On the weekend of the 12th February we were staying in the Cotswolds, Sarah had a pre-birthday bash with her sisters arranged and so I headed out on a mini-twitch, First stop was at Greylake RSPB where a male Baikal Teal has been present since 9th December 2021. The bird showed well but was asleep for much of the time that I was there. Having seen a flock of 450,000 in South Korea in January 2020 I did question why I had driven for over an hour to see a single bird, see photos and video here. However, this is a fantastic site with large numbers of wildfowl present, I also saw Marsh Harrier and up to seven Great Egret. My eBird checklist for the site can be viewed here.
I then headed to Weston Airfield where I had good views of two Penduline Tit feeding on Greater Reedmace seed heads with a third bird heard nearby. There have been up to three birds present at this site since 21st December. My eBird checklist for the site can be viewed here.
Through this horrendous Covid-19 pandemic I have been fortunate in being able to continue to work and to travel for my work. During this time I have managed to make a few short detours to see a few birds. However, during this time I decided to cease posting on this blog, now that April is here and the Country is slowly easing out of lock-down I am planning to revive my posts. Here are some images from the very end of 2020 and into 2021.
Northern Mockingbird - I headed down to Exmouth for this bird at the end of March, not the best of twitches having to stand on a ladder and peer into someones garden.
Cirl Bunting - After the Mockingbird I headed to Labrador Bay RSPB Reserve where around 15 Cirl Bunting showed well
Baikal Teal - A short diversion during the school run got me this very wary bird at Sopley in Hampshire.
Garganey - Some time at Pennington Marsh either side of school drop off produced this fine male at the end of March
Dusky Warbler - I had great views of this bird at Siddington, Gloucestershire in early March
Grey Phalarope - School drop off also produced this bird at Pennington Marsh at the end of February
Bufflehead - I made a short visit for this bird at Lee Marston Lakes at the end of February
Dipper - A nesting pair showed well in Stroud at the end of February
Great Bustard - I dropped into see this bird in Oxfordshire from the Salisbury release programme
in early March
Little Bunting - Showed well at Thursley Common in December
Rustic Bunting - A visit to Thursley Common in December produced good views after a long wait
We started the day back at Area A of the Seosan Reclamation mainly with the hope of getting better views of Amur Leopard Cat at dawn which Trev missed yesterday. On arrival, and in the same place as yesterday, was a Leopard Cat hunting in the open and we all managed to get great views this time around. Driving on, Trev picked up more eye-shine and a second Leopard Cat. After watching thousands of White-fronted Goose and Been Goose flighting from their roost on a roadside lake we spent the rest of the morning birding a reed-lined embankment through Area A where the highlights were six Baikal Teal, great views of Pallas's Reed Bunting, Zitting Cisticola and a rather fleeting view of Ochre-rumped Bunting. My eBird checklist for the causeway area can be viewed here.
Pallas's Reed Bunting - Seosan Reclamation (Area A), South Korea
Pallas's Reed Bunting - Seosan Reclamation (Area A), South Korea
Pallas's Reed Bunting - Seosan Reclamation (Area A), South Korea
Pallas's Reed Bunting - Seosan Reclamation (Area A), South Korea
Black-faced Bunting - Seosan Reclamation (Area A), South Korea
Zitting Cisticola - Seosan Reclamation (Area A), South Korea
It was time to get on the road and after scanning from the road bridge where we obtained distant views of the same Pallas's Sea-eagle as yesterday and counted at least 24 Black-necked Grebe we began the 1.5 hour drive south-eastwards to Seocheon. My eBird checklist for the bridge can be viewed here.
Great-crested Grebe - Seosan Reclamation (Area A), South Korea
Pallas's Sea-eagle - Seosan Reclamation (Area A), South Korea
We arrived in the Seocheon area at around 13:00 and headed straight for the main area for our target. A dark Peregrine of the subspecies calidus showed well perched atop a telegraph pole alongside the road. We wound our way along narrow concrete tracks flanked by small scale rice paddies. We arrived at the bund marking the northern bank of the Geum River and slowly edged our way up it. The river came into sight and in front of us was the amazing scene of at least 450,000 Baikal Teal in one seething flock in the middle of the river. This flock representing a large proportion of the global population of this species highlighting how vulnerable this species. We spent around 30 minutes with this flock as it swirled around the river, the noise generated being reminiscent of a distant jet engine. My eBird checklist for the location can be viewed here.
Peregrine of subspecies calidus - Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
Peregrine of subspecies calidus - Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
Peregrine of subspecies calidus - Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
Baikal Teal- Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
Baikal Teal- Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
Baikal Teal- Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
Baikal Teal- Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
Baikal Teal- Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
We then headed west along the river and after a pot-noodle lunch from a local store we birded a couple of spots alongside the river close to the town of Dangseon-si. There were good numbers of duck, wader and gull here, the highlights being Saunder's Gull and an adult Glaucous Gull. My eBird checklists for these locations can be viewed here and here.
Whooper Swan- Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
Saunder's Gull(1st winter)- Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
We then headed north-west of Seocheon towards the small village of Dasa-Ri where a shallow tidal bay supported large numbers of waders, wildfowl and gulls. The overall appearance of the bird community could have been any mudflat in the UK with Eurasian Wigeon, Common Shelduck, Curlew and Black-headed Gull. It was only with close study of the gulls that it was clear we were not in the UK with Black-tailed Gull, Common Gull of the subspecies kamtschatschensis,Lesser Black-backed Gull of the subspecies taimyrensis, Vega Gull and Mongolian Gull - this really was a gull nerds paradise. But again, there was no sign of the hoped for Relict Gull.
Shelduck, Wigeon and Black-headed Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Common Gull of subspecies kamtschatschensis - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Black-headed Gull and Common Gull of subspecies kamtschatschensis - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Common Gull (1st winter) of subspecies kamtschatschensis and Black-tailed Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Mongolian Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Mongolian Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Mongolian Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Mongolian Gull (1st winter) - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Vega Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Vega Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Vega Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Lesser Black-backed Gull of subspecies - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Lesser Black-backed Gull (left) of subspecies taimyrensis and two Mongolian Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Black-tailed Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Black-tailed Gull - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Black-tailed Gull (1st winter) - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
Black-tailed Gull (1st winter) - Dasi-Ri,Seocheon, South Korea
After spending some time looking for Swan Goose in the rice paddies with no success we headed back to the Geum River just in time to see the flock of Baikal Teal head out for the night to forage, surely one of the most spectacular sights in the natural world.
Baikal Teal- Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
Baikal Teal- Geum River Area, Seocheon, South Korea
