{"id":24156,"date":"2021-02-17T16:17:38","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T07:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=24156"},"modified":"2021-02-17T16:25:34","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T07:25:34","slug":"seabird-survey-goseong-coast-ganwgon-province-february-9-11-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=24156","title":{"rendered":"Seabird Survey, Goseong Coast, Ganwgon Province, February 9-11, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Seabird survey led by Nial Moores with Ama\u00ebl Borz\u00e9e (Nanjing Forestry University and Birds Korea member), Bernhard Seliger and Felix Glenk (Hanns Seidel Foundation, Korea office) and \u201cTeam EAAFP\u201d (Doug Watkins, Chief Executive of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership Secretariat, Vivian Fu, EAAFP Communications Officer, and Kang Seoyun, EAAFP Intern), joined also by James Banfill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In subzero temperatures and the pandemic identifying who is who can be even more of a challenge than identifying gulls… Image \u00a9 Vivian Fu \/ EAAFP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ultimate Birder ID Challenge? Image by Nial Moores<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A record national high count of Red-necked Grebe<\/strong> and single presumed thayeri<\/em> Iceland Gull<\/strong> and American Herring Gull<\/strong> were the outstanding highlights of our survey of marine-preferential bird species (\u201cseabirds”) along the Daejin-Geojin coast from February 9th<\/sup> to 11th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funded by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Korea office, the survey aimed to improve understanding of the current distribution and abundance of seabirds (defined as sea duck, grebes, gulls, alcids, loons and cormorants, in accordance with Moores et al.<\/em> 2017) along this stretch of coast. This is to help inform discussions about possible conservation strategies for biodiversity in this part of the inner border region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stationary counts of birds were made from the excellent January Pension as they flew out of the marine DMZ on two mornings starting from 15 minutes before dawn; a 4-hour boat survey in slightly choppy seas was conducted on 9th<\/sup>; and birds were also counted along the coast from pre-selected vantage points on 10th and 11th. In this way our survey covered about 10km of coast, with likely steadily decreasing detection rates of birds from shore out to a maximum 11 or 12km from shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, on 10th<\/sup> waterbirds were counted on Hwajin Po; and rapid assessment counts were made at eight additional points between Geojin and southern Sokcho:  Bukcheon (Ganseong), Namdaecheon (Ganseong); Songjiho; fields near to Ayajin; Ayajin Harbour; Yeongnangho; sea off Sokcho harbour; and the inner part of Cheongchoho. These counts and observations were made to identify potentially important habitats and to assess habitat quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After exclusion of some counts to reduce double-counting of the same individuals, approximately 6,800 seabirds were logged by our survey along the Daejin-Geojin coast. Species included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Harlequin Duck<\/strong> Histrionicus histrionicus <\/em>\ud770\uc904\ubc15\uc774\uc624\ub9ac. <\/em>Eighteen in total, with another ten or so in Ayajin harbour.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    Harlerquin Ducks<\/strong>, Ayajin \u00a9 Bernhard Seliger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    • Stejneger\u2019s Scoter<\/strong> Melanitta stejnegeri<\/em> \uac80\ub465\uc624\ub9ac\uc0ac\ucd0c.  Only five were seen. A worrisome decline, even steeper than along some other stretches of ROK coast.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      • American Scoter<\/strong> Melanitta americana <\/em>\uac80\ub465\uc624\ub9ac. Only three males were seen. Until recently, this was the best stretch of coast in the country for seeing flocks of this species.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        • Red-breasted Merganser<\/strong> Mergus serrator <\/em>\ubc14\ub2e4\ube44\uc624\ub9ac. Only 68 were counted along the coast.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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          Red-breasted Merganser<\/strong>, Daejin \u00a9 Ama\u00ebl Borz\u00e9e<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          • Red-necked Grebe<\/strong> Podiceps grisegena <\/em>\ud070\ub17c\ubcd1\uc544\ub9ac. <\/em>A conservative and internationally important count of 905 was made along this stretch of coast (most 2-5km from shore), with likely hundreds more present and missed. This is the highest count of this species known to us in the ROK.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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            Red-necked Grebes \u00a9 Ama\u00ebl Borz\u00e9e<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
            • Great Crested Grebe<\/strong> Podiceps cristatus<\/em> \ubfd4\ub17c\ubcd1\uc544\ub9ac. A total of 624 were counted, contained with several loafing rafts of the species in small bays along the coast.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              • Horned Grebe<\/strong> Podiceps auratus <\/em>\uadc0\ubfd4\ub17c\ubcd1\uc544\ub9ac. Two or three of this globally Vulnerable and very patchily-distributed species were observed.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                • Black-necked Grebe<\/strong> Podiceps nigricollis<\/em> \uac80\uc740\ubaa9\ub17c\ubcd1\uc544\ub9ac A total of 359 were logged along this stretch of coast.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  • Black-tailed Gull<\/strong> Larus crassirostris<\/em> \uad2d\uc774\uac08\ub9e4\uae30 Only small numbers (c. 80) of this attractive gull were found along the Daejin-Geojin coast.  Our surveys at Hwaseong on the west coast suggest that large numbers are now back in the Yellow Sea close to some of their breeding colonies.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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                    Black-tailed Gull \u00a9 Bernhard Seliger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                    • Common Gull<\/strong> Larus canus<\/em> \uac08\ub9e4\uae30. Approximately 1,700 were seen. Of those seen well, a dozen or more 2cy looked to be heinei<\/em> (based on \u201cold\u201d ID criteria of small size, white-headedness and long primary projection) while the vast majority appeared to be kamtschatschensis<\/em>. This included a dozen or more adults which were photographed in flight and identified to taxon based on the extraordinarily detailed analysis of primary patterns laid out at great length by Adriaens and Gibbins (2016).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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                      “Kamchatka” Common Gulls<\/strong> \u00a9 Ama\u00ebl Borz\u00e9e<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                      Common Gull<\/strong> \u00a9 Nial Moores. Finding a First-winter Ring-billed Gull among flocks of Kamchatkas in the ROK remains an unfulfilled challenge…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n