Bird News from Nial Moores with Jack Hanna, George Bryant and Bob Stamp
Over 150 species were logged between us during a highly-enjoyable and great-humored week, with a long list of highlights in occasionally sub-zero conditions that included 60 Swan Goose in Paju, single Snow Goose and Mute Swan at Seosan, 420+ Baikal Teal in Jeollanam, small numbers of Stejneger’s (White-winged) Scoter off Geojin, eight Scaly-sided Merganser on the North River, four Oriental Stork at Seosan, single adult Steller’s Sea Eagle on the East Han (which flew directly towards and then right over us, pursued by a Carrion Crow…close-up pictures of this magical moment from Bob received and posted on December 14th), c. 120 White-naped and 100 Red-crowned Cranes in increasingly heavy snow at Cheorwon and two Hooded Cranes at Seosan, a single confiding Solitary Snipe at the national arboretum, three Spectacled Guillemot off Geojin, and c. 130 Asian Rosyfinch and three Pallas’s Rosefinch at Taebaek.
Swan Goose Anser cygnoides © Nial Moores
Steller’s Sea Eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus © Nial Moores
Steller’s Sea Eagle © Bob Stamp
Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis © Nial Moores
White-naped Crane Grus vipio © Bob Stamp
Hooded Crane Grus monacha © Nial Moores
Solitary Snipe Gallinago solitaria © Nial Moores
In addition we enjoyed a wonderfully diverse mix of seasonally scarce, local or regionally-endemic species including Mandarin, Falcated and Harlequin Ducks, American Scoter, Eurasian Bittern, Eurasian and Black-Faced Spoonbills, Temminck’s Cormorant, single Golden Eagle, Long-billed Plover at several sites, Saunders’s Gull (including 195 in the outer Geum), Taimyr Gull, Whiskered Tern (one at Seosan), Eurasian Eagle-Owl (two together on cliffs), two Grey-capped and multiple Japanese Pygmy Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Tit (five at the Geum), Light-vented Bulbul (eight at the Geum), single Japanese and Korean Bush Warblers together at the Geum and another single Japanese Bush Warbler at Yangyang, Grey-backed, Pale, Dusky and Naumann’s Thrushes, multiple Siberian Accentor at several sites (apparently this is a good winter here for them), Japanese Wagtail at multiple sites, single Red-throated Pipit at the Geum, and – at several sites – Chinese Grosbeak (including 60 in Paju), Eurasian Bullfinch, Red Crossbill, Long-tailed Rosefinch and Rustic and Pallas’s Reed Buntings.
American Scoter Melanitta americana © Nial Moores
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris © Nial Moores
Saunders’s Gull Chroicocephalus saundersi © Bob Stamp
Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus © Bob Stamp
Japanese Bush Warbler Horornis diphone © Nial Moores
Korean Bush Warbler Horornis borealis © Bob Stamp
Siberian Accentor Prunella montanella © Nial Moores
Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis © Nial Moores
The team from Ontario, Canada, enjoying views of a flock of displaying Mandarin Duck…© Nial Moores