Bits and bobs

('Falconer,' Seoul History Museum, Seoul History Archive)

Reading from Dark Flock, masked up like its 2021
© Steven Gao

  While recently editing another two volumes of ‘Sleep Encyclopedia’ for Bettersleep, I came across the ‘Korea’ entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica from 1911. Plenty of eyebrow-raising and dated facts/points-of-view, to be sure! I’ll only post the entry for fauna here, which may be of interest to fans of Korean wildlife. Tigers and Leopards in Seoul!

“Fauna.—The tiger takes the first place among wild animals. He is of great size, his skin is magnificent, and he is so widely distributed as to be a peril to man and beast. Tiger-hunting is a profession with special privileges. Leopards are numerous, and have even been shot within the walls of Seoul. There are deer (at least five species), boars, bears, antelopes, beavers, otters, badgers, tiger-cats, marten, an inferior sable, striped squirrels, &c.

Among birds there are black eagles, peregrines (largely used in hawking), and, specially protected by law, turkey bustards, three varieties of pheasants, swans, geese, common and spectacled teal, mallards, mandarin ducks, white and pink ibis, cranes, storks, egrets, herons, curlews, pigeons, doves, nightjars, common and blue magpies, rooks, crows, orioles, halcyon and blue kingfishers, jays, nut-hatches, redstarts, snipe, grey shrikes, hawks, kites, &c. But, pending further observations, it is not possible to say which of the smaller birds actually breed in Korea and which only make it a halting-place in their annual migrations.”

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  In other news, endless thanks if you supported Dark Flock, my wacky collection of ‘Twilight Zone Birding’ short stories during its crowd-funding/pre-order stage. If you haven’t already received your copy, fear not, it will arrive in the next week or so! I’ve been informed by the publisher that there has been a ‘production bottleneck’ that sees the books being delivered to them in small batches, and they're being sent out as soon as they get them. Glad I don't have to worry about all that, heh. Last week’s launch/reading went well, in spite of me catching a well-timed cold. Thanks for those that came out on that night to listen to me ramble! PS, bonus points if you can identify the bird in the flip-book bit...

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  In ‘first-of-year’ news, I heard Chestnut-flanked and Black-throated Green Warblers singing in NDG Park yesterday (May 15). Today (May 16), I heard FOY Tennessee Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, and even what was surely a Philadelphia Vireo there.

Warbler 1

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica

Tip-toe through the something somethings

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, May 12, 2024

  Quiet Place lived up to its secret code name today. Super quiet on the bird front – I was expecting a thin strain of warblers and/or further mid-May migrants. Not complaining, it's always nice to get out of the house. I ended up with 20 species in 90 minutes, with nothing in abundance except for Chipping Sparrows and European Starlings. Three new patch species were listed (Chimney Swift, Blue Jay, House Finch), bringing the running total to 58.

  Still a pair of Eastern Phoebes staking out a suitable under-eave nesting spot, but no nest was seen. A pair was doing the same thing in this spot last year, but they never seemed to nest. I noticed an American Crow observing the pair closely today, maybe that’s the issue. "Too many crows, never enough phoebes" could be a new proverb or something. I'd say that in a sombre voice and people would nod and grunt in approval, then stare into their drinks, a single tear burning down their cheeks.

  The blank warbler sheet was avoided at the very last minute, with a lone Magnolia Warbler spotted 20 feet before I left. The flank streaking on this bird was quite a bit finer than I’m used to.

  Oh, I had my first NDG Chimney Swifts on May 6th this year.

Warblers 7

Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Northern Parula Setophaga americana

Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia

Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia

Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus

Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus

White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys

Veery Catharus fuscescens

Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis

Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Current Mood

-37 species in three hours in the Cem, on World Migratory Bird Day

-Plenty of first-of-year birds, and nice bright warblers, but you had to work for them (Nashville, Black-and-white, Magnolia, Cape May, Canada, Yellow-rumped, and Northern Parula)

-Two Canada Warblers (early?) and two Magnolia Warblers in the M2 crypt area, along with single Cape May and Black-and-white Warblers, a Blue-headed Vireo, and a House Wren

-A handful of vocal Great Crested Flycatchers noted throughout

-A Tree Swallow on Mountain View

-A squadron of Pine Siskins at the feeders, and a Veery beyond the stream

-I reckon Rose-breasted Grosbeaks could alternately be called ‘Cut-throat Finches’

-I have a sunburn

-The end

Wet Warblers

American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla

Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata

Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis

Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
('Yellow-shafted')

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis with
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris

No one here but us waterlogged trees

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, May 5, 2024

  The migratory cork finally popped this past week, with everyone posting fat, warbler-laden lists of late. There has been no shortage of early May rarities for Québec too, fun times.

  So, in spite of heavy rain and winds throughout the day, it felt like an opportune moment to check in on my NDG patch. Despite very challenging conditions (my feet are pruned, and everything is wet wet wet), there was some satisfying migratory shrapnel in evidence in the wet and gloomy woods today. I logged 23 species in two hours.

  Always nice to see warblers, even soggy ones! I spotted several first-of-year birds, and two personal firsts for the site (Blue-headed Vireo and American Redstart). Also encountered was a solid 50 count of Ruby-crowned Kinglets (‘Fool’s Warblers’), and one Golden-crowned. Only one Eastern Phoebe was noted. White-throated Sparrows were well-dispersed but shy. One wonders what today’s list would have looked like without all that rain.

  I also had my first visual sighting of an Eastern Bluebird for the site (one was heard on October 23, 2022). It perched on the side of a tree for a bit, before being chased off by an agitated White-breasted Nuthatch. Was it staking out nest holes and came into conflict with another species of cavity nester? I’ll keep an eye on it.

  Incidentally, my back-of-napkin list for the patch is at 55 species, with 12 warblers among them.

  Water is good for cameras, right?

  Oh, I randomly spotted several Warbling Vireos flitting through trees in a decidedly urban setting yesterday.

  Exactly one year ago today I was birding in similar sodden conditions in Jeju City, at the foot-foaming kick-off to my wacky ‘spring 2023 Korean birding fugue.’ I refuse to believe that an entire calendar year has passed since then. It…just happened. Sadly, I feel twice as old and half as nimble as I did last May 5th (my stupid neck has seen better days), boo-hoo.

Buy my book! (Dark Flock)

  Howdy fellow bird-nerds! Dark Flock, a collection of my freaky feathered fiction is coming out in May, thanks to the fine folks at Stygian Society, based here in Montréal. The collection features 15 stories — ten of which have been previously published, and five fresh and fantastic tales. All of the short stories are in a self-created sub-genre I like to call “Twilight Zone Birding” — fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, dystopian, and horror (with a surprise romance thrown in for yucks), all involving birding, and/or birds.

  You can pre-order paperback and ebook copies here, along with options for bundles that include limited pinup art by the talented Nyco Rudolph. Thanks in advance for supporting this project!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dark-flock?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3NKNLHokK33TaHuKlQAa1j92nVIzW3hRotCtyV6YUhNxKiBOOnzUS0-YE_aem_AdNRx-OK6b1TFTLVNMuXEx8Wy1dUlfxF9hnZRqn_YwS3aOBDx8uZbE2-Il95b6DWkmgdqJ69hTHSvJONUy0sRShj#/

Mount Royal Cemetery, April 29, 2024

Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
(male)

Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
(female)

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum

Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina

Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis

What used to be a wall of bushes and scrub

A slope clumsily cleared of scrub (why?)

  Joey of the north was in town yesterday, and we popped over to the cem for an impromptu birding session. No shortage of White-throated Sparrows, especially around the feeders and on Mountain View. No warblers spotted, although I did hear a possible Yellow-rumped Warbler call, but it was hard to isolate within a riot of two dozen Ruby-crowned Kinglets twitching and singing through the cedars.

  Joey was tripping out on two species that he hadn’t seen in ages, and that were showing well: Eastern Bluebird and Cedar Waxwing. Two very charismatic species, for sure.

  It’s been a while since I’ve been in the cem, so it was my first look at some disquieting landscaping developments up on Mountain View. Behind ‘the circles,’ a large stretch of what used to be bushes and scrub, formerly great habitat for skulking birds, is now a new patch of grass, presumably destined for new plots. More concerning was the clumsy clearing of a nearby steep slope. All the scrub has been ripped away, with decent-sized chunks of trees also hacked out. Is this busy work? It seems that the only thing this will accomplish is the destabilization and erosion of the slope in a heavy rain event. Rows of sumac have also been cleared in some areas.

  We logged 25 species in a couple of hours.

Chip Hop

Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina

Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa

-Windy, warm, and overcast in NDG today, but not overly birdy

-Saw my first Chipping Sparrow of spring a few days ago on a lawn…only one spotted today though

-Only one Eastern Phoebe seen

-I was expecting some White-throated Sparrows, but nothing at my patch…then a probable whisper of a WTSP call on the way home, from a fence-line near some yards…

-No warblers save for the ones in my head

-On the butterfly front, Mourning Cloaks, Red Admirals (early?), and Cabbage Whites were out

-15 species in 90 minutes