Today I visited Changgyeong Palace, which lies in the foothills of Pukansan National Park. I only had a few hours to use,
but my trip was rewarded by an unexpected flurry of new birds, a few Korean mammals, and a fun collection of general photos. The
theme: The Old and the New. Almost too easy to capture in South Korea.
In addition to great studies of the common species, today I also lucked into the following new species: Gray-headed Woodpecker
(Dendrocopos canicapillus), White's Thrush (Scaly Thrush; Zoothera dauma), Short-tailed Bush Warblers (Asian Stubtails,
Korea's answer to our Swainson's Warbler; Urosphena squameiceps), a probable Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis),
many Yellow-browed Warblers (Inornate Warbler; Phylloscopus inornatus), Mugimaki Flycatcher (Ficedula mugimaki),
Tristram's Bunting (Emberiza tristrami), and Eurasian Jays (finally!; Garrulus glandarius). I am very lucky to be here
during fall migration. The two mammals were Korean Chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus asiaticus) and the beautiful Korean Tree Squirrel
(Sciurus vulgaris vulgaris--not a nice Latin name; one of them must have bitten Linnaeus), which is black with huge ears and
a white belly.
