2nd Annual WMBD Birdathon Results

This year’s 2nd Annual WMBD Birdathon was a success! With just a few participants, we still managed to make our goal and even beat last year’s – which says a lot. Birds Korea would like to thank Mike Friel, Matt Poll, Shane and Yoli Park, Bradlee Sulentic, and the many sponsors who supported this fundraiser- We are grateful!

Results in are Shane and Yoli Park with 40 species including a Rufous-tailed Robin and a Chestnut Bunting at Taejongdae/Eulsukdo; Mike Friel with 35 species, including a pair of Brown Dippers at the nest and, unusually, two male Common Mergansers; and Matt Poll with 44 species including two pairs of Black Paradise Flycatchers at Goeje.

Setting a national record for most species observed in a day are Bradlee Sulentic (141), and Jason Loghry (142), and Dr. Nial Moores (143) with a total of 141 species as a team. Here’s the report:

2012 Birdathon Report by Jason Loghry, with Nial Moores and Bradlee Sulentic.

Our journey was quite a challenge, with many close calls and far from short of *epic* birding. Beginning in Daejeon, our first species was an 1. Indian Cuckoo at 3:30am, 2. Eastern Spot-billed Duck at 3:34am, 3. Japanese Wagtail (NM & JL) 3:40am, 4. Pin-tailed Snipe 3:44am (Later for BS at 7:50pm), and a 5. Grey Heron at 3:48am.

On to Gaya Mountain, with 6. Brown-eared Bulbul at 5:04am, 7. Eastern Great Tit and 8. Tree Sparrow 5:06am, 9. Daurian Redstart 5:08am, 10. Vinous-Throated Parrotbill 5:11am, 11. Black-naped Oriole 5:12am, 12. Common Pheasant and 13. Bull-headed Shrike 5:13am, Mandarin Duck 5:14am, Grey-backed Thrush 5:17am, Oriental Turtle Dove 5:17am, 17. Black-capped Kingfisher 5:17am (BS at Geum 8:18am), 18. Azure-winged Magpie 5:20am, 19. Grey Wagtail 5:20am, 20. Barn Swallow 5:21am, 21. Magpie 5:22am, 22. Great Spotted Woodpecker 5:25am, 23. Varied Tit 5:27am, 24. Hazel Grouse 5:29am, 25. Rufous-tailed Robin 5:29am, 26. Pale Thrush 5:31am, 27. Yellow-throated Bunting 5:31am, 28. Asian Stubtail 5:38am, 29. Long-tailed Tit 5:39am, 30. Marsh Tit 5:39am, 31. Yellow-rumped Flycatcher 5:41am 32. Coal Tit 5:42am, 33. Common Cuckoo 5:43am, 34. Grey-headed Woodpecker 5:44am, 35. White-backed Woodpecker 5:45am, 36. Large-billed Crow 5:52am, 37. Pygmy Woodpecker 5:54am, 38. Eurasian Jay 5:57am, 39. Oriental Cuckoo 6am, 40. Black Paradise Flycatcher 6:02am, 41. Ashy Minivet 6:04am, 42. Korean Bush Warbler 6:27am, 43. Little Egret 6:32am, 44. Great Egret 6:33am, 45. Greater White-fronted Goose 6:34am, 46. Mallard 6:35am, 47. Common Kingfisher 6:36am, 48. White-cheeked Starling 6:36am, and 49. Brown Shrike 6:20am (JL at 5:47pm).

By car, at 7:37am 50. Goshawk (- JL).

Lovely views of shorebirds at the Geum with 51. Bar-tailed Godwit, 52. Dunlin, 53. Great Knot, 54. Terek Sandpiper, 55. Grey-tailed Tattler, 56. Black-winged Stilt, 57. Ruddy Turnstone, and 58. Mongolian Plover at 8:08am. 59. Common Greenshank and 60. Grey Plover 8:10am, 61. Chinese Penduline Tit 8:12am, 62. Little Tern 8:13am, 63. Whimbrel 8:16am, 64. Kentish Plover 8:23am, 65. Black-tailed Gull 8:25am, 66. Common Sandpiper 8:29am, 67. Spotted Redshank 8:53am, 68. Far Eastern Curlew 8:57am, 69. Wood Sandpiper 9:13am, 70. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 9:13am, 71. Common Snipe 9:13am, 72. Common Redshank 9:20am, 73. Eurasian Curlew 9:34am, 74. Dollarbird 9:46am, 75. Black-tailed Godwit 9:59, 76. Eastern Cattle Egret 10:10am, 77. Broad-billed Sandpiper 10:10am, 78. Black-headed Gull 10:16am, 79. Eurasian Teal 10:25am, 80. Eurasian Spoonbill 10:28am, 81. Black-crowned Night Heron 10:29am, and a 82. Common Kestrel at 11:42am.

We all wanted to continue observing at the Geum, but the clock begin ticking more quickly, so we raced to Seosan, where we observed 83. Little Whimbrel 11:57am in flight, 84. Great Cormorant 12:06pm, 85. Eurasian Widgeon 12:10pm, 86. Mongolian Gull 12:10pm, 87. Eastern Oystercatcher 12:12pm, 88. Oriental Reed Warbler 12:20pm, 89. Gadwall 12:24pm, 90. Falcated Duck 12:24pm, 91. Great crested Grebe 12:24pm, 92. Coot 12:24pm, 93. Taymyr Gull 12:26pm, 94. Bean Goose (taiga) 12:27pm, 95. Curlew Sandpiper 12:27pm, 96. Little Ringed Plover 12:45pm, 97. Ruddy Shelduck 12:45pm, 98. Common Shelduck 12:51pm, 99. Northern Shoveler 12:51pm, 100. Common Gull 12:57pm, 101. Northern Pintail 12:58pm, 102. Tufted Duck 1:02pm, 103. Gargany 1:03pm, 104. Green Sandpiper 1:13pm, and a 105. Moorhen at 1:13pm (-BS).

Now, at our most critical point, we raced to Daecheon Harbor for the ferry. We made it with less than one minute to spare …

From the ferry, 106. Blue Rock Thrush 2:44pm (- JPL & BS 5:23 on the island), 107. Red-rumped Swallow 3:02pm, 108. Temminck’s Cormorant 3:08pm and two 109. Striated Herons at 3:53pm looking exhausted in flight.

And finally on Weiyeondo, at first birds were seeming so abundant that I couldn’t record quick enough, with 110. Asian Brown Flycatcher, 111. Grey-Streaked Flycatcher, and 112. Dark-sided Flycatcher at 4pm, 113. Black-faced Bunting, many 114. Chinese Sparrowhawks, 115. Chestnut Bunting 4:34pm, 116. Japanese Bush Warbler, 117. Olive-backed Pipit, 118. Yellow-browed Warbler, 119. Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, 120. Eastern Yellow Wagtail 4:42pm, 121. Pacific Swift, 122. White Wagtail, 123. Tristram’s Bunting, 124. Yellow-browed Bunting, 125. Black Drongo, 126. Blue and White Flycatcher, 127. Chestnut-eared Bunting, 128. Asian House Martin, 129. Sand Martin, 130. Mugamaki Flycatcher, 131. Yellow-breasted Bunting, 132. Little Bunting (- BS at 5:41pm) and 133. Eastern Crowned Warbler 5:14pm, 134. Richard’s Pipit 5:45, 135. Red-throated Pipit 5:45pm, 136. Dusky Warbler 6:04pm, 137. Eye-browed Thrush 6:07, 138. Radde’s Warbler (-BS at 6:20) 6:14pm, 139. Chinese Grosbeak 6:45pm, 140. Meadow Bunting 6:49pm, 141. Scops Owl 6:50pm, 142. Northern Hawk Owl 7:34pm, and our final bird of the Birdathon being a 143. Eurasian Hobby at 7:34pm.

Personally, this was one of the greatest weekends of my life. Thanks again to friends who supported and especially to Dr. Nial Moores and Bradlee Sulentic for pushing it to the limit – it was a great team effort. Looking forward to next year’s challenge!