Siberian Accentor, video still © Charlie Moores

After a notably mild winter, it became quickly obvious that many species were already heading north.

Thrush and duck numbers were markedly down (there were no Baikal Teal flocks left in the Joonam area for example) and a party of 12 Oriental White Storks left a stake-out in the west on the 9th. Indeed small flocks of migrant Buff-bellied Pipits were commonplace by the 13th as the temperature soared above normal. Highlights of the trip included the re-finding of Korea's first Ferruginous Duck (a male keeping close company with a female Baer's Pochard) at Joonam, high numbers of Siberian Accentor, a sub-adult Steller's Sea Eagle on the east coast, Solitary Snipe in Gwangeung, Scaly-sided Merganser, and a 2ndW Relict Gull at Song-Do.

3500 Taiga Bean Goose, 1 Snow Goose, Tundra and Whooper Swans, 3 White Spoonbill. (No sign of the long-staying Swan Goose.)
(No sign of either the Ferruginous Duck or Baer's Pochard at Joonam.)

Over a 1000 gulls, inc Vega, Mongolian, Slaty-backed. Yellow-throated Buntings notably common.

1 Ferruginous Duck Ayhthya nyroca (1st record for Korea, first found Feb02 by NCM), 1 Baer's Pochard, 1 Baikal Teal, 2 Lesser White-fronted Goose, 100+ Taiga Bean Goose.

1 Pacific Black Brant, 150+ White-winged Scoter.

1 Saunders' Gull, 1 Rhinoceros Auklet, 1 Ancient Murrelet.

1 sub-adult Steller's Sea Eagle, Glaucous Gull, Japanese Wagtail (plentiful).

2 Scaly-sided Merganser, 5 Smew.

3 Solitary Snipe, 1 White-backed Woodpecker.

140 Cinereous Vulture. 1 Golden Eagle, 2 White-tailed Eagle.

7 Red-crowned Crane, 270 Ruddy Shelduck, 2 Siberian Meadow Bunting, 1 Pallas's Reed Bunting.

9 Red-crowned Crane, one group of 7 Siberian Accentor, 1 Long-tailed Rosefinch.

1 2ndW Relict Gull, 2 Saunders' Gull.