Note: This is the second of three renamed, retyped, and revised replies
I sent to "Seoul and Swallows" of May 8, 1997.

For proper (original) sequence, transpose #2 and #3.

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"The past is a whole other country." (Who said that?)


I'd like to add some more to my last reply on the subject of South Korean
birds. I assume you're going to take "The Field Guide to the Birds of Japan"
with you to Seoul. Another book I came across and recommend reading is:
"The Birds of Korea" (1971) by M.E.J. Gore and Won Pyong-Oh. Maybe you
can find it through inter-library loan. It is primarily an annotated
checklist with some color plates and B&W photos of habitat, nests, etc.
The introductory sections gives one an idea what to expect by habitat,
among other things. The short section on cities and towns should prove
helpful for Seoul. I only wish I had access to such books that are now
available (?) in the early 60's when I was stationed in South Korea. I
got the impression from this book that there is still a lot of field research
to be left to be done. For example, yhe nest and eggs of the
White-Backed Woodpecker still had not been described for Korea!

The book makes the point that Buddhist monastaries ( I think I spelled it
right this time.), as well as Yi and Silla Dynasty tombs have some of the
last remnant stands of mature forest. If you're lucky, you will see the
White-Backed Woodpecker mentioned above. It is the largest of the
circumpolar (now defunct) genus: Dendrocopus.

On an outing from Taegu with a "recreation vehicle", a G.I. colleague of
mine and myself ended up at an old inactive Buddhist monastary on a
forested mountain top. I saw in a recent world atlas that this location
has been turned into a national park. Anyway, a group of friendly
uniformed school girls recommended the site, thus diverting us from a
less interesting destination. We could not stay long, for some reason or
other, but long enough for me to see the White-Backed Woodpecker, as well
as a band of Eurasian Jays. That was the only time in my 3 1/2 year tour
in Korea that I saw that species. (They are quite common in Germany).
The area has many old pine trees, obviously ideal habitat for the these
two species. Since I did not have a field guide to korean birds, it was
only much later that I was able to ID the woodpecker. But the only
species it could possibly be confused with is the Great-Spotted Woodpecker,
more commonly encountered in the lowlands.

At the time I was stationed in Korea, 1961-64, rail was the way to travel
between Seoul and Taegu/Pusan. That may still be the case, so if one has
the time and inclination, take the train and survey the landscape. I
once stayed at the Haeundai Beach resort area complex (Pusan) for a Post
Engineer conference on insect and rodent control. I lunched (twice) on
giant abalone at a local waterfront restaurant. I was also shown a fish
market that looked like a Marine Biology museum, with just about every
imaginable critter big enough to eat from out of the Sea of Japan and
beyond. That was in the days before major refrigeration. One stand sold
chunks of whale meat ready to eat, with a layer of blubber and a patch of
black skin still attached (Pilot Whale?). It looked like cooked
potroast, but had a fishy taste - I could only handle 2 or 3 bites, as I
recall. One can see Tsushima Island (Japan) from Haeundai Beach in good
weather.

I once dined on Greater White-Fronted Goose in Taegu. An NCO acquaintence,
who was also a hunter, noticed that a "Papasan", dressed in traditional
whites with a black stovepipe hat, A-frame rack, and a walking stick
could walk among the wild geese in the rice paddies without alarming them.
So this guy, using good ole American ingenuity, borrowed some cooks
whites, donned a black stovepipe hat and A-frame, and used his shotgun as
a walking stick. He came back with 3 or 4 fine specimens of GWFG
(orange-billed form). Close up they were beautiful! Unfortunately, the
American Birding Association does not allow dined-on birds to be added to
ones list. I never did see any live ones myself, but I did see hundreds
(thousands?) of generic wild geese wintereing in the huge commercial rice
fields west of Pusan, while riding by in the train. The geese closest to
the train turned out to be the darker Bean Geese, which I identified
later when I gained access to the literature.

The commercial rice fields visible from the train as one nears Pusan are
set in the lower Naktong River flood plain. This area was also once a
significant wintering area for various Asian Crane species. That was
back when there were lots of cranes available for wintering. I suspect
the fields are drenched with biocides during the growing season in these
modern times.

I also had the opportunity, again in Taegu, to dine on "Water Deer"
(Hydropotes inermis), an antlerless deer with tusks, and no doubt endangered.
It had fattened up in a rice paddy area, and was tender and delicious!
The Korean farmers supposedly welcomed G.I. hunters, who removed
rice-eating varmints from their fields. In those days, they could not
afford guns and ammunition, or so the story went. Game laws???

A "stuffed" Golden Eagle (Yes, Korea has them too.) was proudly displayed
at the local Army Airfield, a victim of some G.I. hunter or other. But
the Golden Eagle I checked off was alive! It was the last new bird I saw
in Korea (June '64), just days before I left. I had to go along on a
so-called mercy mission, delivering Malathion to small fishing villages
along the coast northward of Pohang, as far as Uljin. There had been a
cholera outbreak, and the insecticide was supposed to be used to
eradicate flies. The Koreans with whom I worked were certain that all
that valuable insectide would be sold on the black market. But orders are
orders! The mountains closely parallel the coast, with staircase rice
paddies carpeted with a rich new crop of rice extending back into little
hidden valleys. Somewhere south of Uljin, I saw the Eagle soaring along
the coast line. It was all dark, including the head, but appeared a warm
chocolate clor in the late afternoon sun. Later, when perusing the books
to determine if my identification was right, I had to eliminate 2 species
of Sea Eagles, and the straggler Spotted Eagle, as well as the accidental
Eurasian Black Vulture! After that, the only possibilty was the Black Kite.
All of those species are regarded as wintering species, though. And I
had already had some experience with the Black Kite. I wonder what
Golden Eagles prey on in Korea? That one may have been on a scavenging
mission. I never received the personal recognition for my records that I
was promised by the brass. But just witnessing that picturesque coastal
scenery, off the beaten track, was payment enough!

As many of you Tweeters probably know, the localized (North) Korean
subspecies of the Stellars Sea Eagle lacks most of the white markings,
as adults, of the more northern form shown in field guides. Both races,
plus the White-Tailed Sea Eagle, occasionally winter along South Korean
coasts. Only the most intrepid off-season bird seeker could ever hope to
see them though (unless they were staked out).

According to "The Birds of Korea" (1971), South Korea has a total od 366
species of birds, of which 110 are known to breed. For Birders not just
interested in checking off a humongous species list, South Korea is a
sample of the East Asian mainland, with an interesting assortment of
Oriental and Palearctic species in a rather compact and accessible package.


So long. No more about Korea, I promise!


Phil Hotlen
Bellingham, WA