2022-06 Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (Saryeoni Forest)

A nice pleasant walk through Saryeoni Forest in early June, and along the way plenty of Yellow-rumped Flycatchers were heard and seen. I managed to get a nice capture of this one perched near a stream. I didn't know they made such a high pitched chirping, perhaps if I figure it out I'll upload the audio track later on. 

Yellow-rumped Flycatcher

2022-05 Birds on Jeju Island in May

 Birding in the spring can be interesting anywhere you are in Korea. Jeju has a wide range of habitats within a close proximity, so it can be easy to find a lot of interesting species at the right time. May of couse has some really interesting species rolling through, as well is good opportunities to see resident species in fresh green surroundings.

Large-billed Crow at Jeolmul Forest.

Jeju City has some nice parks that can have migrants hiding during spring time. Emphasis on the hiding though as it can take a bit of work finding some of the more interesting birds passing through. I think mainly due to how popular the parks can be with both tourists and locals.

Black-naped Oriole at the Halla Arboretum. A regular summer breeder on the Korean mainland, but generally only a migrant on Jeju Island.

Dollarbird in a pine tree at Sarabong Park. Another common Korean summer breeder that usually only shows up during migration on Jeju.

The south of the island is where the real gold is in spring time, with many choices of habitat. A birdwatcher can really have a lot of fun going through these different parks during spring, finding some pretty rare species at the right times. I found myself rotating through these different parks each week, trying to find the sweet spots. Certainly some parks seemed better than others, but there were surprises to be had even on non-birding days.

Tristram's Bunting in the scrub.

Gray Wagtail in a stream somewhere by Jungmun.

Male Mugimaki in the canopy in a Park in Seogwipo City.

Yellow Bunting, rather uncommon in Korea during migration. Jeju is apparently the best place to find them in spring.

Brown Shrike perched on a reed on the south coast.

One of my favourite spots, Yongsu Reservoir, has interesting birds year round. Spring time certainly met my expectations, even with just a couple of visits. The highlight for this area in spring was certainly a Pheasant-tailed Jacana, a species not so common in Korea.

Common Cuckoo. This one had me confused until it was pointed out that Common Cuckoo's have light streaking on their vent and heavy barring on their chest. Also the thicker, heavier body.

Brown-eared Bulbul with some nesting material.

Light-vented Bulbul, a species that has successfuly colonized Jeju Island, and slowly the mainland.

Marsh Sandpiper at Yongsu Reservoir.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana at Yongsu Reservoir. This species used to breed on Jeju until development and extra disturbance made them more rare. Despie this, Several were found in spring 2021, and I personally saw 2 individuals this year (2022).

2022-05 Migration on Mara-do in May

May is a really exciting time to go birdwatching on islands in Korea. So of course I spent a fair amount of time visiting Mara Island, the furthest south you can get in Korea. It being an island gives it a roulette feel where you don't know what will show up each visit. And the southern location adds some extra spice to the potential species that can be found here.

Grey Streaked Flycatcher, a somewhat common migrant that looks similar to the Asian Brown Flycatcher and even more similar to the Dark-sided Flycatcher.

Dark-sided Flycatcher, not so common but not so rare either.

Blue-and-white Flycatcher, a brilliant male. This species breeds on Korea and can be commonly found in  forests and mountains in the summer.

Narcissus Flycatcher, a common migrant in the south of the country. I believe these are mostly headed for Japan and nearby.

Tiger Shrike, a breeder on the mainland of Korea, but not so common on Jeju Island outside of migration.

Chinese Sparrowhawk, a common summer breeder.

Thick-billed Warbler, this species was a lifer for me. They are not very common and generally show up in late May and moreso on northern islands off of Incheon.

Black-browed Reed Warbler, smaller than the Oriental Reed Warbler but just as noisy. They sort of remind me of Zitting Cisticolas in a superficial way.

Grey Nightjar, incredibly elusive but apparently common to hear calling at night in May and June. Mara Island is a good place to find individuals resting because the trees are so small and exposed. This one was a lifer for me and I got incredibly lucky to get such excellent views.

Pallas' Reed Bunting, common in reeds (who would have thought?) in the winter, mainly on the Korean mainland. This one felt a little late in migration.

Yellow-browed Bunting, another common migrant.

Eyebrowed Thrush, common spring migrant. Difficult to see at times, like most thrushes.

Grey-backed Thrush, regular summer breeder in Korea.

Styan's Grasshopper Warbler. This species is known to only breed on islands and iselets off of Korea and Japan, and spends its winters down in Hong Kong and Southern China. Mara Island is quite possibly one of the easiest places in the world to find them.

 

2022-05 Coastal Birds in May, Jeju-do

 Most shorebirds have left Korea by early May but there were still a few stragglers. Here's a few photos of birds seen on the coast on Jeju Island in (mostly early) May.

Heuglin's Gull (a species with a confusing taxonomy, some say it is a distinct species, others list it as a subspecies of Lesser Black-backed Gull)

Common Greenshank

A pair of Chinese Egret preening.

Caspian Tern, a vagrant to Korea. This particular individual was hanging around the east coast of Jeju Island since at least January.

Grey-tailed Tattler, this species seems to linger around and can be seen in varying numbers from March to November.

Grey Wagtail, male. Not a shorebird but seen on the shore nonetheless. And look at those bright breeding colours!

Lesser Sand Plover in fine breeding plumage. The round shape and orange colour makes it a little similar to the oranges Jeju is famous for.

2022-04 Migration on Mara-do in April

 Here are some highlights from trips to Mara Island in April 2022. I think I was visiting there roughly once a week if I remember correctly. A couple days, particularly after some rough weather, were quite productive with loads of birds landed on the island. Other days, the weather was a bit too fine, so likely the birds passed over.

White's Thrush

Japanese Sparrowhawk

Yellow-breasted Bunting

Narcissus Flycatcher

Chestnut Bunting

Chinese Pond Heron

Common Rosefinch (female)

2022-04 Coastal Birds in April, Jeju-do

 A few photos of various birds that I saw around the coast on Jeju in April. Given that Jeju is an island, there is always potential for surprises in spring. While the Great Knot isn't a particularly rare bird for Korea, this one was giving really clear views while it fed.

Great Knot

Great Knot

Great Egrets can be seen year round in Korea, but this one in particular caught my attention. It was in the middle of consuming a rather large fish.

Great Egret

Pacific Reef-herons are resident birds on Jeju. While they're not particularly rare, they can be easily overlooked, with their dark feathers blending in perfectly with the black volcanic rock along Jeju's coast. This one was on the wrong side of the sun in terms of lighting, but otherwise was quite close allowing for a nice look at the details of this species.

Pacific Reef-Heron

Chinese Egrets breed in some parts of Korea, but on Jeju they're really only seen during spring migration and occasionally summer. This one was feeding on a tidal flat on the east coast. The strong lighting and head plumes blowing in the wind gave this already impressive bird a very dramatic feeling.

Chinese Egret

2022-04 Little Curlew and more, Jeju-do

Jeju Island is a particularly interesting place for migrant birds in spring time, and one of the best spots is in the southwest of the island. While exploring around there one morning in mid April, I inadvertently stumbled across a small group of Little Curlew. This species is rather rare to find in Korea, but are somewhat regular on Jeju during spring migration.

Little Curlew, hiding in the grass and flowers.

Also mixed in with the Little Curlew was a small group of Oriental Pratincoles, which soon began flying around me feeding on insects (much like swallows).

Oriental Pratincole feeding while flying. They're like the swallows of the shorebirds.

 A day after I found the Little Curlews, I stumbled across another somewhat uncommon or rare migrant for Korea, a Curlew Sandpipier. This one was not quite in its full red plumage, but pretty nonetheless. It was also a lifer for me, which added to the excitement of the find.

Little Curlew, not quite in its full red breeding plumage.