Quite a crowd of us went out— I met up with Mr. Im Kwang Wan at our usual pre-dawn Paris Baguette; we motored to Incheon’s boat terminal and met our frequent (not frequent enough!) cohorts-in-birds Mr. Jo Seong Sik and Ms. Kang Ji Hye; we were then joined by Mr. Kim Seok Min, leading 15 members (apologies: I failed this time to take down names) of the Sae Sa I Bird Club—a marvelous group which combined good cheer and humor with a serious and careful approach to birding. The following report contains mostly my observations, with some other birds that I happened to hear about.
Socheong Island ©Robin Newlin
Siberian Blue Robin Larvivora cyane ©Robin Newlin
The boat from Incheon was delayed by fog; we got to Socheong in mid-afternoon. I saw one (presumed Streaked) Shearwater out the window. Under still-foggy conditions, a general sense of small numbers, with mostly single digits of Mugimaki, Blue-and-White (2 females among 6), Yellow-rumped, Streaked, and Asian Brown Flycatchers; Daurian Redstarts; Chinese Grosbeaks (c. 9);White and Grey Wagtails; Brown-eared and Light-vented Bulbuls; Olive-backed and Buff-bellied Pipits (very few), Eurasian Kingfisher (3); Pale-legged, Dusky, Korean Bush, Eastern Crowned and Yellow-browed (perhaps 20, more often heard than seen) Warblers; Stejneger’s Stonechat (only a few seen the whole trip); Grey-backed, Grey (3; 1 female), Pale (c.30) Thrushes; Chinese Blackbird (2); a briefly singing Oriental Cuckoo; Black-faced (12), Meadow, Tristram’s, and Little Buntings; a few Eurasian Hobbies; a couple of Siberian Blue Robin; Siberian Rubythroat; Rufous Tailed Robin; Asian Stubtail; calling Northern Boobok and Oriental Scops Owl.
Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana ©Robin Newlin
Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus ©Robin Newlin
May 3 brought chilly winds and morning fog. At the lighthouse: a Eurasian Hoopoe, an Eyebrowed Thrush, a Blue-and white Flycatcher; then star of the trip: a Marsh Grassbird, first found by Kwon Chan Soo then seen by many others within the next few minutes and following. As birds sometimes will be in the fog, it was perhaps a bit more tame, even showy (chasing insects) than its usual wont. Also at the lighthouse: a Striated Heron, a Brown Shrike, an Eyebrowed Thrush, 3 Oriental Honey Buzzards, a Japanese Sparrowhawk (once unsuccessfully pursuing a pipit), a Black-browed Reed Warbler, a Siberian Blue Robin, a few Blue-and-whites and one Mugimaki Flycatcher, a Chestnut-eared Bunting, a few Barn and one Red-rumped Swallow, and small numbers of Yellow-throated and Black-faced Buntings and Yellow-browed Warblers. One Red-throated Pipit augmented the few Olive-backeds and Buff-bellies. Splendid looks at a Northern Boobok discovered by JSS as it rested in a path-side tree.
Marsh Grassbird Locustella Pryeri ©Robin Newlin
Marsh Grassbird Locustella Pryeri ©Robin Newlin
Minsmere? Cape May? No: Socheong! (Photo by Jo Seong Sik, ©Jo Seong Sik)
Northern Boobok Ninox japonica ©Robin Newlin
May 4 was also cold and quite windy. Few new species: a few Black-naped Orioles, some Eurasian Siskins, a Black-crowned Night Heron, a few Narcissus Flycatchers, a Cattle Egret, a Chinese Pond Heron, a couple of Ashy Minivets, a single Red-flanked Bluetail, a few Chinese Sparrowhawks, 2 Red Crossbills (seen by JSS and KJH). Nice views of 2 species of cormorant on the rocks, some sitting on eggs. Cormorants are surprisingly elegant fliers, especially on updrafts.
Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis ©Robin Newlin
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula Zanthopygia ©Robin Newlin
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus Inornatus ©Robin Newlin
May 5 before the boat added in particular a Bluethroat seen by KJH and a small flock of Chestnut-flanked White-eyes (multiple observers, not including R.N.). As in the previous days, birds were not particularly vocal—perhaps waiting that turn in temperature that spring will eventually bring.