Tag Archives: Gimhae

Bunseungsan, June 28

Birds News from Jason Loghry and Jeong Siyoon

 

This morning from about 5:45 am, Jeong Siyoon and I took a short morning walk to watch birds at Bunseongsan, in Gimhae. He’s a graduate of Obang Elementary School and is an alumni member of our school’s Birds Club. On the road up the mountain, the first bird to catch our attention was Black-naped Oriole. We heard its beautiful song at first, and then were able to find it perched in a tree. This bird is such a stunner. We watched it for a while, with another coming in close with song and then a separate group (of five!) flying across a valley to some nearby trees. It was a great way to start the morning.

At the temple, we spent time watching families of Daurian Redstart, which gave us a good chance to compare the plumage details of males, females and young birds. While we watched, an unfamiliar call drew our attention to a nearby pine. It was a female Red Crossbill. This is the first time I’ve seen one in Gimhae, and certainly my first time to see one in summer. It was an exciting find. We slowly made our way around the temple, and found more redstarts, and lot of the more common species such as Eastern Great Tit, Marsh Tit, Brown-eared Bulbul, and Oriental Turtle Dove. We also had good views of a White-backed Woodpecker and listened to the song of a Japanese Bush Warbler.

At the west side of the mountain, we sat for a while and just listened to different birds singing and calling in the forest below. We could hear a couple of Pale Thrush and a distant Common Cuckoo. Walking around the north side of the mountain we found more orioles, and a small group of Pacific Swifts circling overhead, which were then followed by a Chinese Sparrowhawk. Along the northern wall we heard a distant cuckoo approaching. It flew in close to our viewing point and we were able to get good views of it singing from a treetop. Again, it was really exciting because it was the first time for Siyoon to see a cuckoo. On the walk back to the temple, we heard Japanese White-eye and an Asian Stubtail. We also heard the crossbill once again, saw a Siberian Chipmunk, and watched a group of Vinous-throated Parrotbill foraging in some bushes near the garden.

 

 

 

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female Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra (record shot) © Jason Loghry

 

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Jeong Siyoon watching his first Common Cuckoo © Jason Loghry

 

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  Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus © Jason Loghry

Changes made to Haeban Stream, Gimhae

by Jason Loghry 김해에 있는 아름다운 해반천에 생기는 변화들을 보는 것은 안타까운 일이다. 예전에 오염되었던 해반천을 정화시킨것이 충분하지 못한 것인가? 지난 몇년 동안 해반천에서 번식하는 쇠물닭과 개개비를 많이 볼 수 있었다. 이제는 해반천의 종들이 어디서 여름과 겨울을 날 수 있을까? … read more