Circling Cinereous Vultures and White-naped Cranes over the inner border, skeins of geese heading south, Hill Pigeons, flocks of buntings (but still very few finches), and an internationally important count of 52 Scaly-sided Merganser…combined with a wonderfully positive education program and time enjoying the artwork of Birds Korea member Professor Kim Haekyung.
Fresh off 2 weeks on Baengnyeong Island, I had the chance to lead a session on environmental education attended by several local teachers and Birds Korea Yeoncheon members (all excellently organised as always: thank you!), with “classwork” followed by a visit to the Taepung Observatory in the CCZ, and a short stop further downstream. The weather was beautiful, and despite some distant blaring speakers and the permanent ban on taking images at this site, we were able to enjoy small groups of Cinereous Vultures – 17 individuals in total – crossing the inner border; more than a hundred White-naped Cranes in the air together; and multiple skeins of geese heading south through the afternoon into the evening (most years, foraging geese peak in number in the FNS in mid-December, presumably before heading much further south into China). List on eBird
On Monday 4th, a day of bird survey of the newly-designated FNS with Birds Korea Yeoncheon Director Baek Seung-Kwang started in the Peace Rice-fields of the CCZ. The habitat looks great (though could be improved further of course…), with several foraging White-naped Cranes, two Hen Harrier, two Bluethroat (one adult male and a female-type seen), two Water Rails sensu lato heard, and flocks of Rustic and Pallas’s Reed Buntings. A full checklist is here on eBird.
Along the Imjin River, horrendous construction in two areas, but several stretches were relatively undisturbed and 52 globally Endangered and sensitive-to-disturbance Scaly-sided Merganser were counted – with the autumn peak of this species still 10-12 days away – several more White-naped Cranes were seen, and about 30 Hill Pigeon found, with one flock also containing an all-white domestic pigeon.
In addition to the birds and some beautiful, autumnal, glowing landscapes, highlights including seeing screening being erected along the roadside in the CCZ to reduce disturbance to waterbirds, and finishing the day enjoying some of the beautiful artwork created by Professor Kim Haekyung, a local Birds Korea member and the artist responsible for the poster used at last year’s symposium in Yeoncheon on Scaly-sided Mergansers…
