Bird News by Nial Moores
My third visit to Baengnyeong this spring to try to capture as much of the migration as possible before the proposed construction of an airport. In all, 156 species were logged, with five additional species from the ferry in waters between Socheong and the mainland, including an out-of-expected range Crested Murrelet on the 29th.
The seasonal shift from the bright colours of April and early May to the subtle browns of late spring was more or less as expected, with e.g, multiple Thick-billed and widespread Oriental and Black-browed Reed Warblers; Grey-streaked and Dark-sided Flycatchers outnumbering Yellow-rumped Flycatchers; Tiger Shrikes starting to outnumber Brown Shrikes; Arctic Warblers becoming the most numerous phyllosc; what used to be known as locustellas becoming widespread; Forest Wagtail outnumbering Whites and Eastern Yellows; and a fall-off in bunting numbers, with just a single Ochre-rumped but a lingering flock of 15-20 mostly immature and female Yellow-breasteds to at least the 19th.










Overall, numbers of birds seemed to be rather low on most dates, with peak day counts of e.g., only 450 Eastern Red-rumped Swallow and of 50 or so Arctic Warblers. Rarest species in the national context followed southwesterly winds, and included the island’s second, and the ROK’s third, Blyth’s Reed Warbler on May 19th; while most enjoyable were prolonged views of a singing Yellow-streaked Warbler and of a hawking Ashy Drongo on 25th in the company of Dr Shim Kyu-Sik.
Species of special note included:
Large Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx sparverioides 큰매사촌. One heard extremely briefly in the northeast on the 26th and one seen in the northwest on 28th.
Red Turtle Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica 홍비둘기. One present from 21st to 25th in the northwest.

Von Shrenck’s Bittern Ixobrychus eurhythmus 큰덤불해오라기. An adult male was foraging in a fallow field in the northeast on 20th. This was the first record of this species on the island for several years. Back in 2013, this species was seen no less than six times in late May
Cinammon Bittern Ixobrychus cinnamomeus 열대덤불해오라기. A female was seen briefly in the northwest on 21st.
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Dendrocopos hyperythrus 붉은배오색딱다구리. One over-flew the Blyth’s Reed Warbler on 19th.
Shrike sp. On 19th, a rather striking shrike was seen and poorly digi-scoped in the northwest. In direct comparison with several Brown Shrike, this bird sat up high, had a longish-looking and pale-based bill. The bird also showed very pale underparts with extensive spider-web vermiculations on the flanks and across the breast, and even some darker vermiculations on the crown (putting this out of the range of my experience of Brown Shrike at this time of year); a rust-toned dark mask with some pale on the lores (again, outside of the range of my experience of Brown Shrike); and a bright orange underside to the tail, combined with a rather warm crown. All these features seem to fit Red-tailed Shrike better than Brown. I therefore waited for the bird to reveal (her) primary projection. However, after dropping to the ground the bird flew strongly into a dense bamboo thicket and did not reappear.


Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus 회색바람까마귀. One was seen in the northeast at dusk on the 18th; and a second individual was seen well in the northwest on the morning of the 25th.

Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus 노랑배진박새. The nest-building pair seen earlier in May remained in the same area throughout; and additional birds were heard in song.
Yellow-streaked Warbler Phylloscopus armandii 쇠긴다리솔새사촌. One was heard calling in the northwest on 24th; and presumably the same bird was then watched in prolonged song in the same area on the 25th. This is the latest record known to us – being fully a week later than the previous latest (May 18th 2017 on Baengnyeong). Although often thought of as an exceptional rarity in the ROK, Yellow-streakeds are more or less annual on Baengynyeong, with even an arrival of 3+ together in early May 2017. I saw several during research on Socheong too.
Multiple video clips and also some sound recordings through the phone were made (unfortunately, the videos seem only to upload without sound…when I work out the problem, I will add them).



Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum 덤불개개비. On May 19th, one was heard giving short bursts of song, and occasional calls from deep inside some tangled bushes (one recording uploaded to: https://ebird.org/checklist/S240060980). After an hour’s wait, the bird finally broke cover to feed in the open for a few seconds. This is the second record for the island, found in a field about 300m from the first.


Baikal Bush Warbler Locustella davidi 점무늬가슴쥐발귀. In the northwest, one was heard on 27th and four were heard on the 28th, when one was also heard in the southwest,
Swinhoe’s White-eye Zosterops simplex 작은동박새. Following on from the record influx this spring, individuals and apparent pairs were present in several areas; with one unseen bird heard giving a begging type call suggesting that breeding had taken place. There are no confirmed breeding records nationally of this recently recognized species.
White-shouldered Starling Sturnia sinensis 잿빛쇠찌르레기. Six or seven were seen in the northeast on May 20th, with at least three there on 21st, when one was also in the northwest. This species appears to have been undergoing an accelerated increase in the ROK in the past few years.


Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 흰점찌르레기. May records in the ROK are exceptional. However, this year there have been reports from several islands of single birds on eBird. One – presumably the same individual seen in early May – was present until at least 22nd.

Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva 서양흰꼬리딱새. One was heard and poorly digi-scoped on the 20th. This is about the 5th or 6th record on the island.

Full checklists on eBird at:
May 18th: https://ebird.org/checklist/S239613614
May 19th: https://ebird.org/checklist/S240060980 , https://ebird.org/checklist/S240062834
May 20th: https://ebird.org/checklist/S240502095
May 21st: https://ebird.org/checklist/S240833835 , https://ebird.org/checklist/S240838942 , https://ebird.org/checklist/S240841090
May 22nd: https://ebird.org/checklist/S241114989 , https://ebird.org/checklist/S241114989
May 24th: https://ebird.org/checklist/S241847386 , https://ebird.org/checklist/S241892641
May 25th: https://ebird.org/checklist/S242324654 , https://ebird.org/checklist/S242328221
May 26th: https://ebird.org/checklist/S242894090 , https://ebird.org/checklist/S242899847
May 27th: https://ebird.org/checklist/S243368088
May 28th: https://ebird.org/checklist/S243728836 , https://ebird.org/checklist/S243730603
Ferry on May 29th: https://ebird.org/checklist/S244064493