fronted Geese were the majority species dominating these rice fields. I sometimes find this species when birding on Jeju, but they're in small numbers during winter and migration. The number of geese up in Gimpo though was something else, and it's certainly been some time since I've seen this large number of geese.
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| Tundra Bean Goose |
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| Tundra Bean Goose |
A few Tundra Bean Geese were around the groups of Greater White-fronted. Usually the larger wetland-loving Taiga Geese are the ones I see in winter on Jeju, so it was nice to get better looks at the Tundra Beans. This species is a bit more stout with a shorter neck and bill, and overall stumpier appearance than a leaner and taller Taiga Bean Goose.
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| Cackling Goose |
The real star of the Goose Show was this Cackling Goose I digiscoped, about 10 minutes after arriving in the morning. This is a species I've seen when birding in Canada, although many years ago and I barely have any memory of it. Much smaller than the regular Canada Goose, the two used to be considered the same species but were split into two. I lost sight of this fella shortly after finding it, and didn't see it again for the rest of the day. Talking with other birders and seeing records on eBird, it looks like up to three different individuals were seen in this patch throughout winter.
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| Red-tailed Shrike |
Geese aside, the primary reason for me birding in Gimpo was to find the Red-tailed Shrike. Everyone I spoke with said it would be very visible and was easy to find. Well I waited the whole day! Other birders were around too, and didn't see it. Later on as the day was ending and it was getting close to my departure flight, I looked over to some shrubs and saw a large-ish thrush/shrike like bird. Putting the bins on it, I realised it was the shrike and did my best to get some record shots. This bird really didn't show up till the last minute, and I only had a few minutes of actual view time. Still, very much worth the visit to see this Korean first, and such a handsome bird.
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| Eastern Buzzard |
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| Cinerous Vulture |
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| Large-billed Crow |
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| Eurasian Spoonbill |
And of course what visit to some farmland in Korea isn't complete without some raptors? Kestrels, Eastern Buzzard, Cinerous Vultures, and a White-tailed Eagle were seen throughout the day. A few Large-billed Crows were being quite vocal, and a pair of Eurasian Spoonbills were lazily resting on the edges of the Han River.
