{"id":17741,"date":"2016-03-03T12:05:12","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T03:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=17741"},"modified":"2016-03-03T12:05:12","modified_gmt":"2016-03-03T03:05:12","slug":"china-korea-border-area-research-february-21st-25th-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=17741","title":{"rendered":"China-Korea border area research: February 21st-25th 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Nial Moores, Birds Korea, March 3rd<\/sup> 2016<\/p>\n

Following on from a very successful early-spring survey in March 2014 of the internationally important wetlands in Rason<\/a> on the Korean side of the Tumen Floodplain, arrangements were made with what were understood to be all<\/em> relevant authorities by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (Korea)<\/a> (HSF) to conduct a follow-up survey of winter birds. There were three team members (Dr. Bernhard Seliger and Mr. Felix Glenk from HSF and myself from Birds Korea). The proposed survey dates were February 22nd<\/sup>-26th<\/sup>. Our aim was to survey a wide range of habitats to confirm the presence or absence of species that might perhaps occur in Rason in the mid-winter period, including marine birds and the now Endangered Jankowski\u2019s Bunting<\/a><\/em>. The Jankowski\u2019s <\/em>(or Rufous-backed<\/em>) Bunting<\/em> remains a poorly-known species, with the core of its breeding range recently suspected to lie in Jilin Province (China). The species was apparently recorded in the Rason area on the Korean side of the floodplain at least in 1929 and on the Russian side of the Tumen Floodplain perhaps until the mid-Twentieth Century.\u00a0 Much potential habitat remains.\u00a0 If still present there, the rediscovery of this species would do much to support conservation initiatives and would certainly place Rason very much on the world map for ornithologists and birders.<\/p>\n

Regrettably, despite permissions being received in advance, no-one came out from Rason on the 22nd<\/sup> to meet us when we arrived at the border and the survey had to be postponed (again). Having already visited Hunchun wetland on the 21st<\/sup> and after experiencing two hours of delay trying to access a tourist area on the Chinese side of the Amur River, we therefore decided to spend two days (travelling and field survey) on the Chinese side of Mount Baekdu (alternatively spelt Paekdu, or Changbaishan) on 24th<\/sup> and 25th<\/sup> and then return to the ROK a day or two earlier than planned.<\/p>\n

\"Hunchun<\/a>Courtesy of Google earth. Red Pins indicate locations visited during the present research, with the westernmost pins marking the Baekdu Massif\u00a0 \u00a9 HSF<\/p>\n

\"rs-distantviewofbaekdu_DSC00195\"<\/a>Even when seen from afar like this, it becomes easy to understand why the white-cloaked Baekdu San is regarded as a sacred mountain by many people in Korea and China \u00a9 Nial Moores<\/p>\n

\"rs-topofpaekdu_DSC00217\"<\/a>The mountain’s volcanic origins become rather easier to appreciate at closer range \u00a9 Nial Moores<\/p>\n

Of direct relevance to Korean bird and biodiversity conservation, the Baekdu Massif forms part of the border with China and Korea. Baekdu San itself is the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula, rising to 2,744m (fully 1000m higher than Seorak San). Historical Korean records listed by Tomek (1999, 2002) suggest that the avifauna of the Baekdu Massif includes several species at the southern limit of their range in Far East Asia including Black Grouse<\/em>, Three-toed<\/em> and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers<\/em>, Northern Hawk-Owl<\/em> and Northern Raven<\/em>. Recent research efforts on the Chinese side have also found breeding Scaly-sided Merganser<\/em> and the Scaly-sided Merganser Task Force estimates that, based on analysis of satellite imagery, perhaps 155 pairs also breed in the DPRK, mostly on the Korean side of the Baekdu Massif. So while Chinese researchers have confirmed the continuing presence of several exceptional species (including Scaly-sided Mergansers<\/em> and Amur Tigers<\/em> \u2013 both depicted either in images or video in various park buildings) there appears to be very little recent information on birds and habitat condition available from the Korean side.<\/p>\n

\"rs-educationalsignboard-DSC00321\"<\/a>Board depicting some of Changbaishan’s \/ Baekdu’s most iconic species \u00a9 Nial Moores<\/p>\n

With limited time and even less preparation (!) we therefore aimed to:<\/p>\n