(Dr. Bernhard Seliger and Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi, Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea and Birds Korea)
In early May, when the rice fields just start to get filled with water, it is the best time to observe waders in the rice fields of Korea. One-tenth of the Korean territory transforms into wetlands. This time, almost every field which already had water inside, also had a couple of waders inside. While the numbers are nowhere near to those in coastal areas, it is still great to see them running around and searching for food between the young rice plants or in plain water.
Highlights were 21 Golden Pacific Plovers and more than 80 Wood Sandpipers. Others include a single Long-toed Stint and Whimbrel, three Far-Eastern Oystercatcher, Little Ringed-Plovers, more than 80 Common Sandpipers, 80 Common Greenshanks, a single Common Snipe and ten Black-faced Spoonbills.
Breeding activity on Yudo Islet was still strong, though through the green it was more difficult to see and count the birds, but at least 500 Great Cormorants and dozens of Gray Herons and Great Egrets were there.
New arrivals in the last weeks included Eastern Cattle Egrets, a Black-crowned Night Heron, Chinese Pond Herons, and in the forests an Indian Cuckoo, Dollarbirds (Broad-billed Roller), Manchurian Bush Warblers, and Asian Brown Flycatchers. Surprisingly, there were also still two flocks (in total 31) with Taiga and Tundra Been Geese. Also, there were 16 Mandarin Ducks – probably they breed in the hills overlooking the Han River.
We do surveys in the Gimpo Han Estuary area since 2018, but this variety and number of waders in rice fields had not been encountered before.
You can see the full bird lists here:
Siam wetland area: https://ebird.org/checklist/S234508770
Around Yudo islet: https://ebird.org/checklist/S234508755
Pacific Golden Plovers Pluvialis fulva 검은가슴물떼새 (© Bernhard Seliger)
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola 알락도요 (© Bernhard Seliger)
Little Ringed Plover Thinornis dubius 꼬마물떼새 (© Bernhard Seliger)
Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus 황로 (© Bernhard Seliger)
Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus 흰날개해오라기 (© Bernhard Seliger)
Blackfaced Spoonbill Platalea Minor 저어새 (© Bernhard Seliger)
Egrets (here Great Egrets Ardea alba 중대백로 and Eastern Cattle Egrets Bubulcus coromandus 황로 ) love to follow the plowing tractor (© Bernhard Seliger)
Still in Korea! Two flocks with 26 Tundra Bean Geese Anser serrirostris 큰기러기 and 5 Taiga Bean Geese Anser fabalis 큰부리큰기러기 (© Bernhard Seliger)
Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica 쇠솔딱새 (© Bernhard Seliger)