Dr. Bernhard Seliger and Dr. Choi Hyun-Ah (Hanns Seidel Foundation, Birds Korea Lifetime Members), Cho Youjin (HSF Korea)
May is one of the most lovely times to visit the rice field areas near the Han estuary, when water in the fields attracts different species of waders, but the density of plants is not yet so high that good views are impossible. Certainly, the diversity of species is much lower than in the tidal flats further out in the West Sea (Yellow Sea), but the views are sometimes good, sometimes spectacular in the rice fields, and sometimes quite near. This time, we also had an interview with a crew filming Hangang Estuary in spring, summer, autumn and winter for a documentary which will be shown on JCTB this winter. The documentary is made by some of the most experienced Korean film makers and it is good to see that this kind of awareness raising for the healthy use of wetlands takes place.
Notable species on this survey included:
- 16 Black-faced Spoonbills, among them 7 at Yudo Islet, in all probability breeding there.
- More than 1000 Great Cormorants, among them around 800 in Yudo, where one of the largest breeding colonies of Great Cormorants in South Korea exists
- A single Oriental Cuckoo heard
- Two Mandarin drakes were seen, probably breeding in nearby hills and mountains
- Common Greenshanks, Wood Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Eurasian Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper plus Great Egrets, Intermediate and Little Egrets, plus Eastern Cattle Egrets and Grey Herons as well as Black-crowned Night Herons were seen
- The typical summer visitors, like Black-naped Oriole, Oriental Dollarbird, Korean Bush Warbler, Oriental Reed Warbler have arrived
