Bird news and photos by Leslie Hurteau.
Part one of a two part blogpost about exploring the south central mainland. Part two here.
The southcoast of Korea is a very interesting place from a birders perspective. Unlike the east coast of the country, the south is much like the west, with the geography mainly composed of islands and peninsulas. This sort of geography seems to give the impression that it would be good for migrants, and perhaps vagrants, as they would prefer to land on bits of land jetting out into the sea, rather than far into the mainland. Also, this whole area is quite diverse with ricefields, forested mountains, and freshwater streams and rivers, all leading to beautiful mudflats. Despite all of this promise, aside from Suncheon, it’s not exactly a popular area for birdwatching (perhaps due to being a large distance from Seoul, where most of the people in the country live?). Curious from having read a few previous summer birding reports from the region, and wanting a break from Jeju, I took a trip to Suncheon and Goheung at the end of July.
Suncheon is famous among birdwatchers in Korea for being a top crane watching site in winter. Summer, on the other hand, is not visited often despite the potential hiding away in rice fields and forested mountains. Along the coast, many groups of Black-tailed Gulls were returning from their summer breeding grounds, as well as small numbers of shorebirds such as Terek Sandpipers, Common Greenshanks, and Curlews refueling for their long journey to their wintering grounds.
The reedbeds were alive with Oriental Reed Warblers, Vinous-throated Parrotbills (a species completely absent on Jeju), and the ocassional Zitting Cisticola. Egrets, Grey Herons, Striated Herons, and Black-crowned Night Herons were also present in the fields. Barn Swallows and Red-rumped Swallows were seen flying above the fields and along the coasts. Admittedly, one of my primary target species was the Greater Painted Snipe, known to have bred in Suncheon rice fields in past years, but unfortunately none were located. Should they be around (which seems likely given the quality of habitat), breeding has likely been finished and individuals or family groups were probably hiding very well as they foraged in reedbeds and fields that have grown quite high by mid-summer.
Some time was spent traversing the general coast of Suncheon bay. No signs of the any Chestnut-cheeked Starlings, which were known to breed in this area previously. But many egrets and Black-tailed Gulls along the mudflats. A steep forested hill was explored briefly, with Grey-backed Thrush, White’s Thrush, and Daurian Redstarts spotted, as well as Long-tailed Tits, Warbling White-eyes, and a fantastic Grey-headed Woodpecker.
