Dr. Bernhard Seliger (Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea, Birds Korea)
Two days with sunshine, but an icy wind in Goseong, where Hwajinpo after some rather poor years saw this year again thousands of gulls roosting and feeding on the still open areas. Due to the wind, the trip was poor in observations of passerines, which mainly stayed deep in the brushwood, but some nice and some spectacular observations could be made:
In Ajajin, eleven Harlequin ducks, a species never failing to gladden my heart. Also, at least 670 Great Crested Grebes on the water. Great Crested Grebes can be found in almost every bay in considerable numbers, and another count in Daejin the next morning resulted in more than 850.
In Muam-Ri, around 30 Sanderlings. (They used to be in Ajajin, but that port now saw a lot of development and new tourism – also it is over-towered by huge new apartment complexes…).
In the evening in Hwajinpo, around 10.000 gulls (mostly Common gulls, but also large numbers of Mongolian gulls plus Black-tailed gulls) on the lake, a great spectacle to view.
The next morning, there where 12 White-tailed Eagles and one (immature) Steller´s Sea Eagle on the ice of Hwajinpo, eying the remaining (around 4-5000) gulls, which themselves looked in the bright morning sunlight like snowflakes from afar. Really a wonderful view.
And finally, in the Hwajinpo wetland area a surprising and surprised Eurasian Bittern (a great view, but resulting in a really bad photo only, due to the surprise).
The full lists of birds can be found here:
Check lists of January 15
Ajajin, Goam-Ri, Muam-Ri https://ebird.org/checklist/S209675626
Songam-Ri to Gonghyeongjin https://ebird.org/checklist/S209675908
Ganseong Namcheon https://ebird.org/checklist/S209676706
Ganseong Bukcheon https://ebird.org/checklist/S209677321
Hwajingpo https://ebird.org/checklist/S209677536
Check lists of January 16
Hwajinpo https://ebird.org/checklist/S209678363
Songjeong-Ri to Geonbongsa https://ebird.org/checklist/S209678616
Geonbongsa https://ebird.org/checklist/S209678780
Other things are less good to report: Large-scale construction for another railway into nowhere have begun, and they seem directly to lead through the Hwajinpo wetland area (though I am not entirely sure of it – the area was designated by small colored flags and the County told me these were for planning related to the railway). In Songjeong-Ri, a huge new tunnel will be built. Not sure, if ever this railway will be used, though, given the bad relations to the North.
Also, some other areas saw a continued decline, in particular Namcheon and Bukcheon area of Ganseong, where new buildings, and park-like areas reduced habitat, plus in Namcheon some (probably not-legal?) ice fishing in the most sensitive reed area.
Goseong started with preparation and an application for a new National Maritime Eco-Park in Hwajinpo. The size of park should be 5,10 km2, out of which 1,04 km2 is maritime area, 1,67 km2 is land and 2,39 km2 is the lagoon lake area. Beside the designation, which in itself does not mean a lot, it will be interesting to see what that exactly means. According to the county, this should lead to sustainable conservation and rehabilitation of maritime ecological systems, sustainable management of maritime biodiversity and sustainable use of maritime resources. The amount the county hopes to receive from the central government is potentially huge, and over 2000 new jobs should be created. While being happy to have Goseong upgraded – it really should have been long ago included into the IUCN´s IBA, but has not been due to reasons with the Korean side difficult to understand – the ecological impact can be either positive or negative. If large-scale investment mainly means new infrastructure for tourism, then the remaining charm of the county, as well as the remaining strength in biodiversity, will get lost. So, it depends on the way, the investment funds are used, and this is never easy to predict in Korea. The whole application process is competitive, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will only select one project among various contenders. I hope, if Goseong is selected, it will make the right choices.
But, however this application ends, definitely Goseong deserves an important place as a hotspot of biodiversity on the Korean Peninsula.
Harlequin Ducks Histrionicus histrionicus in Ajajin (© Bernhard Seliger)
Sanderlings Calidris alba in Muam-Ri (© Bernhard Seliger)
Second-calendar year Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus (© Bernhard Seliger)
An immature Steller´s Sea Eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus together with a White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla at Hwajinpo lake. 12 White-tailed Eagles together made quite a spectacular view in the morning. (© Bernhard Seliger)
White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla at Hwajinpo lake (© Bernhard Seliger)
Thousands of gulls on Hwajinpo, roosting and feeding in the few open areas – an amazing view. (© Bernhard Seliger)
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris flying off after we both were surprised to meet in the reeds in the Hwajinpo wetland park (© Bernhard Seliger)
Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus in Ganseong Namcheon area. Unfortunately, development is very rapid there, reduced year by year the habitat for birds. (© Bernhard Seliger)
Construction of the new railway linking (purportedly) South and North Korea´s railway lines (© Bernhard Seliger)
