Chook Information from Nial Moores, Baek Seung-Kwang and Lee Su-Younger
Supported by and in assist of Yeoncheon County, analysis with a particular focus as soon as extra on Lengthy-billed Plovers was performed by Birds Korea / Birds Korea Yeoncheon alongside the principle streams and rivers of the Biosphere Reserve between July 1st and eighth. A complete of 84 chicken species and three mammals had been documented, together with gorgeous views of Ruddy Kingfisher (lastly!); our first file in Yeoncheon of Eurasian Whimbrel (heard in flight on July 2nd) and Nice Knot (one foraging at Horogoru, within the Imjin River on July seventh); and our first direct remark of River Otter (location deliberately saved secret; and a related proposal written by Baek Seung-Kwang which shall be submitted to the county).
Along with a single Mallard, just a few Hill Pigeon, single Japanese Sparrowhawk and Eurasian Goshawk, a number of Chinese language Sparrowhawks and two Fairy Pitta heard briefly, additional data of notice included (with order and nomenclature from AviList 2025 and the revised 2025 Birds Korea Guidelines):
- Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata 원앙.
Along with a number of singles and small teams, a household of eight ducklings was seen in Baekhak accompanied by their mom, confirming native breeding.
- Widespread Merganser Mergus merganser 비오리.
One on the Hantan River on eighth. That is the second time now we have seen one in the summertime months within the county. The species is understood to breed in small numbers in neigbouring Gangwon Province.
- Watercock Gallicrex cinerea 뜸부기.
The decline on this species seems to proceed, each nationally and in Yeoncheon, with solely 10-99 people suspected nationwide in summer time (therefore the code of S5 within the Birds Korea Guidelines). None had been discovered by our survey within the CCZ once more this yr, and one other web site was additionally discovered not to assist the species. Throughout survey work we discovered of 1 extra web site, nonetheless, the place the species is taken into account to be kind of common in Yeoncheon, and we had been invited to go to a web site within the neighbouring province with 2+ calling males.
- Ruddy-breasted Crake Zapornia fusca 쇠뜸부기사촌
Two or three had been present in a single space of rice-fields instantly adjoining to a small wetland patch within the CCZ, an space the place now we have the discovered the species beforehand.
- Lengthy-billed Plover Thinornis placidus 흰목물떼새 (please notice the brand new scientific identify).
In whole, we discovered solely 27 at 20 areas, together with one unexpectedly late chick on 2nd. This low quantity compares poorly with our counts made within the spring of each 2024 and 2025, and helps the likelihood that a minimum of among the Lengthy-billed Plover in Yeoncheon in March and April are usually not breeding domestically, however are as a substitute staging on their approach north to the DPRK and Northeastern Russia, the place the species is claimed to be an entire migrant by Wiersma et al 2024 in Birds of the World. Our personal analysis in 2019, nonetheless, discovered Lengthy-billed Plovers in Rason in far NE DPRK as early as March fifteenth, two weeks sooner than our Lengthy-billed Plover survey in Yeoncheon in 2025.
Efforts had been made to attempt to determine birds to intercourse and age. Nevertheless, this was vastly difficult by the space of most observations mixed with the at the moment poor literature on identification of this species within the mid-summer. At two websites, we discovered what regarded like pairs remaining in shut affiliation; and at three websites we noticed what we recognized as single younger nonetheless attended by an grownup (female-type), with one extra grownup (a male sort) seen inside ~250m – maybe on the outer fringe of their summer time home-range.
In whole, we might solely verify one chick and three juveniles, with the juveniles recognized by a mixture of very brown head markings; cinnamon-rust fringes on the upperparts; clearly yellowish quite than pink legs; and quite slim, whiteish orbital ring. An necessary caveat is that some people appeared to indicate two or three of those options, but in addition quite worn coverts or flight feathers, suggesting that adults – or maybe second calendar-years – can also have yellowish legs, a weaker orbital ring and even rust fringes to the upperparts. If our ageing was right, the success fee of nesting Lengthy-billed Plover in Yeoncheon in 2025 was considerably decrease than the success fee of 1.1-1.6 fledged per nest from 25-50 pairs between 2012 and 2014 in Kim (2017). Infrastructural work within the rivers in Yeoncheon (together with a number of new bridges, paths instantly alongside the river, beneath the bund, and dredging – mixed with very excessive ranges of human disturbance – seem like wholly unsustainable if this nationally threatened species is to outlive within the Biosphere Reserve.
Further observations of curiosity included two adults in energetic wing moult (one with apparently changed inside primaries; the second with a large hole within the wing); and one grownup feeding on perched flying bugs, pecked off from rocks – the primary time now we have seen such feeding behaviour.
- Little Ringed Plover Thinornis dubius 꼬마물떼새.
13 people had been discovered at a complete of eight areas, together with 4 juveniles – with three of those in a single brood, attended noisily by a mother or father.
- Dunlin Calidris alpina 민물도요
A breeding-plumage grownup was briefly with the Nice Knot on seventh: our second file within the county.
- Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris 괭이갈매기
A complete of 133 of this marine-preferential species had been counted at 13 completely different areas throughout the survey, with the biggest numbers seen alongside the Imjin River on seventh, when one roost of 38 was counted; and 30 had been counted flying upstream in solely an hour, together with a number of fresh-plumaged juveniles.
Birds had been noticed c. 70 km and extra upstream of the Han-Imjin Estuary; and solely c. 150km overland from e.g., Wonsan Bay on the east coast of the DPRK. Obtainable proof from the DPRK and the ROK signifies that substantial numbers of some species, together with seabirds and waterbirds (together with Scaly-sided Merganser), cross the Korean Peninsula at this its narrowest level.
Printed satellite tv for pc tracks of this species from two colonies (Baengnyeong and Tokdo) confirmed very vast post-breeding dispersal. Though this species is sometimes encountered inland alongside main rivers (most particularly the Han in late winter, the place 1000’s have reached Seoul), was this a part of random exploratory dispersal, an distinctive motion, or a part of an unrecognised however common overland migration of the species from Yellow Sea colonies to the East Sea?
- Nice Egret Ardea alba 중대백로
Small numbers of grownup Ardea alba modesta had been discovered; and a minimum of three “post-breeding” adults (with orange-yellow invoice bases and retained plumes) had been seen with yellow tibia, which in winter could be used confidently to determine them as Ardea alba alba (a taxon not recognised by AviList 2025 as occurring in East Asia in any respect). Each of the alba-types which had been seen nicely (within the photos beneath) additionally appeared to have extra intensive and paler inexperienced naked pores and skin on the lores, feathering reaching additional on the underside of the invoice and subtly much less orange, extra of a yellow, tone to the invoice. A further complicated adult-type was additionally seen with close to all yellow-pink legs. In contrast to most of the modesta, the three alba-types had been seen singly and never in direct comparability with Gray Herons (which alba are bigger than, and which modesta are clearly smaller than). Are yellow tibia, paler inexperienced lores and extra intensive feathering alongside the underside of the invoice dependable for the identification of “nominate” alba in mid-summer too, or is there extra variation in modesta than at the moment recognised? (you probably have an knowledgeable opinion, please contact us!).
- Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus 벌매
4 had been seen in whole at 2-3 areas (together with one “new” summer time web site), together with two seen collectively. Presumably three or extra pairs breed in Yeoncheon.
- White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla 흰꼬리수리
An grownup was seen over the Imjin River on eighth. This follows on from one photographed 10-15km downstream on 2nd (?) by Professor Kim Younger-Gul, posted on eBird. In August 2024, two adults and one younger had been seen within the “spoonbills” web site – indicating native breeding.
- Gray-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus 왕새매
A complete of 9 or 10 had been seen at 5-6 areas, with a number of of those in “new” areas. Based mostly on present understanding, in all probability greater than 10 pairs breed in Yeoncheon, concentrated within the CCZ along with extra intensive hill forest.
- Oriental Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis 파랑새
A complete of 47 had been counted at 16 areas. If this species is distributed kind of evenly throughout appropriate habitat, it appears seemingly that the Biosphere Reserve supported 50-100 breeding pairs in 2025 (considerably greater than the estimate of 10-20 pairs made in 2024, partly due to new areas with a number of pairs which had been visited).
- Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda 호반새
Twenty had been heard in a complete of 11 areas, a lot of that are extra to websites surveyed final yr. This means that in all probability 30-40 pairs breed within the Biosphere Reserve.
- Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata 청호반새
Two of this Globally Susceptible species had been heard in a brand new location. One was apparently additionally current at a web site within the southwest of the County well-visited by chicken photographers.
- Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus 할미새사촌
A complete of six had been heard in 4 areas, three of that are extra to websites the place we discovered 2-3 pairs in 2024.
- Carrion Crow Corvus corone 까마귀
Apparently changing into extra quite a few within the County. A complete of 33 had been counted in 12 areas, with many of those areas extra to areas with the species in 2023 and 2024.
- Gentle-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis 검은이마직박구리
Throughout earlier surveys solely discovered close to to Jeongok. Throughout the current survey 5 had been present in three extra areas.
- Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica 쇠솔딱새
Though forests weren’t surveyed, seen in two areas, together with a really younger, stripey-headed juvenile accompanied by two adults.
- Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus 검은딱새
Please notice the revised English and Scientific names. Solely 13, together with 5 juveniles, had been present in a complete of eight areas. Though we didn’t survey a lot of the principle southern CCZ the place a number of pairs had been discovered beforehand and we didn’t survey hill forest space the place the species can also be recognized to nest, this can be a remarkably decrease quantity than the 37 recorded in June 2022 and the 29 recorded in June 2024.
- Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis 검은등할미새.
Included right here as a result of the 2025 AviList, in following the net Birds of the World, nonetheless doesn’t recognise that this species breeds frequently all through the ROK in appropriate habitat. Our survey discovered 39 people, together with a minimum of 4 household teams of adults intently adopted by juveniles.
Remarkably, one quite superior juvenile (with black patches showing within the upperparts) on July 2nd sung a number of instances in response to an “intrusion” by a Gray Wagtail.
Further encounters of curiosity…
Our survey discovered 12 Mushy-shelled Turtles (자라), with the coloration of the yellowish plastron seen nicely on one maybe indicating that these are Amur Mushy-shelled Turtle Pelodiscus maackii 북방계자라 quite than the morphologically comparable Chinese language Mushy-shelled P. sinensis (this based on a studying of the account in Baek et al. 2022). The biggest focus was seven collectively at a web site we already-identified as a excessive precedence web site for conservation, throughout the Flyway Community Website.
We additionally heard globally Susceptible Pelophylax chosenicus 금개구리 at a number of websites; heard what was thought of to be a globally Endangered Hyla suweonensis 수원청개구리 at a probably new web site (?); and loved plentiful encounters with globally Susceptible Korean Water Deer Hydropotes inermis 고라니 and one shut encounter with a Raccoon Canine Nyctereutes procyonoides 너구리, apparently watching over a small pup. Dozens of damselflies and plenty of 1000’s of dragonflies sp. had been seen on the wing on a number of dates; and a number of other Lengthy-tail Spangle Swallowtails Papilio macilentus 긴꼬리제비나비 had been among the many extra eye-catching butterflies and moths we encountered.
All information and subsequent evaluation shall be included in a report which Birds Korea will present to Yeoncheon County in December.
References
Baek H-J, Kim P-J, Kim Y-C, Kim A, Kim S-H, Min M-S & Lee H. 2022. The whole mitochondrial genome of the Amur soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus maackii Brandt, 1858), from South Korea, Mitochondrial DNA Half B, 7:3, 498-500, DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2022.2051759
Kim In-Chul. 2017. 멸종위기종 흰목물떼새(Charadrius placidus)의 번식생태와 음성신호
연구. Unpublished (?) doctoral thesis.
Wiersma, P., G. M. Kirwan, and P. F. D. Boesman. 2024. Lengthy-billed Plover (Thinornis placidus), model 1.1. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.lobplo1.01.1
