Bird Report by Martin Sutherland and Kim Sona
December 16th and 26th to 29th, 2011: East coast from Gampo north to Hwajinpo.
On December 16th we made a day trip to the Guryongpo peninsula where a young drake Harlequin Duck in a harbour near Jikgwan was the only bird of note: no divers, auks or scarcer gulls seen at all.
On December 26th we again headed to Guryongpo and began following the coast northwards. A flock of 800 Red-breasted Mergansers off Daebo was of note and a single osprey was seen. Gulls were initially unremarkable with just one first-winter Glaucous before Pohang.
However, after this things became more interesting and between 27th and 29th we recorded at least 55 Glaucous Gulls, including 18 in one harbour near Songiho. Other birds included a sprinkling of Black-throated and Red-throated Loons and, near Geojin, a concentration of 300+ Pelagic Cormorants on the sea.
Pelagic Cormorants Phalacrocorax pelagicus with adult Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus, near Hwajinpo, 29th December 2011.
From midday on 29th December we headed inland to the Cheolwon area and enjoyed great views of over 75 White-naped Cranes and 30+ Red-crowned Cranes as well as a flock of 98 Cinereous Vultures.
