Shorebird migration 2012 Yubu island, korea

Yubudo Island is last refugee for East asian austalian flyway waders in Korean side of yellow-sea costal mudflat. I can quite surely assume that area around reclaimed saemangeum was asia's Largest and most significant wader sating area during both spring and autum migration, but at 2006, the saemangeum reclaimation was finished, and since then, Yubudo Island functions as an insufficient but the only "workaround" for the exhausted, long traveling waders. 

At 20, August, 2012 I visited Yubu island with Dr. Chung, my Guru of birding and studying.

I was expecting several spoon-billed sandpipers and other flagged, or ringed birds,  but the weather was unfortunate, harsh rain and wind made us difficult to make us search.

The first waders of that day was several sanderlings and Kentish plovers, running and foraging on the sandy beach. Between those bird, Dr.Chung first noticed this bird was ringed.

Sanderling, Yubu Island, Chungcheung nam do, Korea, 20,8,2012 color-flagged at Southern australia, I've reported to the AWSG page,

Waders of yubu island. 20, 8,2012 : Dunlins, Lesser sand plovers, kentish plovers, terek sandpipers, Red necked stints, sanderlings were most abundant small waders of this day,

In my aprox. count, more than 30 thousand shorebirds were staging there, and due to the rain and wind, I couldn't conduct any more scrutiny.

because I also had to find this trip's prize, the SPS.

if you look above photo with inner sight of birding, youmight find one adult SPS at the right-upper coner

I observed one adult in stunning breeding plumage and one juvinile from this year's breeding. 

we met american birder, who works for NGO in korea, told us that he counted up to 5 SPS that day.

and like waders, searching for energy supplement at this staging area, there was another bird in search of daily meal.

 Eurasian hobby swooping the waders.

It was very high tide at that day and most of other birds flew away and only small numbers apporached to the handful left land. See that sandlovers in breeding plumage, how striking orange! they just added color at the grey rainning mudflat.

and right before we leave, we found this poor great knot, who got it's lower manible caught by a small clam.
he was not able to fly easily and he looked very exhausted.

Waders of Nam-dong resevoir, Incheon City, Korea :

Courtship feeding ????: Scaly thrush Zoothera dauma, Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarious

Courtship feeding is one of the well-known behaviour of birds such as terns raptors,

and some passerine birds.

At least for me, This was unique behaviour that I've observed during my birding times since 2006.

It happened on 25, Aril, 2009 at Seoul national university campus.  around 09:00

At first, I was watching migrating thrushes foraging on grassy part of the forest patch, there were several Scaly thrush, Pale thrush, and Grey-backed thrush.

It was a thrush feast, abundant drop of thrushes that day was memorable.

and then, I've noticed a bird flew in to another scaly thrush.

It just happened.

the bird arrived, and almost immediately passed it's prize,

a moth larvae which is commonly seen on grasses.

and the original bird swallowed.

there were no after coitus or other intriguing behaviour right after few minutes, they just moved closely, the later arrived bird followed former bird gently. until flushed by an motorcycle -pizza delivery man.

although I could'nt observe any other signs, these birds were definitely not parent-siblings of that year, too early for breeding season and fledging, and the fed bird didn't showed up any begging behaviors commonly seen on feeding parent and their chicks.

I suggest these behaviours are some sort of courtship feeding of early-arrived local breeding pair, or courtship behaviour to probable mate on their way migration.

I could also notice some structural difference between those two birds, assuming the're different sexes,

with smaller size and shorter, slender bills of front(Later arrived bird).

I've seen another courtship behaviour in passerines, Eurasian jay. at April, 2007. In this case, I cannot assure it is an courtship, more than a scaly thrush, because jays breed much earlier than thrushes, there are much more possiblities that this fed bird is sibling of feeding bird. and also, I observed some begging behaviors calling, and wing flutterings too.

I'm curious that does adult-birds who are fed by courtship feeding shows any begging behaviours, and if they do, are those behaviours differ from their juvenile experience?

and also, how does birds of different species show similar form of begging behaviors?



Miss the warblers.

For me and I bet for all other birders, many of the warbler species, especially Phylloscopus sp. 

are extremely intriguing birds when we encounter at field.

Their difficulties of Identification and small, delicate structure makes them Genuine Songbirds.

In addition to their powerful but mesmeriging songs.

The more difficult it is, the more challengable, and interesting.

Pallas's leaf warbler Pylloscopus proregulus

Singng, and cavorting around the Salix sp. treetop. I could feel how much this guy was healthy, and vigourous not only from his behaviors, but also his fresh, vivid feathers.

It must had a good wintering at last winter's haven.

Eastern crowned warbler Phylloscopus cornatus

I was just lazy enough to search better shot from my own DB, applogies.

No more words are need for describing how they are powerful songsters.

Everywhere common around forested areas, even small forest patches in city parks.

So enthusiastic and energetic defender of own territory,

the're usually easy to attract by playbacks at spring.

 Dusky warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus

Unlike their tchat-tchat calls in migration stopovers,

they also display intricate melodies on ther breeding ground in high mountain bushes of korea.

I think it is more difficult to watch warblers in autumn, than spring, however,

I just cant wait for upcomming autumn migration

waders of Gang-wha island : Wader season

Gang wha island, which is placed on estuary of Han river running through the capital of Korea,

is one of the last refuge for migrating waders-knots, stints, curlews, and plovers.

 Thanks to ongoing and past  reclaimation projects which are aimed to turn these 'useless' mudflats to rice fields,

(I'm quite sure there is much more things underneath these rclaimations, complicated political issues and greeds of monsterous landscape businesses)

more than 90 % of country's priceless wetlands are dissapeared, and so the waders.

Fortuately, due to the confliction between Country's national enemey, DPRK, Gang wha island and Han river estuary's mudflat(Gyong gi mudflat) was relatively protected from large scale reclaimation than others.

Already there are several signs of wader migration started in websites,

I can't wait for this year's autumn season.  I have some target waders for birding, Asiatic dowitcher and

spoon billed sandpiper.

Below photos are from last spring, 2012 southern region of gangwha island.

Little ringed plover

Wild bird society university students are counting waders for their annual survey

(this year is 20'year anniversary since 1992)

 Great knots at high roost. photo from 2008 or before.

full breeding plumagd adult great knot. stunner!!

Whimbrel one of the commonest migratns in spring and fall both

Eurasian oystercatcher.  resident breeders on rocky coasts and islets on west coast of korean penninsula.