Bernhard Seliger (Hanns-Seidel-Foundation and Birds Korea) with Dr. Nial Moores (Birds Korea)
On August 22-23, a group of around a dozen birders, some of them related to Birds Korea, divided up into teams and undertook a study of the impact on shorebirds and threatened waterbirds of artificial structures in the tidal flats of Hwaseong. The research was focused on estimating the distance from a new “blue carbon seawall” of birds coming into roost and not on total counts. Once more, however, we were able to confirm the importance of this wetland for shorebirds and additional threatened waterbirds – being far more important in terms of numbers and species than some of the sites now being proposed in the Republic of Korea during the second phase of UNESCO world heritage nomination.
While the final results still have to be calculated and analyzed, the preliminary results are already impressive. As Dr. Moores write on Birds Korea Facebook page: “On August 22nd and 23rd, three Birds Korea members involved in a collaborative shorebird survey to assess the impact (or otherwise) of the “blue carbon project” in the Maehyang-Ri Tidal Flat Wetland Protected Area (part of the Hwaseong Wetlands Flyway Network Site). The research aimed to assess whether or not shorebirds tried to avoid the new seawall built as part of this project, as it now forms a ~1m high barrier between open tidal flat and the area of upper tidal flat which has been the main high tide roost in this wetland for several decades now.
Thanks to the efforts of a dozen or so people divided into teams, we were able to document (and at times, measure) avoidance especially by the two curlew species – with few individuals trying to roost landward of the wall during both afternoon high tides. We were also able to record a total of 31-32 shorebird species, including best of all a juvenile Spoon-billed Sandpiper (the second spoony of this autumn found at this site).
This is clearly the kind of Outstanding Universal Value worthy of designation as ROK Tidal Flat World Heritage property in Phase 2…”
Besides two afternoon high-tide counts on both August 22nd and August 23rd, a morning tide count starting in the dark revealed that there was a minimum of 12.000 shorebirds. Unfortunately, most of them, in particular small waders, were too far away for identification.
Conservative high counts from the various surveys included:
- 135 Far Eastern Oystercatchers
- 450 Grey Plovers
- Three Pacific Golden Plover
- 1,280 Siberian Sand Plovers
- 1-3 Greater Sand Plover
- 1,020 Kentish Plovers
- 247 Whimbrel
- 950 Far Eastern Curlew
- 1,100 Eurasian Curlew
- 140 Bar-tailed Godwit
- Two or three Black-tailed Godwit
- 940 Terek Sandpiper
- 4 Grey-tailed Tattlers
- 8 Common Redshanks
- One Nordmann´s Greenshank (two in total)
- 600 Common Greenshank
- Ten Ruddy Turnstone
- 500+ Great Knot
- Five Red Knot
- 120 Broad-billed Sandpiper
- Three Curlew Sandpiper
- 278+ Red-necked Stint
- One Spoon-billed Sandpiper
- One Sanderling
- 100+ Dunlin
- One Little Stint
- 190+ Black-faced Spoonbills
- One Oriental Stork
- 30 Black-winged Stilts
Additionally, there were more than 1,000 Black-tailed Gulls, and 245 Saunders´s Gulls as well as hundreds of Great Egrets and Little Egrets as well as several dozen Chinese Egrets.
There were only two raptors seen, two Eurasian Kestrel and a Peregrine Falcon.
You can find the full lists of from one count point per tide on ebird here:
Afternoon birding on August 22nd: https://ebird.org/checklist/S268702251 (only Count point 4, the large reclamation lake in Hwaseong)
Morning birding on August 23rd: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270541413
Afternoon (high-tide) birding on August 23rd: https://ebird.org/checklist/S270541246
Thank you to Dr. Nial Moores and Jung Hanchul (local activist and also a Birds Korea member) to organize this important survey. Hopefully it will once more direct the attention to the extremely valuable tidal flats of Hwaseong. More information on the scientific results will come in the future!
Pic 1: The tidal flat in Hwaseong (Maehyang-Ri) at low tide. The artificial structures, built to foster growth of salt marshes, can clearly be seen. How do they affect birds roosting at high tide? (© Bernhard Seliger)
Pic 2: Dr. Nial Moores, founder and director of Birds Korea, explaining the survey design to the team. Without so many volunteers, the work would be impossible! Thanks to everyone involved!
Pic 3: Far Eastern Oystercatchers Haematopus (ostralegus) osculans, 검은머리물떼새) together with Black-tailed Gulls Larus crassirostris, 괭이갈매기, Mongolian Gulls Larus mongolicus 한국재갈매기, Grey Herons Ardea cinerea, 왜가리, a Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, 민물가마우지 and a Great Egret Ardea alba, 중대백로 roosting in the reclamation lake. Oystercatchers need to go there early and roost long, due to their diet.
Pic 4: Chinese Egret Egretta eulophotes, 노랑부리백로 in flight.
Pic 5: A flock of around 250 Saunders´s Gulls Saundersilarus saundersi 검은머리갈매기, a globally vulnerable species.
Pic 6: A group of Black-faced Spoonbills Platalea minor 저어새, roosting on the tidal flat. All in all, there were at least 190 Black-faced Spoonbills.
Pic 7: An Oriental Stork Ciconia boyciana, 황새)in one of the smaller ponds. He/she carries a ring with the number K 31.
Pic 8: Little Stint Calidris minuta 작은도요, identified from images on basis of: bobble-head, humped-backe, but nonetheless elegant look, with a reasonably long, fine-tipped bill and longish legs; vibrant upperpart contrasts and coloration; with solidly black centres to the lower scapulars, fringed with rust and white; and a lovely open lored-look with dark coronal ridge and split supercilium. Globally of least concern, it is a rare sight in South Korea!
Pic 9: Shorebirds on the morning roost – the seawall means, they cannot see prey approaching very well, making them very nervous, often flying around in large flocks of thousands.
Pic 10: A Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris 괭이갈매기 following a human collecting seafood – tidal flats are incredibly rich in food, important as carbon sinks as well as important for flood control – improving the co-habitation of humans and other species is one of the great challenges of today!