I took a quick trip to Halla Arboretum on the morning of Dec 1. Despite facing strong winds, rain, and then hail (!), I saw a decent assortment of birds.
Plenty of Pale Thrush are in the gardens now, and a White-backed Woodpecker was feeding on oranges in an orchard. White-backed Woodpeckers are somewhat interesting on Jeju as I heard they are the official bird of Jeju, and a special subspecies occurs on Jeju ( Dendrocopos leucotos quelpartensis) Other regulars included Bull-headed Shrikes, Warbling Whiteeyes, and Japanese Bush Warblers.
The shining moment of the morning was finally seeing the elusive Cinereous Vultures that reside on Jeju. A pair flew over the arboretum briefly as the storm was moving in. Apparently these vultures were first seen on Jeju around 2002 in a large group, and have been seen sporadically ever since. I think they may eat carrion such as deer, and stray cats and dogs, as well as perhaps remains from meat farms (horse, pig, and cow are farmed on Jeju).
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| Jeju White-backed Woodpecker / 큰오색딱따구리 / Dendrocopos leucotos, waiting to dive in on that Jeju orange. |
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| Is it eating insects inside, or the orange itself? |
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| Bull-headed Shrike / 때까치 / Lanius bucephalus |
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| Pale Thrush / 흰배지빠귀 / Turdus pallidus |
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Cinereous Vulture / 독수리 / Aegypius monachus
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| Cinereous Vulture / 독수리 / Aegypius monachus |
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| Siberian Roe Deer / 노루 / Capreolus capreolus |
