{"id":22451,"date":"2019-09-18T02:39:38","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T17:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=22451"},"modified":"2019-10-22T14:42:02","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T05:42:02","slug":"spring-in-the-yellow-sea-post-3-of-4-gageo-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=22451","title":{"rendered":"Spring in the Yellow Sea, (Post 3 of 4), Gageo Island"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Gageo’s main village at 1-Gu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gageo Island, April 18-May 2, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 18th<\/strong>
  Back on Gageo-do after six years! Not much from the Mokpo-Gageo ferry besides some Ancient Murrelets<\/strong>. While it was amazing to be back on Gageo, there were some negative developments at many of the 1-Gu hotspots familiar to island birders. 
  The quiet harbour I recall has been replaced by incessant noisy dredging, as well as extensive construction on a massive new concrete jetty. Perhaps to supply this thirst for concrete, the quarry is no longer dormant. It is operating at full tilt, and the topography is much changed there. There is no longer a wide tract of reedy gravel favoured by species such as Oriental Plover<\/strong>, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper<\/strong>, Oriental Pratincole<\/strong>, and Little Whimbrels<\/strong>, among many others.
  Most upsetting is the seemingly pointless felling of most of the trees in the area next to the school, as well as some of the top half of the gully. Once a shady, flowered refuge for migrating birds, the area is now a sun-bleached wasteland where locals have started dumping their refuse. I don\u2019t begrudge anyone their progress or infrastructure, but it stings to witness seemingly pointless destruction of habitat. The felled trees have been there for some years, from the looks of them.
  The ferry got in at noon, so I did a six hour scan of 1-Gu in the p.m. to figure out what is kicking about town. Overall, less birdy than Chuja so far, but a similar feel to the composition of migrants.
  Highlights: one Cattle Egret<\/strong> in the harbour; two Intermediate Egrets<\/strong> near the mossy slab, seemingly having trouble finding a source of food; someone\u2019s tame leg-banded pigeon is hanging out in the harbour; several Goldcrests<\/strong> above the quarry; six Narcissus Flycatchers<\/strong>; three Ochre-rumped Buntings<\/strong>; one Yellow-breasted Bunting<\/strong>; two Daurian Redstarts<\/strong> at the dump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Narcissus Flycatcher<\/strong> Ficedula narcissina<\/em> (with an odd bill?)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Narcissus Flycatcher<\/strong> Ficedula narcissina<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 April 19th<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gageo was socked-in with fog for the entire morning and most of the afternoon, with 54 species logged over eight hours.
  Highlights: two Grey-faced Buzzards<\/strong>; four species of pipit (1 Pechora<\/strong>, 4 Red-throated<\/strong>, 26 Olive-backed<\/strong>, 11 Buff-bellied<\/strong>); one or two Chinese Blackbirds<\/strong> in the old gardens; several Brown-headed <\/strong>and Grey-backed<\/strong> among the more numerous Pale<\/strong> and Dusky Thrushes<\/strong>; small numbers of Dusky<\/strong> and Yellow-browed Warblers<\/strong>; at least 15 Narcissus Flycatchers<\/strong>; one Varied Tit<\/strong>; two Common Rosefinch<\/strong> in the fog above the quarry just after dawn; six Red-billed Starlings<\/strong>; and a Large-billed Crow<\/strong> above town.
  Seven species of bunting were counted, including single examples of Yellow-breasted<\/strong> and Japanese Yellow Bunting<\/strong>. Unfortunately, the long strip of weeds and flowers in the main town where I spotted both of these decreasingly-common birds was weed-whacked down to the dirt sometime during the day. It would be helpful if such landscaping work was abstained from during the few weeks of migration season, as any source of refuge and food, even one as seemingly insignificant as a 100-metre strip of grass and flowers, can spell the difference between life and death for exhausted birds fresh in. Perhaps the team of government bird banders could help organize such an education initiative? Why not help preserve bird habitat as well as keeping track of numbers\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yellow-breasted Bunting<\/strong> Emberiza aureola<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Chinese Blackbird<\/strong> Turdus mandarinus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Brown-headed Thrush<\/strong> Turdus chrysolaus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Looking towards 2-Gu from the pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 20th<\/strong>
  I tested my knees with the long walk up to 2-Gu in the north of the island, a solid two-hour walk (one-way). On the way: a lone Black Wood Pigeon<\/strong> clacking through a gap between trees; four Blue-and-White Flycatchers<\/strong>; upwards of 25 Narcissus Flycatchers<\/strong> (they were everywhere); and a flock of 11 Yellow-bellied Tits<\/strong> foraging through the treetops.
  In among the wind-tormented cliffs of 2-Gu proper, a Japanese Quail<\/strong>, a Pacific Swift<\/strong>, an Eastern Yellow Wagtail<\/strong>, a Eurasian Wryneck<\/strong>, two Grey Thrush<\/strong>, two or three Chinese Blackbirds<\/strong> (!), and eight White-cheeked Starlings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Asian Stubtail<\/strong> Urosphena squameiceps<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Grey<\/strong> Thrush<\/strong> Turdus cardis<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ochre-rumped Bunting<\/strong> Emberiza yessoensis<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

  It felt very unbirdy in town on the afternoon of the 20th – the sense of a clearout in 1-Gu was reinforced when the banding team left early with a shrug and a \u201cNo birds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  As I walked along the first path above the quarry, I came across my first Yellow-rumped Flycatcher<\/strong> of the spring, a cracking male.  I slowly moved in closer, when a hiker with a trail radio came by and flushed the bird right on cue. After letting the man pass by, I waited for a few minutes for the bird to reappear. It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  I was grumbling to myself as I continued down the path, and this seemed to flush a chunky, tan-toned bunting from scrub at my feet. Before it landed on the rock nearby, I knew what it was \u2013 Black-headed Bunting<\/strong>! This is a rare overshoot to Korea that winters in India \u2013 definitely a bird that wasn\u2019t high on the list of birds I was expecting to see this spring! I made sure to get some record shots, and the bird was confiding for about 30 seconds, before it flew straight up the quarry wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Black-headed Bunting<\/strong> Emberiza melanocephala<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Black-headed Bunting<\/strong> Emberiza melanocephala<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 21st<\/strong>
  Even with 52 species logged on the day, it felt quite unbirdy. Notable: four Cattle Egrets<\/strong> circled town all day without finding anywhere to settle for long; a Black Wood Pigeon<\/strong> flew over the quarry; a Pechora Pipit<\/strong> on the mossy slab; a personal first Siberian Blue Robin<\/strong> of the spring; an Oriental Reed Warbler<\/strong> that initially confused me with its silence; nine species of bunting, including the Black-headed<\/strong> still, which was spotted higher up in the quarry; a Japanese Grosbeak,<\/strong> and a Chestnut-cheeked Starling<\/strong> with a small flock of Grey-cheeked Starlings<\/strong>.

April 22nd<\/strong>
  With the wind coming from the north, nothing new on the bird front today \u2013 I\u2019m seeing the same set of birds over and over. An Eastern Buzzard<\/strong> with an injured wing is still in the gully; two Siberian Blue Robins<\/strong> and three Yellow-rumped Flycatchers<\/strong> were in the eastern part of 1-Gu; a Grey Thrush<\/strong> and a Chinese Blackbird <\/strong>continue in the old gardens; the almost-tame Black-headed Bunting<\/strong> is still around in the quarry.
  I went for a nosey up into the hills above the quarry. Not much about, but it was interesting to observe the local tribe of Varied Tits<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wood Sandpiper<\/strong> Tringa glareola<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 23rd<\/strong>
  A rainy day, but still with a species count in the mid-50s. A dawn foray was aborted after 45 minutes of heavy downpour that threatened to defeat the ad-hoc protective gear on my optics. The rain ebbed towards mid-day, allowing for two hurried circuits of 1-Gu.
  Most of the birds of note continue, with seemingly little turnover. The winds were blowing out of the southeast for most of the day \u2013 still waiting on those southerlies. Tomorrow perhaps?
  \u201cNew\u201d birds recorded in 1-Gu have most likely been around, but I hadn\u2019t gotten around to seeing them yet. These include: a Japanese Quail<\/strong> above the quarry; a Wood Sandpiper<\/strong> on the mossy slab; several Asian House Martins<\/strong>; a skulky Eyebrowed Thrush<\/strong>; a Pale-legged<\/strong> (Or\u2026Sakhalin<\/strong>?) Leaf Warbler<\/strong>; and a Rustic Bunting<\/strong> \u2013 the 11th bunting species I\u2019ve logged on Gageo Island since arriving last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yellow Bunting<\/strong> Emberiza sulphurata<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 24th<\/strong>
  The winds overnight were pumping up from the south until Jeju, where they took a sharp left hook, sweeping over Gageo from the east. My fingers were crossed as I headed out into Gageo\u2019s harbour in the foggy dawn. By dawn, the winds were coming in from the west. Where are those southerlies? Way more Barn Swallows<\/strong> around today, with several hundred on patrol low over town. Some new arrivals around the mossy slab had me excited for turnover \u2013 three Black-winged Stilts<\/strong>, a Common Sandpiper<\/strong>, and a Chinese Pond Heron<\/strong>. Unfortunately, apart from these stronger-flying species, there were no new passerines around 1-Gu.
  In the afternoon, a noticeable uptick in Olive-backed Pipit<\/strong> numbers \u2013 with at least a hundred in 1-Gu, and several hundred in 3-Gu, in the north of the island. Also near the 3-Gu lighthouse were several Siberian Rubythroats<\/strong> and Siberian Blue Robins<\/strong>. A few more Yellow Buntings<\/strong> around, as well as a Common Kingfisher<\/strong> and another Common Rosefinch<\/strong> were seen in 1-Gu towards dusk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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female Citrine Wagtail<\/strong> Motacilla citreola<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Chestnut-eared Bunting<\/strong> Emberiza fucata<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Little Bunting<\/strong> Emberiza pusilla<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Black Wood Pigeon<\/strong> Columba janthina<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 25th<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Bored with the same old birds in 1-Gu, I\nundertook the long walk to 2-Gu in the morning. It seemed that, in spite of the\nwinds blowing from precisely the wrong direction, there was a decent arrival of\nnew birds in the night. The cuckoos are back! After cresting the top of the\nsteep switchback road out of 1-Gu, I first heard the eerie \u201cPoo-poo poo-poo\npoo-poo\u201d of an Oriental Cuckoo<\/strong>, followed shortly after by an Indian\nCuckoo<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cWoop-woop-WOOP-wup.\u201d 
\n  At least eight Black Wood Pigeons<\/strong> were\nseen or heard on the road to 2-Gu, including one perching on a wire.
\n  Not many birds recorded in Hangri Village\nitself, as the fog was so thick that effective visibility was often only at\nabout 20 feet or so. A Brown-headed Thrush<\/strong> and a Chinese\nBlackbird<\/strong> were notable in the old stone-walled gardens, which are\ntended by some of the less than dozen or so elderly inhabitants of what is\nsurely one of the most remote and archaic settlements in South Korea.
\n  On the way back, two more Common\nRosefinch<\/strong>, and the beginning of the surge in the Olive-backed\nPipits<\/strong> (400+) and Black-faced Buntings<\/strong> (at least\n850). The latter species were everywhere, especially when I did an afternoon\ncircuit of 1-Gu \u2013 there were several flushing from the trail at all times, from\nthe quarry all the way up and around \u201cLittle Hokkaido\u201d and into the upper\nvillage, with more overhead, and many seen coming in off the sea. A noticeable\narrival of Little Buntings<\/strong> (150+) was mixed in, and several\nmore Yellow<\/strong>,Tristram\u2019s<\/strong>, Yellow-browed<\/strong>, and Yellow-throated\nBuntings<\/strong> kicking around town, as well as single Chestnut<\/strong> and Chestnut-eared\nBuntings<\/strong>.
\n  A Common Kingfisher<\/strong> in\nthe harbour still, and an uptick in Siberian Rubythroat<\/strong> (9)\nand Siberian Blue Robin<\/strong> (4) numbers. More White\nWagtails<\/strong> noted too, with nine species of pipits and wagtails for the\nday including several Eastern Yellow Wagtails <\/strong>(both tschutschensis<\/em>,\ntaivana, and macronyx<\/em>), a Richard\u2019s Pipit<\/strong>, and a Citrine\nWagtail<\/strong>.
\n  There was a huge influx of hirundines\ntowards dusk, mostly Red-rumped Swallows<\/strong>, with at least 750, but\npossibly twice that number fluttering over town, or perched \u2013 I noticed that\nevery wire in town was heavy with swallows as the skies darkened.
\n  The 68th and final species for the day\nwas seen well after sunset, when I poked my head out of the bathroom window to\nspy on the hundreds of chattering swallows on the wires and came nose to bill\nwith a Sand Martin<\/strong>, less than a foot away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eastern Yellow Wagtail<\/strong> Motacilla tschutschensis taivana<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Eastern Yellow Wagtail<\/strong> Motacilla tschutschensis macronyx<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Eastern Yellow Wagtail<\/strong> Motacilla tschutschensis tschutschensis<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Taiga Flycatcher<\/strong> Ficedula albicilla<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Blyth\u2019s Pipit<\/strong> Anthus godlewskii<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Brown Shrike<\/strong> Lanius cristatus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Hirundine heap huddling for heat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Curlew Sandpiper <\/strong>Calidris ferruginea<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
April 26th<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

  In\nspite of crisp northerly winds, birds were moving to where they need to go,\nwith noticeable turnover today, and 81 species logged. It was quite fresh at\ndawn, with temperatures hovering in the low single digits.
\n  The cold snap unfortunately resulted in\nquite a few dead birds, mostly Red-rumped Swallows<\/strong>. I\u2019ve been finding\ndead birds every day, as I have in past springs, and it reminded me of the\nhugeness of what migration is, and why I want to be here to witness it. These\nbirds travel massive distances twice a year, running the gauntlet of\ninnumerable fatal threats, just to push their blood into the future.
\n  Notable at the mossy slab today were\na Striated Heron<\/strong>, a Chinese Pond Heron<\/strong>, two Pacific\nGolden Plovers<\/strong>, a Kentish Plover<\/strong>, four Long-toed Stints<\/strong>,\na Curlew Sandpiper<\/strong>, a Common Greenshank<\/strong>, and four Wood\nSandpipers<\/strong> (two of which decided that Gageo was a good place to\ncopulate). There were two probable Pintail Snipes<\/strong> and a Brown\nShrike<\/strong> (singing a Bluethroat<\/strong>-like remix of mimicry) above\nthe quarry.
\n  Other highlights included a Northern\nHouse Martin<\/strong>, two female Citrine Wagtails<\/strong> near the dump and a\nmale on the other side of town, several Richard\u2019s<\/strong> and Blyth\u2019s\nPipits<\/strong> (ten species of pipits and wagtails on the day), two male Taiga\nFlycatchers<\/strong> (with differing intensities of throat colouration) on the\nwest side of 1-Gu, a first Grey-sided Flycatcher <\/strong>of the\nspring, and ten species of buntings. Several Oriental Turtle Doves<\/strong> have\nbeen seen every day \u2013 I don\u2019t seem to recall seeing them on Gageo on 2013, but\nI\u2019ll have to check my notes.
\n  The day ended with some late afternoon\nsunshine, which probably saved the lives of some swallows \u2013 there were\ndisorderly, exhausted ranks of hirundines sunning themselves on every available\nhorizontal surface in town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hangri Village, 2-Gu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bluethroat<\/strong> Luscinia svecica<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Siberian Blue Robin<\/strong> Larvivora cyane<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 27th<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  I was\nfeeling groggy this morning, so what better way to wake up with an adrenal\nspine-shock than almost tripping over a Bluethroat<\/strong> at dawn,\nten feet from the front door of my minbak!
\n  Siberian Blue Robins<\/strong> and Siberian Rubythroats<\/strong> continue\nat the edges of town, and another Common Rosefinch<\/strong> was seen at\nthe top to the gully. There was the feeling of clear-out in the afternoon, and\nthe lion’s share of the swallows have moved on. Fingers crossed Monday\u2019s\nforecast southerly winds change things up a bit here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Red Turtle Dove<\/strong> Streptopelia tranquebarica<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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male Citrine Wagtail<\/strong> Motacilla citreola<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sand Martin<\/strong> Riparia riparia<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Oriental Pratincole<\/strong> Glareola maldivarum<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Long-toed Stint<\/strong> Calidris subminuta<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Whimbrel<\/strong> Numenius phaeopus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Common Greenshank<\/strong> Tringa nebularia<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
April 28th<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

 Dawn was grim, both weather-wise, and\nwith the body count along the streets and trails of 1-Gu. Another cold night\nkilled off a lot of migrants, many of which show up on Gageo exhausted, and\nwith little fat stores. The inclement weather meant there were no flying\ninsects to feed the birds, nor sun to warm them, which lead to distressing\nscenes of dozens of dead and dying birds in some places. I know this is part of\nmigration, but it hurt my sensitive heart to see birds immobile on the trail,\nheads tucked under their wings, surrendering to the elements and waiting to\ncomplete the final journey.
\n  I decided to check out the road to 3-Gu\nto see what was up there. At a small forest edge clearing, three doves flushed\nacross the road \u2013 two Oriental Turtle Doves<\/strong>, and a smaller dove that was\nnotable for the bold, solid colours and ‘geometric’ patterns on its upperparts. Red\nTurtle Dove<\/strong>! It split from the other two doves and dropped onto the slope\nnext to the road. I managed to get a headless record shot of the bird as it\nsheltered from the stiff winds and rain, before it dissolved into the\nundergrowth.
\n  Also on this steep and winding road were\na Eurasian Wryneck<\/strong>, at least 100 Tristram\u2019s Buntings<\/strong>,\nand a personal first Oriental Dollarbird<\/strong> of spring.
\n  There was more shorebird variety around\nthe mossy slab, including a Whimbrel<\/strong> that was wandering around the\nparking lot to the new and improved quarry, taking shelter under a truck at one\npoint. The day’s total was 84 species, my highest tally of spring so far.\nTomorrow could be interesting, with rain and wind supposedly coming out of the\nsouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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White-shouldered Starling<\/strong> Sturnia sinensis <\/em>
with White-cheeked Starling<\/strong> Spodiopsar cineraceus<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Chestnut-cheeked Starling<\/strong> Agropsar philippensis<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Taiga Flycatcher<\/strong> Ficedula albicilla<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 29th<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  More cold and wet weather overnight, so\nmore dead birds littering Gageo-do. Unfortunately, one of the Taiga\nFlycatchers<\/strong> was found dead near the power plant, having succumbed to\nthe cold and resultant lack of available insects. I saw it in the same area\nyesterday, lethargically searching for food. Many of the birds I saw along the\ntrails today seemed similarly punch-drunk and not as wary as they need to be.
\n  With the rains and south-easterly winds,\nthere was a clear-out of many of the birds that have been stuck in town for the\npast week, without much in the way of arrivals. The three new species noted\naround 1-Gu in the morning were two Little Whimbrels<\/strong>, a Rufous-tailed\nRobin<\/strong>, and a White-cheeked Starling<\/strong>. The Little\nWhimbrels<\/strong>, like their \u2018full-sized\u2019 cousin yesterday, were wandering around\nin the parking lot for the new quarry, perhaps wondering what had happened to\nthe weedy gravel field they favoured in the old configuration of the quarry. 
\n  The heavy rains began in earnest at about\n10 a.m., forcing me to retreat inside for the day. I managed to get out briefly\nin the late afternoon for a quick rain recon, and found some new shorebirds at\nthe mossy slab \u2013 four Terek Sandpipers<\/strong>, six Grey-tailed\nTattlers<\/strong>, and aMongolian Plover<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lonely Hangri Village, 2-Gu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Black-tailed Godwit<\/strong> Limosa melanuroides<\/em>
with a grub it dug out of the dirt above the mossy slab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Yellow-browed Bunting<\/strong> Emberiza chrysophrys<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Siberian Weasel<\/strong> Mustela sibirica<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 30th<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still cold and blustery in the early morning, but by late morning the sun finally returned. With the sun came the insects, and a redoubling of avian activity \u2013wagtails cavorting with grasshoppers, buntings dogfighting with moths, and flycatchers…flycatching. I\u2019ve noticed that Stejneger\u2019s Stonechats<\/strong> are adept at finding caterpillars, which sustained them even during the cold snap \u2013 I haven\u2019t seen any dead stonechats yet.
  I logged 88 species over eight hours, with seven new species noted: a breeding-plumaged Little Grebe<\/strong> in the harbour, a probable Ruddy-breasted Crake<\/strong> (quick views in a ditch near the dump, all clues point to this species), two Black-tailed Godwits<\/strong> at the mossy slab and another in 2-Gu, two Oriental Scops Owls<\/strong> calling from the hills on the way to 2-Gu, two quick looks at a lark that was possibly a Greater Short-toed Lark<\/strong>, a Mugimaki Flycatcher<\/strong> (love that name) near the power plant, and two Grey-capped Greenfinch<\/strong> at the pass.
  Nothing crazy in 2-Gu, besides an interesting variety of turdus <\/em>thrushes, and loads of the most predominant migrants seen throughout my sojourn on Gageo \u2013 Olive-backed Pipits<\/strong> and Black-faced Buntings<\/strong>.
  Other interesting sights included four Striated Herons<\/strong>, at least four restless Chinese Pond Herons<\/strong> on the road up to the pass, three Japanese Quail<\/strong> in 2-Gu, a Little Whimbrel<\/strong> still around the dump, and an Oriental Dollarbird<\/strong> on the road to 2-Gu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eyebrowed Thrush<\/strong> Turdus obscurus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Taiga Flycatcher<\/strong> Ficedula albicilla<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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putative Narcissus Flycatcher<\/strong>\u00a0Ficedula narcissina<\/em> owstoni<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Little Whimbrel<\/strong> Numenius minutus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
May 1st<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Hot and hazy, and more of the same, bird-wise. \u2018Only\u2019 84 species, with just two new species today \u2013 a Common Moorhen<\/strong> in the quarry, and a Great Crested Grebe<\/strong> in the waters off the quarry. Also in the quarry, I found the \u2018other\u2019 Taiga Flycatcher<\/strong>, the one with the less vibrant throat, also dead. It had, in bird-banding terms, \u2018zero fat.\u2019 That cold snap was brutal. The Common Greenshank<\/strong> that haunted the mossy slab was also found dead today. It was at the base of the main road up the hill, flattened by a vehicle.
  There were noticeably more turdus<\/em> thrushes above the quarry, with five species recorded, most notably a dozen new Eyebrowed Thrush<\/strong>. More Oriental Reed Warblers<\/strong> have also been noted around town, and they\u2019re finally vocalizing. The past two days have also seen an apparent bump in the numbers of both Blue-and-white Flycatchers <\/strong>and Common Rosefinches.<\/strong> The lone Large-billed Crow<\/strong> still loiters around the dump. Towards the end of my birding day, I puzzled over a flycatcher with a green back and yellowy underparts up on the forested slopes\u2026probably just a female Narcissus<\/strong>?
  In the old gardens, a hepatic cuckoo flew into a tree, and I\u2019m guessing it\u2019s the Oriental Cuckoo<\/strong> I\u2019ve been hearing in that area for the past several days. A \u2018dark\u2019 cuckoo (?) flew by earlier in the day, making a most peculiar eight-note flight call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 2nd<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  May 2nd was last morning on Gageo, and was the first birding session there without recording a new species\u2026so I left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most of my two weeks on Gageo, the winds stubbornly blew out of the north \u2013 so no big fall of Verditer Flycatchers or the like. Can\u2019t complain though, it was supremely rewarding to be witness to a small slice of the dynamic force of nature that is spring migration on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Through my two-week sojourn, Gageo played host to loads of titillating species one can only reasonably expect to see on Yellow Sea islands on migration (133 species total). The island also held a few surprises, and decent turnover most days. There were highs, and most definitely some lows. I will remember the cold snap and resultant die-off long after I want to forget it \u2013 those were a heavy few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  I ran into Martin Sutherland and Kim Sona at the docks, and we exchanged notes before I boarded the ferry to Mokpo. In a humorous moment, just after I boarded one of the guys on the boat confused me for Martin (two scruffy guys with green caps and binos\u2026), and insisted I get off, as we had arrived on Gageo! His excellent report detailing Gageo\u2019s bird activity for the week after my stay can be read here: https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=22097<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gageo Island, April 18-May 2, 2019 April 18th   Back on Gageo-do after six years! Not much from the Mokpo-Gageo ferry besides some Ancient Murrelets. While it was amazing to be back on Gageo, there were some negative developments at … read more<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":22462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bird-sightings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22451"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22595,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22451\/revisions\/22595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}