{"id":28702,"date":"2024-04-08T02:07:16","date_gmt":"2024-04-07T17:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=28702"},"modified":"2024-09-16T19:11:39","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T10:11:39","slug":"yeoncheon-imjin-river-biosphere-reserve-long-billed-plover-survey-march-28th-april-3rd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=28702","title":{"rendered":"Yeoncheon Imjin River Biosphere Reserve: Long-billed Plover Survey (March 28th-April 3rd)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bird News from Dr Nial Moores with Ms. Lee Su-Young, PhD candidate\/ Birds Korea Intern Park Shinyeong and Yeoncheon Birds Korea Director Baek Seung-Kwang (also with Dr Mimi Kessler and Prof. Matt Toomey on 2nd).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All images copyright of Birds Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While more analysis is required, survey focused on the Nationally Vulnerable Long-billed Plover<\/strong> Charadrius placidus<\/em> \ud770\ubaa9\ubb3c\ub5bc\uc0c8 by a Birds Korea team along c. 77km of the three main rivers in the Biosphere Reserve found a grand total of 63 individuals, and 38-42 suspected breeding territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Two different Long-billed Plovers<\/strong> \ud770\ubaa9\ubb3c\ub5bc\uc0c8. Perhaps 2cy – Female? – above two images, showing very worn wing coverts but rather less worn looking “saddle”; perhaps younger male or older female below (?). This highly specialised riverine species seems to show a lot of individual variation, and it was often only easy to sex birds when in obvious pairs. For example, quite a few of the birds had some orange-brown at the base of the bill, while others had all black bills; most lacked a black bridge above the bill, while others (including some of those with brownish ear coverts below a black eye-line) also showed quite a lot of black on the lores.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Pair of Long-billed Plover<\/strong> \ud770\ubaa9\ubb3c\ub5bc\uc0c8 at the nest: male above (based on extent of black on head and in breast patches – but still showing weakly marked lores) and female below (based on much weaker face pattern, and very limited black scaling in the breast patches).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This research, supplementing once-every-three day counts of Scaly-sided Merganser <\/strong>along core stretches of the Imjin River by Yeoncheon Birds Korea, also covered habitats within the CCZ, and a few hours only in hill forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all, we recorded 115 bird species, including at least four which we had not previously seen in the County, together with an interesting mix of tardy winter birds and early spring migrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to very large numbers of Hawfinch<\/strong> and some thrush flocks, species of greatest note included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n