Birds Korea: Fall Migration in the Yellow Sea
As summer comes to a close and the cooler weather of autumn begins, birds once again embark on incredible journeys from their breeding grounds in the north to warmer wintering grounds in the south. For some species, this journey takes them farther in one season than most of us will travel over the course of our lives.
Imagine driving down a long highway through endless barren countryside. When you start your journey, your gas tank is full. You have eaten a large breakfast and are ready to start the long drive to your destination. And things go smoothly, for a while. But as time passes, the needle on the gas gauge begins to fall. Your stomach starts to rumble, then growl. The needle dips lower. But everywhere you look, you only see more barren countryside. And the highway goes ever on…
There! Up ahead, you spot a small rest stop. It may not be the cleanest or the prettiest. It may even be crowded, with many other travelers already there. But you can see a gas station for your car and a GS 25 for you. So you do the only thing you can do: pull over and refuel.
For a small bird migrating from the Siberian tundra to the warm climates of Australia, this story is real life. Crossing the Yellow Sea is a perilous endeavor, and birds that make the attempt rely heavily on Korea’s abundant islands.
I recently paid a visit to Gageo Island to experience the fall migration at Korea’s most westerly point. Gageo Island lies some 140 kilometers southwest of Mokpo. The island is only 9 kilometers from end to end, and has only around 400 permanent residents. It is the most remote location in Korea, but to migrating birds it is an oasis in the “desert” of the Yellow Sea.
When I arrived at Gageo Island, I encountered many of the breeding birds that call this island home. Some live their entire lives here; others return every spring and leave every fall. Blue rock-thrush, white wagtails, and grey herons make up some of these full-time avian residents. But a little bit of searching reveals a plethora of migrants.
Some of these birds only pass through Korea on their way to other locales, and can only be seen here during this short window. Still others are lost travelers, forced to stop here due to weather or exhaustion. Indeed, islands like Gageo are well known for hosting very unusual species that only arrive in Korea by accident. On this trip, I was able to find two long-tailed shrikes, common birds of prey in China and Taiwan, but exceedingly rare in mainland Korea.
On this small remote location, lost in the expanses of the Yellow Sea, it was clear how delicate the balance of these island ecosystems really is. It is up to all of us to recognize the true value of these islands, and the roles they play in the wellbeing of our own communities and those of the birds all around us.