Fowl Information from Dr Nial Moores with Dr Mark Harris, Birds Korean Jung Hancheul (on Twenty seventh), a number of Birds Koreans (on twenty eighth) and Birds Korea Yeoncheon Director Baek Seung-Kwang (on Twenty ninth).
Three days trying by way of some spectacular concentrations of birds, with a complete of 136 species logged, together with a Bar-headed Goose, a Blue morph Snow Goose, and a dozen globally threatened or Close to Threatened hen species.
Beginning earlier than dawn on the Hwaseong Wetlands on Twenty seventh, we quickly discovered an grownup Lesser White-fronted Goose and Snow Goose amongst a mass of an estimated 30,000 Tundra Bean and eight,000 Larger White-fronteds; adopted quickly after by 4 globally Endangered Oriental Stork (a minimum of considered one of which was unringed); 120+ globally Endangered Black-faced Spoonbill; and range of geese and shorebirds, together with Baikal Teal, c. 50 globally Endangered Far Jap and c. 2,200 globally Close to Threatened Eurasian Curlew, small teams of worldwide Susceptible Saunders’s Gull, 48 lingering globally Endangered Nice Knot, 28 Black-tailed Godwit and a complete of 35-50 Marsh Sandpiper – a excessive and late variety of this typically scarce species right here in Korea.
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On twenty eighth, the day at Seosan Lake A once more began earlier than dawn, with first spotlight a River Otter adopted quickly after by a Ruddy-breasted Crake, set towards a cacophony of geese out on the reclamation lake within the fog. Because the fog thinned and the solar broke by way of, wave after wave of geese exploded out from roost, permitting the primary of 7-10 globally Susceptible Lesser White-fronted Goose seen (and / or heard) throughout the day to be picked out extra simply from the mass; and a small variety of Whooper Swan. In rice-fields, we noticed a number of small teams of globally Susceptible Hooded Crane in flight, apparently in energetic migration to or by way of the location, and a flock of 40 globally Close to Threatened Northern Lapwing, however remarkably few different birds of word – with finest just a few globally Susceptible Rustic Bunting and a single Upland Buzzard. Towards the south finish of the reclamation lake, after just a few hours of feeding in rice-fields, a minimum of 125,000 geese have been again on the lake, estimated in a single scan in thousand blocks, with one other 30,000 (?) or so too far-off to rely within the southwest of the lake. Right here, as a bunch of Birds Koreans (together with Subhojit Chakladar who kindly contributed considered one of his photos to this put up) scanned the mass of geese, we picked out first an grownup Snow Goose, adopted quickly after by a globally Susceptible Swan Goose after which a Bar-headed Goose – the latter species current right here since a minimum of September thirtieth primarily based on Fb posts. There isn’t a rarities committee right here; and no formal nationwide organisation of information, however the species is now reported yearly, and that is most likely in regards to the fifteenth to twentieth Korean document of Bar-headed Goose after the primary discovered by Dr Lee Kisup within the Han Imjin River Estuary again on March fifteenth 2003.
A search within the southwest – partially in our failed effort to discover a Crimson-breasted Goose which was seen day by day at Seosan between October ninth and twelfth – discovered but extra large concentrations of geese, together with one other grownup white morph Snow Goose; after which within the northwest, a shocking Blue Morph Snow Goose – my private first in Korea (or maybe wherever within the wild?). Though there have been some birds photographed in current winters which confirmed some options of Blue Morph Snow Geese, to date most (or all?) of those appear to have been assessed as hybrids (e.g., Snow x Tundra Bean or Larger White-fronted Goose). Extra blue morph Snow Geese could be anticipated sooner or later maybe. In line with a put up on Fb by goose researcher Ikeuchi Toshio on October Twenty ninth, Blue morph Snow Geese have been initially absent from breeding colonies of white morph Snow Goose on Wrangel Island; however white x blue pairs at the moment are growing in quantity there, after they fashioned breeding pairs within the wintering vary in New Mexico.
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On Twenty ninth, after assembly up with Director Baek Seung-Kwang, we first visited the Peace Rice-fields within the CCZ within the Yeoncheon Imjin River Biosphere Reserve, which initially have been densely draped in fog and had patches of frost, earlier than the solar broke by way of and temperatures warmed quickly. Highlights right here included an in depth encounter with a lone globally Susceptible White-naped Crane (the primary of about 40 seen throughout the day) and an exquisite range of very hard-to-see landbirds, a number of of that are scarcely reported in inland counties, together with two globally Close to Threatened Ochre-rumped Bunting and two Siberian Rubythroat. Extra species of word right here included a number of Eurasian Bullfinch, three Siberian Accentor and two Pallas’s Rosefinch all heard solely (my private first of the winter – although reported by others in and round Seoul).
From there, a survey of a restricted entry stretch of the Imjin River found 5 globally Endangered Scaly-sided Merganser and a Merlin. The three days completed on the “Spoonbills challenge web site” in Jeongok, the place – regardless of very excessive ranges of disturbance – we discovered 20 Lengthy-billed Plover and our first Dunlin in Yeoncheon discovered throughout our survey work there which began in 2020.
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