Yeongjong, Cheorwon and Paju, March 15-16

Nial Moores with Team Thai

On 15th, a late afternoon visit under warm spring sunshine to the now highly-disturbed lagoon on the north side of Yeongjong with Team Thai (see: https://www.birdskoreablog.org/?p=14788) found disappointingly small numbers of duck (e.g. no Falcated Duck). Best among a group of c. 100 Common Pochard was a single apparent male Ferruginous Duck. Although distant and in low late afternoon light, through the ‘scope the bird looked pure with a peaked head, pale eye, and chestnut head, and matching breast and flanks. The very poor images when eventually cropped and zoomed, however, suggest instead a darker breast than head, and some weak paling on the fore-flank (both features that perhaps suggest some Baer’s Pochard influence?). Considering the rarity of Ferruginous Duck in Korea, it seems wisest to re-identify this bird as a hybrid.

ferrugtypeorhybridmar15-DSC03006_rsFerruginous-like duck with two Common Pochard, Yeongjong, March 15 © Nial Moores

On 16th, we visited Cheorwon in the morning, again in spring-like weather, with a low of -3C rising to a high of 16C. Birding the area around Baekma and then inside of the CCZ until midday (with access assisted by Pastor Peter Jiseok, and where joined by Prof. Robin Newlin) we saw a total of c. 400 White-naped and 17 Red-crowned Cranes and also one distant Hooded Crane (apparently just missing two of the overwintering Siberian Crane by one day…). Other species of note there included a Grey-capped Woodpecker foraging at the base of several pines, and twisting its neck awkwardly to pick under bark, and a male griseiventris Eurasian Bullfinch (in a small group of rosacea) at Baekma; a fly-by male Red-throated Thrush near one of the checkpoints; one (or two?) Chinese Grey Shrike within the CCZ; and in the air, 6+ Cinereous Vulture, two Hen Harrier, 1-2 White-tailed Eagle, and probably 5,000 Rook (with a half-dozen Daurian Jackdaw admixed). There was too little time to check the goose flocks well, but there were perhaps low thousands of Greater White-fronted Goose, tens or low hundreds of Tundra Bean Goose, and a dozen or so Taiga Bean Goose.

sketch16_DSC03047-rs

sketchhingmar16-DSC03046-rsKamol Komolphalin (well-known wildlife illustrator and former president of the Bangkok Bird Club, now BCST) and other team members sketching White-naped Cranes in Cheorwon, March 16th © Nial Moores

wncccz-mar16_DSC03233_rsWhite-naped Crane Grus vipio, March 16th © Nial Moores

gcpygmy-cheorwon-mar16-DSC03126_RSgcpygmy-mar17-cheorwon-DSC03151-RSGrey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus, March 16th © Nial Moores

taigabean-mar16_DSC03207-RSTaiga Bean Goose Anser fabalis middendorffii March 16th © Nial Moores

In the afternoon, we then headed to Paju, finding the long-staying (and pretty well-hidden!) Long-eared Owl at roost, as well as single Eurasian and Black-faced Spoonbills (unexpectedly early date), and a late dusk Short-eared Owl (last, NM only).

longearedowl_mar16_DSC03256-RSLong-eared Owl Asio otus, March 16th © Nial Moores

paju_mar16_DSC03253-RSHabitat in Paju, March 16th © Nial Moores

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