Gumgang Migratory Bird Observatory

Two weeks ago I was down in Gunsan and finally had the pleasure of going to another of Korea's migratory bird parks ... although I have to say, I didn't expect the park to be developed to the point that people would go there for entertainment rather than as a natural habitat. The park is located along the western sea where people could easily and seasonably view birds in a bird santuary, but instead, the park has bird iconography everywhere, picnic sights (very picturesquely placed), various viewing cages based on habitat (water, field, tropical, etc), and even a museum with 3D cinema and an aquarium. Little attention is given to the waterways across the wide street from the park and where the wildlife is in its natural habitat. That said, there are tour buses that go out four times a day (on weekends and holidays from mid-November through February) but the buses rush quickly through and disallow people to get to really view nature. Nature has been reduced to a tour and the bus returns the people to the more entertaining aspects of the bird park where there are facilities, gadgets to turn and twist, and birds in cages that cannot escape the eye.

At the top of the museum tower is an observatory with a 360 degree panoramic view of the western sea, the artificial fountain which has colorful light displays, and the hills behind the observatory park. The other migratory bird areas have not been developed, but then neither did they have a brown historical interest sign directing traffic to them from major roads and the highway approach, and neither do they have a huge Baikal teal overlooking the park. Interestingly but not for the vivid minded, the teal can be walked inside as if walking inside the body of a duck, and as one descends through the duck, one can view the location of a duck's body parts before exiting out the duck's rear. All body parts have video footage and explanation to further understanding - very informative and ideal for educational school trips.

School children participate in art projects. One of the art projects was making "bird" boxes and putting them on display on one of the floors of the museum.


Another art project was a competition among elementary school children for drawing their concept of the migratory bird park. About 12 of the pictures were framed and highly awarded. Those pictures were also printed on large banners and hung throughout the park in honor of the children and to further interest in the bird park.

Migratory bird areas in Korea

On the outskirts of Gunsan located on the west coast rich in tidal pools, mudflats and inlets is one of the best areas in Korea for viewing migratory birds. Even as my bus was approaching Gunsan and we were passing along the waterways and wetlands, looking out my window with its western view I saw my first swans ever in Korea - just five or six but I had never seen this particular bird grace this country. When I lived on Sakhalin Island, Russia, the island above Hokkaido, Japan, we were graced every year with a huge migratory cloud of swans and people of Sakhalinsk would plan trips to the Sea of Ohotsk to see them. So Gunsan is probably on a narrow leg of the Russian migratory route to warmer climes. Inside the museum is a globe with four migratory routes mapped out (unfortunately I can't remember which birds these routes were designated for.)

This map of the Koreas together is anthropologically rather interesting. It seems that whenever maps are concerned (by the South that is), both North and South Koreas are drawn on the maps but the data for the topic is usually only for the southern half. Even though South Koreans (especially since the IMF period of 1997) do not talk about reunification, the concept that South Korea is only part of a whole is strongly embedded in their map iconography. This map likewise shows both of the Koreas with only the designated migratory bird parks being shown in South Korea - a total of six bird areas.

Han-gang lower end (the lower end of the Han River) is a delta made by the Imjin and the Han Rivers. It is Natural Monument #250 and is a natural habitat for the White-napped Crane. The habitat is being overtaken by plants (among them Susong vegetables) that do not attract the crane and so the crane is also disappearing. Recently bulrush and turkeys are its residents. It still attracts migratory birds like snipes, wild geese and ducks, and other water fowl.

Cheonsu-man is an artifical bay created by a tide embankment constructed on 8 kilometers of mud beach between Chungnam and Hongseong-gun. The swampy areas and shallow lakes are "developed" each year [developed means that the food chain has to work hard to stay in existence]. Thousands of migratory birds hibernate here during the winter. In fact, about half of Korea's migratory birds - such as the Oriental White Stork, Hooded Crane, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black-winged Stilts, Grey Heron, Little Grebe, Cattle Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Mallards, to name a few - can be found here.

Lower region of Geumgang [THIS LOCATION] has well-developed reed fields, broad mud beaches, and ample food, all important for seasonal birds. The surrounding area is rather undeveloped compared with other parts of Korea, and so migratory birds are still relatively undisturbed in their watery mudflats. Especially protected here are the Baikal Teals and Saunder's Gulls.

Suncheon-man is a deep bay developed between Yeocheonbando and Goheungbando. It is a natural wetland with still well-preserved mud beaches. In its northern reaches, thick reed forests are utilized as birds' hiding places and approximately 180 kinds of birds like the Hooded Crane and snipe live there. Only about 9,000 Hooded Cranes, Natural Monument #228, are left around the globe.

Junam Jeonsu-ji is a big lake connected to Sannam, Junam and Dongpan in Changwon-si Dongmyun water reservoirs. With some surrounding wetlands and reed islands sustaining foods like frogs and crucian carp, it remains an ideal location for a migratory bird habitat. Every November around 20 kinds of birds fly in by the thousands - the Tundra Swan (Natural Monument #201), White-naped Crane (Natural Monument #203), Eurasian Spoonbill (Natural Monument #205), etc. and they remain to feed and shelter until the following March.

Nakdong-gang lower end has rich food sources throughout the four seasons, and due to its more southern location, does not freeze over in the cold winter. The largest number of birds in all of Asia habitat here. Several hundreds of kinds of birds - a total of 167 kinds - are flocking in and out of here during all four seasons. Mallards, Bean Geese, Tundra Swans, Dunlins, Common Shelducks, and many more.