Bird News by Patrick Blake
Jason Loghry, Mike Friel, and I spent the day birding throughout the Suncheonman area. Highlights of the day included c.400 Hooded Cranes in the fields around the Eco-park. Within this congregation we found three White-naped Cranes and what appeared to be a Common x Hooded Crane hybrid. Birds of prey were also plentiful: 10 Bull-headed Shrikes, a Merlin, two Eastern Buzzards, and several Cinereous Vultures and Common Kestrels. A complete list of all the species (42) sighted is below.
1. Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus
2. Tundra Bean Goose Anser serrirostris
3. Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus
4. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos; included a domestic or leucistic individual
5. Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha
6. Northern Pintail Anas acuta
7. Baikal Teal Anas formosa
8. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
9. Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
10. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
11. Eastern Great Egret Ardea alba modesta
12. Little Egret Egretta garzetta
13. Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus
14. Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus
15. Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus
16. Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
17. Merlin Falco columbarius
18. White-naped Crane Grus vipio
– Common x Hooded Crane hybrid Grus grus x monacha
19. Hooded Crane Grus monacha
20. Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
21. Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola
22. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
23. Dunlin Calidris alpina
24. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
25. Mongolian Gull Larus mongolicus
26. Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis
27. Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus
28. Eurasian Magpie Pica pica
29. Chinese Penduline Tit Remiz consobrinus
30. Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
31. Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis
32. Vinous-throated Parrotbill Sinosuthora webbiana
33. White-cheeked Starling Spodiopsar cineraceus
34. Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus
35. Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
36. White Wagtail Motacilla alba
37. Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
38. Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens
40. Yellow-throated Bunting Emberiza elegans
41. Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala
42. Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus

Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus © Patrick Blake
Hooded Crane Grus monacha © Patrick Blake
White-naped Crane Grus vipio © Patrick Blake
Hooded Crane Grus monacha © Patrick Blake
Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus © Patrick Blake
White-cheeked Starling Spodiopsar cineraceus © Patrick Blake