Bird News from Patrick Blake
We birded several locations throughout Haenam county, concentrating on waterfowl and raptors. There were nine of us, meeting up in Gwangju before heading out to Haenam; transportation provided by Pedro Kim of Lonely Korea, to whom we were all extremely grateful. Participants were: Pedro Kim, Peter Hirst, Ha Jung Moon, Jason Loghry, Lee Ju Hyung, Bob Harding, Maria Lisak, Melanie Proteau Blake and myself.
Conditions were favorable, with slightly overcast skies and a brisk wind throughout the day. Bird activity was fairly consistent, and by the end of the day we had tallied 62 species. See the complete list below.
Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus; 15+, heard and seen at various locations
Tundra Bean Goose Anser serrirostris; 600+, mostly observed flying overhead; one large flock found on the water (it is possible and likely that some Taiga Bean Geese may have been mixed in with the flying birds and/or larger flocks, but most birds under close observation appeared to be Tundra Bean Geese with shorter, broader bills)
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons; 400+, observed mostly on the water mingling with Bean Geese; one group of eight observed in flight with Bean Geese
Gadwall Anas strepera; 150+, observed in concentration at two separate locations
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope; 150+
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos; 300+
Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha; 200+
Northern Pintail Anas acuta; 40+
Baikal Teal Anas formosa; c. 90,000
Common Pochard Aythya ferina; 40+
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula; 5
Greater Scaup Aythya marila; 10+
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula; 20+
Smew Mergellus albellus; 1, female
Common Merganser Mergus merganser; 15+
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis; 30+
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus; 60+
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis; 3
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea; 5+
Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta; 2
Little Egret Egretta garzetta; 3
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo; 5+
Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus; 1
Eastern Marsh Harrier Circus spilonotus; 1
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus; 3
Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus; 3
Upland Buzzard Buteo hemilasius; 1
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus; 4+
Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo; 1
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus; 1
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra; 60+
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus; 1, observed in an open mudflat near the industrial area on the way in to Haenam county
Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago; 1
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis; 5
Dunlin Calidris alpina; 50+
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus; 150+
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris; 50+
Common Gull Larus canus; 1
Mongolian Gull Larus mongolicus; 5+
Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis; 5
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis; 2
Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus; 6+
Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius; 1
Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus; 5+
Eurasian Magpie Pica pica; 6+
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos; 1
White-cheeked Starling Sturnus cineraceus; about 15
Chinese Penduline Tit Remiz consobrinus; 3
Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis; 6+, mostly heard
Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis; 6+
Far Eastern Cisticola Cisticola brunneiceps; 3
Vinous-throated Parrotbill Sinosuthora webbiana; 25+, mostly heard
Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus; 2, males
Stejneger’s Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri; 2
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus; 20+
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea; 1
White Wagtail Motacilla alba lugens; 6
Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni; 7+
Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens; 3
Yellow-throated Bunting Emberiza elegans; 5+
Pallas’s Reed Bunting Emberiza pallasi; 1
Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla; 1
Baikal Teal Anas formosa © Patrick Blake
Common Pochard Aythya ferina © Patrick Blake
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula © Patrick Blake
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis © Patrick Blake
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus © Patrick Blake
Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus © Patrick Blake
White Wagtail Motacilla alba lugens © Patrick Blake