Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi (Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea and Birds Korea) with Ms. Minjae Baek and Ms. Kyle Esperanza Zuleta (EAAFP Secretariat) and Mr. Dongho Shin (Incheon city)
In late spring and early summer, the wetlands and tidal flats around the Han River Estuary become an important stopover site for migratory waterbirds. During surveys conducted by HSF Korea in collaboration with the EAAFP Secretariat, bird migration was still ongoing across the Gimpo and Ganghwa areas. Although overall bird numbers were relatively low during this survey period, a variety of waterbirds were observed using the estuary’s mudflats and rice fields as feeding and resting grounds. Notable species included Black-faced Spoonbills, Great Cormorants and Chinese Pond Heron. These observations demonstrate that the Han River Estuary continues to provide valuable habitat for migratory birds during the latter part of the spring migration season.
As a small side story, HSF Korea team had observed a Black-capped Kingfisher on 23 June 2025. Hoping to see the species again this year, we visited Gageum-ri early in the morning. We believe we may have seen one again, although, unlike last year, we were not able to photograph it.
Gimpo (Bogugot-ri area) and Gangwha observation list on 1 May 2026: https://ebird.org/tripreport/507798
Gimpo (Gageum-ri and Hupyeong-ri) observation list on 6 Jun 2026: https://ebird.org/tripreport/534914
