{"id":8459,"date":"2013-04-18T22:32:33","date_gmt":"2013-04-18T13:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=8459"},"modified":"2013-04-23T08:59:20","modified_gmt":"2013-04-22T23:59:20","slug":"igidae-busan-april-17-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=8459","title":{"rendered":"Igidae (Busan), April 17-18"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bird News from Nial Moores<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two full-days in the field in the local Igidae Park \u2013 which despite all the noise and disturbance can be surprisingly birdy in the right conditions. The park, several hundred hectares in area, occupies a narrow strip of hilly coastal pine and patches of broadleaved evergreen forest, much criss-crossed by roads and tracks. There is a small area of more open parkland at the south of the park (near the SK apartments), useful for visible migration counts. In mid-April best conditions have long been suspected to include overnight rain with south-easterlies when migrants heading towards Japan might be drifted to the Busan coast. On 17th<\/sup> and 18th<\/sup> weather seemed ideal. Following overcast conditions overnight on 16th<\/sup> \/ 17th<\/sup>, a few hours of light rain between 1AM and 5AM with moderate south-easterly winds followed on the 17th<\/sup> (with temperatures struggling to reach 14-15C). It remained overcast through the day and the night of 17th<\/sup> \/ 18th<\/sup>, until about 9AM on 18th<\/sup>, when long sunny periods and milder temperatures (perhaps 16-17C) persisted, to be replaced by overcast conditions in the late afternoon. Winds were light on 18th<\/sup> and from the northwest, becoming moderate again in the evening.<\/p>\n

Among a total of 84 species, outstanding highlights included singing Sakhalin Leaf Warbler <\/b>on both dates (due to the identification challenge probably <10 previous national records, with these perhaps the first mainland records?); single Yellow Bunting<\/b> and Greater Short-toed Lark<\/b> on 17th<\/sup> (presumably both very scarcely-recorded in Busan or anywhere on the mainland); and several migrant landbirds much more typical of Japan and south-western island than mainland ROK (Japanese Robin<\/b>, Brown-headed<\/b> and Grey Thrushes<\/b>, Chestnut-cheeked Starling<\/b> etc). The total also included a dozen \u201cpersonal first for the year\u201d. Based on a comparison with personal survey coverage on the south-western island of Gageo in 2009 and on the north-western island of Socheong in 2010 (when near-daily coverage) none of these dates seem exceptionally early or late.<\/p>\n

In order to help get a sense of turnover and relative abundance, all migrants on 17th<\/sup> and all birds (irrespective of distance, seen or heard) were counted on 18th<\/sup>. Not all the park was covered (though most of the usual good areas were, both days) and there was some difference in extra areas covered on 17th<\/sup> and 18th<\/sup>. In a few cases these counts also might be quite inaccurate, e.g. Vinous-throated Parrotbill<\/b> (for obvious reasons to those who know these feathered bundles of energy!). However, to help ease comparisons with other sites (in the ROK and elsewhere \u2013 e.g. in Japan as on the Kantori Listerver, or in China as often included on Birding Beijing<\/i> and by Tom Beeke in Liaoning) the full list and the counts are given below:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Common Pheasant: <\/b> Nine counted (18th<\/sup>).<\/li>\n
  2. Eurasian Wigeon:<\/b> One (18th<\/sup>).<\/li>\n
  3. Black-crowned Night Heron:<\/b> One plus heard (18th<\/sup>)<\/li>\n
  4. Grey Heron:<\/b> Seven, including five very high up, apparently moving SE towards Teima Island (Tsushima) (18th<\/sup>).<\/li>\n
  5. Temminck\u2019s Cormorant<\/b>: c<\/i>. 50 still at the evening roost (both days).<\/li>\n
  6. Japanese Sparrowhawk<\/b>: One (17th & 18th<\/sup>).<\/li>\n
  7. Black Kite<\/b>: One adult.<\/li>\n
  8. Grey-faced Buzzard<\/b>: Two (18th<\/sup>)<\/li>\n
  9. Upland Buzzard<\/b>: One (17th<\/sup>): an apparently exceptionally late individual, seldom reported in April.<\/li>\n
  10. Common Kestrel<\/b>: One (17th<\/sup>)<\/li>\n
  11. Peregrine Falcon<\/b>: One (17th<\/sup>)<\/li>\n
  12. Black-headed Gull<\/b>: 30 counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  13. Black-tailed Gull<\/b>: c. 25 both days<\/li>\n
  14. Vega Gull<\/b>: c. 150 on 17th<\/sup>, most of which were heading south along the coast; many fewer (<10) on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  15. Taimyr Gull<\/b>: At least one adult on 17th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  16. Oriental Turtle Dove<\/b>: 18 counted on 18th<\/sup><\/li>\n
  17. Oriental Cuckoo<\/b>: One seen near the park at dawn on 17th<\/sup>; one heard in the park 18th<\/sup>. This was a personal first of the year (and a personal first in Busan). This species seems to be an earlier migrant through the south than through the northwest (e.g. first record in 2009 on Gageo was on April 18th<\/sup>, and in 2010 on Socheong was April 29th<\/sup>).<\/li>\n
  18. Oriental Scops Owl<\/b>: One heard on 18th<\/sup> (personal first of the year and personal first for Igidae). This species is much commoner northward in the ROK. In 2010, first-recorded on Socheong on April 16th<\/sup>; and this year apparently first-recorded in Beijing on 16th<\/sup> (http:\/\/birdingbeijing.com\/).<\/li>\n
  19. Pacific Swift<\/b>: 15+ present in usual area on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  20. Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker<\/b>: Seventeen counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  21. White-backed Woodpecker<\/b>: Three on 17th<\/sup> (including a male and female together) and two on 18th<\/sup> (including a male chasing off a Great-Spotted Woodpecker<\/i>).<\/li>\n
  22. Great Spotted Woodpecker<\/b>: One on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  23. Grey-headed Green Woodpecker<\/b>: Three counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  24. Ashy Minivet<\/b>: Twenty on 17th<\/sup> and 15 on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  25. Bull-headed Shrike<\/b>: One on 17th<\/sup> and two on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  26. Eurasian Jay<\/b>: Nine counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  27. Eurasian Magpie<\/b>: Thirty-five counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  28. Large-billed Crow<\/b>: Thirty-three counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  29. Marsh Tit<\/b>: Two counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  30. Varied Tit<\/b>: Four counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  31. Coal Tit<\/b>: Twenty-two counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  32. Eastern Great Tit<\/b>: Forty-four counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  33. Greater Short-toed Lark<\/b>: One on 17th<\/sup>, heard and seen in flight only. Personal first record in Busan \u2013 and while expected on offshore islands in the West Sea there appear to be very few mainland records.<\/li>\n
  34. Brown-eared Bulbul<\/b>: Ninety-one \u201ccounted\u201d on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  35. Barn Swallow<\/b>: Six on 17th<\/sup> and nine on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  36. Asian House Martin<\/b>: Three on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  37. Red-rumped Swallow<\/b>: Five on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  38. Japanese Bush Warbler<\/b>: One on 17th<\/sup> and three on 18th<\/sup> (all singing birds);<\/li>\n
  39. Korean Bush Warbler<\/b>: Three singing on 17th<\/sup> and 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  40. Asian Stubtail<\/b>: Eleven on 17th<\/sup> and 10 on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  41. Long-tailed Tit<\/b>: Sixteen counted on 18th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n
  42. Pallas\u2019s Leaf Warbler<\/b>: One on 17th<\/sup>. This species is very scarce in the southeast, and is much commoner towards the northwest, peaking in late April-early May. On Socheong in 2010, first recorded on April 8th<\/sup>; in 2013, first seen in Song Do, Incheon, on April 12th<\/sup>: see https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=8281<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  43. Yellow-browed Warbler<\/b>: Three on 17th<\/sup> and 14 on 18th<\/sup> (personal highest count in Busan).<\/li>\n
  44. Pale-legged Leaf Warbler<\/b>: One recorded singing on 18th<\/sup>.
    \n 
    \nListen to a recording of the Pale-legged Leaf Warbler<\/b>:<\/p>\n