Monthly Archives: April 2015

Eocheong-do, April 17-24

Bird News from Robin Newlin

 

 

darker lil egret AP9F9225

Little Egret Egretta Garzetta ©Robin Newlin

 

 

Strong winds kept the boats in port on the 16th. Arriving mid-day on 4’17, I did an afternoon’s reconnaissance of the southern part of the island, from quarry to boardwalk to school and stream/reservoir. First bird off the boat was a Yellow-browed Bunting; I saw a few more of these during the day as well as slightly more Black-faced Buntings. My feeling was that the island felt fairly “birdy”—but in an early-spring sort of way, with e.g. moderate numbers of Red-flanked Bluetails (c.30), Daurian Redstarts, Bramblings, Stejneger’s Stonechats, Pale Thrushes (c.40), and Dusky Thrushes. The boardwalk area held small numbers of Blue Rock Thrushes, Barn Swallows, and White Wagtails; there were three Red-billed Starlings, several Brown-eared and two or three Light-vented Bulbuls. A Great Crested Grebe in the harbor. One or two Yellow-browed Warblers called invisibly, as did a Eurasian Hoopoe above the village. A Siberian Blue Robin sang somewhere up-slope. Around the school: A Chinese Blackbird, a Grey Thrush, single Daurian and Chestnut-cheeked Starlings, a White’s Thrush, three Hawfinches, and about eight Chinese Grosbeaks. Near the stream and reservoir: a couple each of Olive-backed and Buff-bellied Pipits, a few Dusky and Korean Bush warblers, a Naumannn’s Thrush, two (probable) Swinhoe’s Snipes, a Little Grebe, and the day’s (and trip’s) highlight: a Chinese (Song) Thrush, which stopped briefly atop a pine then flew up toward the army base.

redc little grebe AP9F9376

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficolis ©Robin Newlin

 

reduced blue rock AP9F9945

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius ©Robin Newlin

 

4’18 saw little change (if anything, some diminishment) in the general population: additional species included a Chestnut-eared Bunting, a few Little and Tristram’s Buntings, a couple of Brown-headed Thrushes, a single Blue-and-white Flycatcher, a few Asian Stubtails, a Japanese Sparrowhawk, a single Pacific Swift and a White-breasted Waterhen. Little and Intermediate Egrets were joined by a small influx (four birds) of Striated Herons.

redc stonechat AP9F9348

Stejneger’s Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri ©Robin Newlin

4’19 brought rain through the day— notable were a Little Whimbrel seen briefly in flight, about eight Mandarin Ducks on wing, and a small flock of Euarsian Siskins.

4’20. Rain lingered until the afternoon; not surprisingly, some new shorebirds appeared: a Pacific Golden Plover, two Mongolian Plovers, a Common Greenshank, a single Red-necked Stint, and a pair of Common Sandpipers.

redc mongolian plover AP9F9649

Mongolian Plover Charadrius mongolus ©Robin Newlin

 

redc golden plover AP9F9838

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialus fulva ©Robin Newlin

 

The inner harbor, made marginally brackish by the influx of two small and one slightly larger stream and lined by some mossy and insect-rich stones,, serves as a haven for wagtails, swallows, kingfishers, and the occasional shorebird.

 

rdc swallow AP9F9540

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustico ©Robin Newlin

 

rdc daurian AP9F9442

 

Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus ©Robin Newlin

 

rdc grey wagtail AP9F9492

 

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea ©Robin Newlin

 

Fishing is good there–minnows abound, and the large Soong Ah, although maybe (or not) beyond the wildest ambitions of a kingfisher, do attract and nourish cormorants.

 

redc fish AP9F0198

Soong-ah Fish (comments on Korean, English or Linnaean names welcome). ©Robin Newlin

cormorant AP9F9988

 

Temminck’s Cormorant Phalacrocorax capillatus ©Robin Newlin

 

4’21. Rain gone, replaced by rather chilly winds, and few birds in the morning especially. A drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker. An Eye-browed Thrush. Several Grey-backed Thrushes and a couple of Grey Thrushes. Highlight was an apparent Pandoo-type or Pandoo-influenced Blue Rock Thrush—overall blue, although with a few scattered rusty blotches on the face and a rusty vent. The afternoon saw a warming trend, and a marked increase in especially warblers, with many Yellow-browed Warblers calling, several Pallas’ Leaf Warblers, and a few each of Pale-legged Leaf and Eastern Crowned Warblers. Also very welcome: a small flock of Yellow-bellied Tits. Although flycatchers remained scarce, I saw a few more Blue-and-whites and single Narcissus and Yellow-rumped Flycatchers. Several Common Kingfishers seemed to be newly arrived along the boardwalk rockscapes. Scattered wagtails—White and Grey—near the main village, and a single Eastern Yellow Wagtail at the reservoir.

 

redc p leaf AP9F9900

 

Pallas’ Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus ©Robin Newlin

 

rdc yb tit AP9F9675

 

Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus ©Robin Newlin

 

 

4’22. The sense of clear-out continued. A few Wood Sandpipers and a single Marsh Sandpiper. The only Asian Brown Flycatcher of the trip. Pale Thrushes remain plentiful.  A few Goldcrests and Varied Tits. Unseen Japanese White-eyes. A Greater Short-toed Lark. Warblers continue in good numbers, but only the Yellow-browed Warblers vocalize. A single Siberian Rubythroat. In the afternoon, a calling Oriental Scops Owl.

redc pale thrush AP9F9642

 

Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus ©Robin Newlin

 

4’23 Dense fog and cancelled boat. A Red-throated Pipit and Oriental Pratincole nevertheless managed to find the island … and I them.

4’24. A first-of-the-season Brown Shrike from the boardwalk. I spent most of the morning viewing the Pratincole from afar and the Common Kingfisher from close by.

 

rdc kingfisher AP9F0044

Common Kingfisher Alcedo athis ©Robin Newlin

 

Fog lingered but sunlight predominated.  From the boat: a farewell glimpse of of roosting egrets and gulls and, halfway to Gunsan, a single Little Tern.

rdc little egret AP9F9846

 

Little Egret Egretta Garzetta ©Robin Newlin

2015년 탐조대회: 두번째 공지

친애하는 회원분들과 후원자분들께, 이제 일주일 밖에 남지 않았습니다! 한국에서는 봄철 이동시기의 최고조를 맞이하여 다양한 새들이 관찰되고 있습니다: 세계 철새의 날을 축하하는 제 5차 연간 탐조 대회(5월 2-10일)를 개최할 때입니다. 연간 탐조대회는 새와 생명의 터가 진행하는 보전 프로젝트에 필요한 후원금을 모으고, … read more

“Green-blind Growth”

A new book, Environmental Challenges and Governance: Diverse Perspectives from Asia (published by Routledge) includes a must-read chapter on “Green-blind Growth” in the Republic of Korea by Dr. Rakhyun Kim (the 2013 winner of the prestigious Oran R. Young prize). … read more

등 색깔이 어두운 흥미로운 갈매기: 극단적인 taimyrensis인가, 아니면 heuglini인가?

Nial Moores, 2015년 4월 14일 4월 11일, 밝고 따뜻한 날씨에 다섯 명의 새와 생명의 터 회원들(Jason Loghry, 하정문, Robin Newlin, 서해민, Nial Moores)로 이뤄진 팀이 배를 타고 낙동강 하구 바깥쪽을 확인했습니다. 가장 흥미로웠던(적어도 제게는!) 것은 약 100마리 정도의 줄무늬노랑발갈매기 Larus … read more

2015년 4월 11일~12일, 부산 탐조 관찰종 목록

2015년 4월 11일과 12일, 부산 일대 탐조 기록입니다. 11일에는 낙동강 하구(신자도, 도요등), 12일에는 태종대, 을숙도, 맥도생태공원에 다녀왔어요. Robin Newlin, Nial Moores, Jason Loghry, 하정문 님과 함께 다녀왔고 이 중 3명이 포스트를 작성했습니다. 저는 이 탐조에서 관찰된 새들의 목록을 정리하는 것에 … read more