Praise for the Tough Little Guy

To the average birder, there are some birds that we tend to see as worth little more than a tick mark on the checklist. They tend to be a given, they are common, they may even be introduced (that is, not a native species). Depending where you are, they vary, but they are birds like Mallards, European Starling, Rock Pigeons, and, of course, the ubiquitous House Sparrow Passer domesticus.

They are found on all 6 inhabited continents. To say that these little feathered creations are controversial is an understatement. Ornithologists can't decide if they are related to Weaver Finches or some other family. Conservationist consider their introduction into North America and Australia a huge mistake. They are aggressive cavity-nesters and compete (quite successfully) with many native species.

They are considered the most abundant bird on the planet, however. They thrive in areas where man has altered the landscape. Walk into almost any large retail store with a warehouse-type ceiling and you will probably find some. Lately, I have been amazed just to see them in the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq. They find our camps, our outposts, and they manage to live off the water we spill and the food we drop, or so it seems.

I was bemused to see one today perched underneath the exhaust vent on a shower trailer, trying to stay cool. No easy task, with the temperature hovering around 116 and a firm breeze creating the effect of having a hair dryer pointed at you while sitting under a heat lamp.

Yes, I understand there are lots of issues around this species. But largely, they are not its fault. They did not ask to be crated up and sent around the globe in centuries past. They just did what they always did once they were released. And they do it well: adapt, overcome and survive. So even if the reasons to dislike them are long, they still deserve a measure of respect as being, in terms of numbers and range anyway, the biggest bird in the world.

In Asia, Again....

Well, after 364 days stateside the Army decided that, once again, I should go birding in Asia on their dime. This time, though, it's southwest Asia, aka Iraq.

So far the birding hasn't been too bad. Kuwait only netted 2 birds, House Sparrow (it there anyplace they don't live?) and Crested Lark. Mostly, Kuwait was a non-stop sandstorm for the 5 days I was there.

Now that I am in-country, the sand storms have subsided and birding has picked up. On the FOB I am on right now, we are blessed with a small pond. This, of course, is a bit of a bird magnet, which suits me just fine. The past two mornings I have spent some time birding around it before breakfast.

Just having some open water, having that wonderful fresh water lake smell, takes me back to the Midwest in the states. It is incredibly refreshing, dare I say, on a spiritual level. But then, God has wooed me through nature for most of my life.

Well, toting around my pocket camera, I managed a few pictures this morning where you can actually tell they are birds...I'll share a few.

Here is a Black-winged Stilt that I watched for quite a while this morning.


Eurasian Collared Dove and Pied Kingfisher.


And then a picture of a White-cheeked Bubul from yesterday taken near the chow hall.


I also saw a Snowy Plover, Common Sandpiper, Crested Lark and the ever-popular Rock Pigeon. Finally, an interesting bird that frequents the pond is the Red-wattled Lapwing. This is a large plover-like bird with a striking tan, white and black plumage and yellow legs. It likes to fly around calling out "did-he-do-it, did-he-do-it, did-did-he-do-it" rather loudly. Unfortunately, they don't stay still long enough, near enough for me to get a picture yet. It's gets its name because it has a red eye-ring that has a little bit extra (the "wattle") toward the front. It's not terribly easy to see, but it makes for a good name, I suppose.

Well, phooey....

My camera, my beloved camera, died. Inexplicably, totally. All my attempts at reviving it have come to naught.

I bought a cheap pocket camera as somewhat of a replacement around Christmas. It takes fine snapshots, but I haven't been able to get a decent bird picture yet. (I even tried a few shots at the feeder this morning.)

I've got some decisions to make in regards to tech purchases. I want another nice camera, butnot if it's going to die in under 2 years as all of my cameras have to date.

Alas.

Tennessee-ing

Well, I have returned to the US after a year in the Land of the Morning Calm. Packed up the family, and moved from South Carolina to Central Texas. On the way, we spent some time in Tennessee. While there, I got these shots one afternoon.

Just a Little Walk...

Well, I've been back in Korea about a week and a half after an extended leave (and illness) stateside. I wanted to get out and enjoy the Spring weather and see what birds I could find so, in good Thoreau fashion, out the door I went....

I went to what I still call "Uijenongbu City Park" because I don't know what it is really called. I noticed they had a new trail roped off going up toward the area I was interested in birding so...off I went. It turned out this is the trail that goes over Highway 3 and into Bukan National Park. Well, why not? So I kept on trucking.

In the early stages of my hike, there were many reminders of where I was, from a military standpoint. I was on the western border of the Uijeongbu Corridor, a historical invasion route of the peninsula from the north, and a direct route from North Korea to Seoul. Many of these fortifications are still maintained, at least to some degree, by the looks of it.



On the way up the ridge line, I saw several birds, including Long-tailed Tit, White-Backed Woodpecker, Pygmy Woodpecker and Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler. The temperature was pleasant, and the trail was busy. Spring is starting to really take hold here and I saw lots of bushes with these pretty purple flowers.



On one overlook I was able to get a picture of where I had gone so far. You can see Camp Red Cloud in the upper left. I walked through town behind the high-rise apartments to the right and then up the ridge in the right foreground. (was it really that far?) The haze/pollution is evident in the picture.



The mountains are rugged and beautiful with lots of outcroppings.



I saw lots of these banners throughout the park, I assume this is the Korean equivalent of Smokey Bear? I saw him and his little friend on some different signs as well, maybe they are the Korean National Parks mascots? This one seems to be about fire prevention.



It's places and days like this that God just soothes my soul. How can you not feel His goodness walking down a path like this?



After going along the ridge line for a while, I decided maybe I should head back down before I wore myself out completely. So I found a path headed down to Uijeongbu and it followed a growing mountain stream for a good part of the way. I took several pictures. Here's one of them. The sound of the rushing water was very nice.



As I came closer to the bottom, I came across a Buddhist monastery. It marked the farthest part up that you could drive. (Well, you might drive, parts of it looked pretty hairy to me!)



Apparently, the ascetic life isn't quite what it used to be. (Note the two satellite dishes and propane tanks next to the houses in the foreground.



Once I reached the entrance to the park, I stopped at a local shop and bought a Korean-sized bottle of orange juice. This was quite refreshing as I hadn't brought quite as much water as I would have if I had known how far I was going to go. (Korea has bottles of juice that are 1.5 liters in many stores.)

I was then faced with a dilemma, well two, actually. The most pressing one was finding a subway stop. That I accomplished in short order with the help of a street sign pointing me in the right direction. (I really appreciate how much English is in this country!) Then I had to decide to go shower before meeting friends for dinner or go to Eungbang Station near the Han river and look for ducks.

Ducks won. (Sorry, guys!)

Once I remembered what line I wanted to transfer to, I arrived and started looking to see what was around. I was soon greeted by this lovely couple.



Mandarin Ducks! These relatives of the Woodduck are quite the sight to behold. I sat and watched them for almost 30 minutes before I had to head back north.





I also saw the more common ducks for this spot, including Mallards and Eurasian Teal





As I was starting to think about leaving, a Great Cormorant flew in and decided to dry off for a while.



I finally succumbed to my schedule and took the subway back to Uijeongbu for my dinner engagement. We ate at the Spaghetti House and then topped it off with ice cream at Baskin Robbins. A good day, a refreshing day, and yet, at the end, I was tired and glad to shower and hit the sack.

Until next time...