Bird News from Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi and Dr. Bernhard Seliger (both Hanns Seidel Foundation, Birds Korea lifetime members), Tobias Lauterjung (HSF Korea), and Dr. Han Donguk and the team of ECO Korea
The 3rd survey of the Siam wetland/ Yudo islet area, an outcome of a 2019 project between Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea and Gimpo city, brought views of the returning summer birds of the area. In particular, there were 13 Black-Faced Spoonbills, soon to be chased away by a young adult White-tailed Sea-Eagle, two Eurasian Spoonbills, and the first Stejneger’s Stonechat.
Geese, however, have largely left, with only around 90 Tundra Bean Geese, among them a group of 45 migrants flying high and fast to the North, and 120 Greater White-Fronted Geese left.
As for raptors, there were still three White-tailed Sea Eagles in the Han river area, plus Eastern buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, two Hen Harriers, and Common Kestrel.
Other observations:
– Around 800 Great cormorants were counted on Yudo islet, in full breeding activity, with a lot coming and going; additionally, there were around 35 Grey herons seen in the place, with dozens more in the adjacent fields and waterways.
– On the sandbank West of Yudo, a group of seven Ruddy Shelducks roosted, as well as a single Carrion Crow
– On several sandbanks in the river, there were still around 5000 gulls, mostly Black-tailed gull, seen.
– On the flooded rice paddies (munon, Puddled Paddy) the number and variety of ducks increased, among them Mallards, Eastern Spotbilled Ducks, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted ducks, Eurasian Teal and Common Pochard, Mandarin ducks and Gadwalls.
#Yudo #Han River Estuary #유도 #한강하구 #한스자이델재단재단
