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

2026-06-27: 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

2026-05-24: Late Spring up on Hallasan

A lovely hike up Hallasan in lovely late May weather. Warm, sunny, a little breezy, not hot, with some cloud coming in but no rain. The mission was birds, plants, as well as butterflies, and we came out pretty good. Lots of breeding birds and a few migrants way up there. So many beautiful flowers of all types. Some unique butterflies that aren't found in many other parts of the country.

Cephalanthera longibracteata

Rhododendron weyrichii

Coal Tit

Primula jesoana pubescens

Malus toringo

Berberis amurensis quelpaertensis

Asian Tit

Oriental Honey Buzzard

Oriental Honey Buzzard

Coenonympha hero

Bull-headed Shrike

Pacific Swift

Japanese Bush Warbler

Oeneis mongolica hallasanensis

2026-04-29: Jeju Westside Daytrip

 A daytrip guiding some visitors around the western side of Jeju. Late April is absolutely fantastic for birds, with migrants everywhere, some early summer visitors setting up territory, and lots of resident birds. Highlight for sure was a Blyth's Pipit at Alddreu Field, not very often you get to see one so well (being in a car helped). Some Cattle Egrets following a tractor digging up the soil was fun to watch, as they caught all the lizards and bugs that fled from the disturbance. Highlight for the guests was a very late Eastern Buzzard randomly seen while driving, and then after pulling over watching it devour whatever it had just caught. Fun times and decent weather for late April.

Jeju Striped Field Mouse

Blyth's Pipit

Blyth's Pipit

Blyth's Pipit

Blyth's Pipit

Little Curlew

Eurasian Skylark

Terek's Sandpiper

Black-bellied Plover

Red-billed Starling

Eastern Buzzard

Eastern Cattle Egret with a Mountain Grass Lizard

Down the hatch!

2026-03-21: Early Spring on Hallasan

 A hike up Hallasan in early spring via Eorimok and Yeongsil trails. Plenty of activity with the smaller tit species, some Japanese Waxwings feasting on berries, an orange stealing crow, and a Cinereous Vulture soaring overhead.

Varied Tit

White Wagtail

Japanese Waxwing

Japanese Waxwing

Coal Tit

Large-billed Crow with a treat

Large-billed Crow

Eastern Roe Deer

Brambling

Cinereous Vulture

White-backed Woodpecker