Core Winter Birding Trip for Far East Asian Endemics (12 day winter birding tour)
Seoul - Han river - Cheorwon - East Coast - Seosan - Geum river - Suncheon Bay -Ganghwa Island - Seoul
Birding site : Mudflat, Rice filed, Wetland, Coast & Forest
How far from Seoul : 30~450km
How to bird : driving & walking
Main Target : Tundra Bean Goose, Falcated Teal, Baikal Teal, Harlequin Duck, Scaly-sided Merganser, Oriental Stork, Temminck's Cormorant, Saunders's Gull, Ancient Murrelet, White-tailed Eagle, Steller's Sea Eagle, Cinereous Vulture, White-naped Crane, Hooded Crane, Red-crowned Crane, Pygmy Woodpecker, Pallas's Rosefinch
Target Family : Geese, Ducks, Cranes, Raptors, Woodpeckers, Thrushes, Robins, Finches, Bunting, Crows
Good Season : November ~ mid-March
* This Trip is designed for 10 day, but you can ask us to extend or reduce.
Targets in detail
- Black-throated Loon
- Temminck's Cormorant
- Whooper Swan
- Tundra Bean Goose
- Taiga Bean Goose
- Mandarin Duck
- Falcated Teal
- Baikal Teal
- Harlequin Duck
- White-winged Scoter
- Black Scoter
- Smew
- Scaly-sided Merganser
- Oriental Stork
- Eurasian Spoonbill
- Temminck's Cormorant
- Mew Gull
- Black-tailed Gull
- Slaty-backed Gull
- Saunders's Gull
- Ancient Murrelet
- White-tailed Eagle
- Steller's Sea Eagle
- Eastern Marsh Harrier
- Japanese Sparrowhawk
- Upland Buzzard
- Cinereous Vulture
- White-naped Crane
- Hooded Crane
- Red-crowned Crane
- Common Crane
- Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker
- Bull-headed Shrike
- Chinese Great Grey Shrike
- Azure-winged Magpie
- Daurian Jackdaw
- Japanese Waxwing
- Great Tit
- Varied Tit
- Brown-eared Bulbul
- Vinous-throated Parrotbill
- Japanese White-eye
- Siberian Accentor
- Japanese Wagtail
- Grey-capped Greenfinch
- Long-tailed Rosefinch
- Pallas's Rosefinch
- Yellow-billed Grosbeak
- Japanese Grosbeak
- Meadow Bunting
- Yellow-throated Bunting
- Grey Bunting
- Japanese Reed Bunting
Outline
This trip is designed to focus on Far East Asia Endemics in winter.
This Trip starts and ends in Seoul.
An experienced leader will guide you through all the schedules.
This trip will cover the most of the famous wintering habitats in South Korea.
The schedule can be reduced or increased under the agreement.
Day 1 Seoul - Arrival
and Welcoming
Day
2
Han river - The upper area of the Han River is one of the most popular places for Steller's sea eagle, Scaly-sided merganser and Whooper swan in Korea. Though this place is close to Seoul, it's really amazing to be able to see many kinds of common winter birds.
Day 3
Cheorwon - Cheorwon is famous for being the best crane-watching site in East Asia. Cheorwon is very close to the DMZ, so a local guide will help us to get into Civilian Control Area and core points. If we are lucky, we can see more than 5 different crane species. It's one of the biggest wintering habitat for Cinereous Vultures.
Day 4
Cheorwon - We can see cranes and geese waking up together in a calm lake.
East Coast(northern area) - The east coast becomes special in winter. Lagoons and Coast lines are crowded with many wintering birds, making for beautiful scenery. The environment is quite different from the west coast, so the birds are different. We can see many kinds of raptors, gulls, scoters, ducks, swans and murrelets.
Day 6
East Coast(southern area) - We will explore habitats in a more southern(or northern) area of the east coast and try to pick up any birds we might have missed on Day 4.
Day 7
Seosan Cheonsu Bay - Cheonsu-Bay is the most attractive birdwatching site for wintering birds. It's located on the west coast of Chungcheong province. The biggest rice fields are filled with hundreds of thousands of geese and ducks. Oriental Stork, Eurasian Spoonbill and many kinds of raptors can also be found here.
Day 8
Geum River Estuary - One of the top 5 birding sites in Korea. We will focus on Baikal teals in this area. They form huge groups in Korea in winter-over 500,000 at times. If we are lucky, we can see one of the greatest spectacles in the avian world.
Day 9
Suncheon Bay - Suncheon
Bay is famous for well-preserved mudflat ecosystem. It is the largest wintering
location of Hooded Cranes in Korea. More than 3000 of them were recorded in
late last winter.
Day 10
Upo Wetland - Upo Wetland is the largest natural wetland in Korea, and is a famous winter habitat for migrating birds where you can enjoy beautiful scenery. Crested Ibis was restored in Upo and released in spring 2019.
Day 11
Ganghwa Island - Gangwha Island is one of the most attractive birdwatching sites in west coast of Seoul. We can see many kinds of wintering birds including thousands of Bean Geese and special small group of Red-crowned Cranes in the wetland.
Day 12 Seoul - Leaving
and Farewell
Included in the cost : Accommodation(twin room or Korean-style floor-heating room), all meals including picnic lunches, bottled water, transportation, all park entrance fees, and the services of local guides and leaders.
Not included : International airfare, insurance, visa fees, departure tax, excess luggage charges, drinks, tips, and items of a personal nature.
BOOK THIS TOUR
After you submit your booking request, please send you deposit to paypal account birding.kr@gmail.com.
If you have any questions, please e-mail us at birding.kr@gmail.com.
If you are travelling alone, we can help you find other birders if you like. When you book, please tell us the dates you prefer.
If you would like a longer tour to see more birding hot spots, you can add locations in the south parts of the peninsula like Nakdong estuary, Junam reservior, Dongnim reservoir and Jeju island.
If you would like a shorter tour to fit your schedule, you can ask us.
