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| Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina |
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| Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni |
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| Tristram's Bunting Emberiza tristrami |
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| Sakhalin Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus borealoides |
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| Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus |
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| Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus |
We took a short morning visit to Gapa Island, a small round and flat island on the south coast inbetween Jeju and Mara. While we weren't there strictly for birding, it was spring and the weather was fantastic, so w did spend a bit of time looking to see what was around. Gapa doesn't seem to be birded as much as other spots around Jeju, so it was nice to see some interesting migrants like Japanese Thrush and Yellow-browed Bunting.
eBird checklist for the day here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S229425508
A friend of mine, another fellow Canadian who also used to bird on Jeju, visited Gapa a couple years ago and also found some goodies. Check out this reports here:
https://snowyowllost.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-10-2023-gapa-island.html
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| Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis |
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| Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa latirostris |
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| Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza chrysophrys |
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| Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus |
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| Japanese Thrush Turdus cardis |
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| Grey-backed Thrush Turdus hortulorum |
Spring migration was picking up in mid-April on the mainland of Jeju, so it was expected that Mara-do would have lots of surprises. I made a plan to visit for two days one night, and booked my accomodation at a minbak on the island (minbak is a small home styled accomodation that's common throughout the country particularly in rural areas). Right away I was finding interesting migrants and the whole island had a birdy feel. Highlights of the first day included Ryukyu Minivets, Oriental Pratincoles, and a Yellow Bunting.
The next morning I woke up to find the island completely covered in fog. This made spotting the birds difficult, but was also somewhat easier to get closer to the birds. The mornining started with a White-breasted Waterhen, another Yellow Bunting, and plenty of thrushes. As the morning warmed up, more and more songbirds came out for feeding. It was really spring birding on Mara! A couple exceptional highlights was a Tree Pipit (a lifer for myself), and a female White-throated Rock-thrush. Tree Pipits are not recorded often in Korea, although given how difficult it is to distinguish them from the very common Olive-backed Pipit, it's likely that they are simply underreported.
As the morning continued, I learned that the boats were canceled because of the fog. After some confusing situations with the single passenger ferry that ran that day, I managed to make an escape from the island through a different boat with some other local residents.
eBird checklists here:
April 19 - https://ebird.org/checklist/S226919798
April 20 - https://ebird.org/checklist/S227785038
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| Mara-do north fields, April 19th |
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| Mara-do north fields, April 20th. The fog had really rolled in. |
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| Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola |
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| Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum |
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| Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza chrysophrys |
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| Eastern Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis striolata |
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| Chinese Blackbird Turdus mandarinus |
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| Ryukyu Minivet Pericrocotus tegimae |
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| Yellow-throated Bunting Emberiza elegans |
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| Mara-do at night, lots of lights shining out of towns and villages on mainland Jeju. |
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| Japanese Thrush Turdus cardis |
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| Yellow Bunting Emberiza sulphurata |
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| One of many cats that live on Mara-do. A couple years prior there were many more cats, which casued an issue for migratory and locally breeding birds. The majority of them were relocated to shelters on mainland Jeju. |
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| Taimyr Gull Larus fuscus taimyrensis |
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| White-throated Rock-thrush Monticola gularis |
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| Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis |
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| Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis |
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| Blue Rock-thrush Monticola solitarius |
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| View of the south coast of Mara-do |
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| Evening meal at the minbak, 닭도리탕 |
On a windy spring morning, I visited Songdang Gotjawal on the east coast of Jeju. I was really hoping to see a variety of spring migrants in this forest, as the habitat is quite good but I haven't birded it much. Unfortunately the wind proved to be impossible to work with, so I was left with very little until I was on my way out, when I saw this beautiful male Grey Bunting. Possibly it was one of the same individuals that spent the winter in this forest that I saw earlier this year.
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| Grey Bunting Emberiza variabilis |
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| Grey Bunting Emberiza variabilis |
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| Grey Bunting Emberiza variabilis |
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| Grey Bunting Emberiza variabilis |
Various gulls seen on the east coast of Jeju. Looking for gulls on Jeju Island is pretty easy in winter, buy by April a lot of the gulls have left for breeding grounds up north or have started getting ready. Usually plenty of Taimyr Gulls, which stay until May, and some Vega. Black-tailed breed in Korea, but further north than, so they are mostly gone from Jeju by May, and don't come back until August.
Slaty-backed are pretty much gone by this point aside from a couple individuals. The other species (Mongolian, Black-headed, Common, Saunders) aren't super common on Jeju to begin with and are mostly all gone by mid to late March.
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| Vega Gull Larus vegae |
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| Vega Gull Larus vegae |
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| Vega Gull Larus vegae |
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| Vega Gull Larus vegae |
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| Taimyr Gull Larus fuscus taimyrensis |
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| Vega Gull Larus vegae |
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| Vega Gull Larus vegae |
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| Vega or Mongolian Gull? |
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| Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris |
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| Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris |