| Where to Watch Birds in Korea: a few good hotspots.. |
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Offshore Islands
For the serious birder with plenty of time to
spare, a trip to one or more of the outer islands is absolutely essential in
April or May and again between September and mid-November. Although most islands
are large and very well vegetated (often making finding birds much harder than
on the world-famous Happy Island in China for example) the mix of species
(including a range of mainland Asian and Japanese-nesting species) and the
numbers that arrive during falls make birding them unforgettable.
Gageo island: view north-west
towards Hang Ri..and on
to
China 450 km to the west. |
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Although many islands have suitable accommodation (with
western-style toilets), others are challenging for the visitor. The following
three islands have therefore been selected for this website as they are among
the finest for birding, have no visiting restrictions, and have already been
birded several times by overseas visitors. Two, Daeheuksan and Gageo
(or So-Heuksan) in Sinan-Gun, are reached by rapid hydrofoils that leave
from the city of Mokpo, while Daeheuksan is reached by a slower boat out
of Gunsan on the west coast.
The journeys out to each of these islands should
produce Streaked Shearwater and Ancient Murrelet, as well as a
chance of scarcer birds such as Pomarine Skua or even Swinhoe's
Petrel (especially from Mid-May through to October).
It must be
remembered that the best birding ("fall") conditions on these outer islands are
generally rain, wind and fog: the very same weather conditions that can lead to
the boat service being cancelled. It is therefore strongly advised that a
minimum of several days are set aside for birding these
islands. |
•
Daeheuksan Island
This is a large and fairly scenic island a
little over two hours out from Mokpo, with hydrofoils running several times a
day (most of which continue onto the very beautiful Hong Island a few kilometers
further west).
Daeheuksan is not as famous
as the tourist center of
Hong Do
to the west, but
it is still an excellent destination
for birds and
birdwatchers. |
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The best birding, largely focused on migrants, is in the far
northern and far southern part of the island. For those who do not want to hire
a taxi or use the rather irregular bus service, concentrate on the northern
area, with its small wetlands 3 km west of the harbour, and the fields and
woodlands above the main town. In addition, the harbour itself and other bays
are used by grebes and divers in winter, and by feeding White-tailed
Eagles in the summer. From March to mid-May there is a high turnover of
migrants, with good numbers of thrushes and buntings especially, including in
late April small numbers of the globally scarce Japanese Yellow Bunting.
In both spring and autumn, Rufous- or Red-cheeked Starlings are regular,
with up to 20 at peak, while flycatchers can be very numerous in the right
weather conditions. Although the wetland areas are tiny, degraded and disturbed
they act as magnets for birds, including shorebirds and species such as
Yellow-breasted Bunting, Red-throated Pipit and a range of small herons.
Most days during migration it is possible to see 80-90 species in a day:
excellent for northeast Asia. |
•
Gageo (formerly spelt Kago) Island
With a hydrofoil service
reaching the island only once every 2 days (weather permitting) this island
located, more than 100 km southwest of Mokpo and separated from China by 450 km
of open sea, feels as isolated as it actually is. Mountainous (reaching 860m),
about 5 km in length, and largely covered by uncut broadleaved, evergreen
forest, Gageo is nevertheless the place in Korea to find national rarities, with
a new species of bird being added to the Korean list every 10 days or so during
surveys in 2000 and 2001. Most of these were found in the more open areas around
two of the settlements, at 1-Gu and 2-Gu. Rain and wind especially can drop
large numbers of birds, with peaks for example including 1 000 Olive-backed
Pipits and 150 Brown Thrush in off the sea (in just 2 hours of counting!)
The Black Woodpigeon: a name
that belies the beauty of this
very
local and specialized island species. |
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There are three main birding areas: 1-Gu (where the boat docks),
the "long road" and 2-Gu, or Hang Ri. Although resembling a building site, the
southern end of the island (1-Gu) has many small gardens and allotments that
hold buntings and thrushes, and the kindest accommodation (the Kkachi
Guesthouse). Especially when temperatures drop, check the garbage dump at the
end of the dock: it often holds birds (ranging from Black-winged Stilt to
White-breasted Waterhen, Chinese Pond Heron to Eurasian Tree and Pechora
Pipit). The 4 km-long walk to the far northwest point of Hang Ri (begun
after a depressingly steep hill climb) provides the best chances of seeing the
globally scarce Black Woodpigeon (which nest here), and some of the most
beautiful, sweeping views to be had anywhere. At Hang Ri, open grassy areas and
clumps of trees can be tremendously exciting, and have produced a very wide
range of species in the right conditions. At all times, keep scanning the sky
over the island: it is one of the best places to see migrating raptors (with
species including Greater Spotted and Eastern Imperial Eagles and
groups of up to 200+ Grey-faced Buzzards). Migrating Black Storks
have also been recorded several times. |
• Eocheong Do
Reached by a daily 3 hour boat ride out from
Gunsan, Eocheong Island is a much easier birdwatching destination than Gageo.
Only reaching 200 m at its highest point, there is a road running 3 km or so
roughly south-northeast, and a mix of habitats (including a beach, a small
tidal-flat, a reservoir, and many overgrown gardens and allotments).
Tricolor Flycatcher: one of Korea's
many breeding birds to be
found
on Eocheong Island during migration time. |
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The birding enjoyed by Korea's first organized spring birding Tour here (in spring 2002) has led to this island
already being nicknamed "Magic Island", as large numbers of birds often gave
magically good views, including for example Little Whimbrel and Oriental
Pratincole feeding only a few feet in front of stunned birdwatchers. On the
most exceptional day, 123 species were recorded: easily the highest number of
species recorded so far in one day in one area in Korea. A couple of birders who
have been to China's hotspots of Beidaihe and Happy Island rated this Magic
Island even more highly... Additional pluses are that the site is excellent for
photography (with the exception of a large restricted area) and extremely
convenient for Saemangeum and the Geum Estuary. |
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