BIRDS Korea: Hidden Treasures in Haenam

Located just south of Gwangju, Haenam County probably is not typically considered a tourist destination, since it is a quiet, agricultural county, producing a large proportion of Korea’s wintertime cabbage crop. Rice and daikon radish are also grown there, but otherwise there is not much to attract visitors to this remote corner of Korea.

However, a little searching can reveal amazing results, as nine of us recently discovered. We toured the county looking for birds, stopping at several locations along the numerous waterways around Haenam. During the winter months, ducks and geese arrive by the thousands in Haenam County. But one species in particular was at the top of our “must see” lists: the Baikal Teal.

The Baikal Teal is a beautiful duck, once considered the most common duck in eastern Asia. It suffered catastrophic population declines during the latter half of the twentieth century, due mainly to habitat loss and overhunting. One often referenced account claims that three hunters captured nearly 50,000 Baikal Teal in a matter of days, using nothing more than throw nets from a single pond.  However, in recent years, the Baikal Teal has made a dramatic recovery and may once again be considered Korea’s most common duck.

Each winter the majority of the world’s population of Baikal Teal arrives around the reclamation lakes and rice fields near Seosan. But a large number of Teal also arrive in Haenam, using the abundant open water for food and safety during the harsh winter months.

With this in mind, our group scoured Haenam County hoping to find some of these spectacular ducks. Initially we found a large variety of water birds, namely Tundra Bean-goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Northern Pintail, Eastern Spot-billed Duck and Mallard. We also found less common species like Common Pochard, Greater Scaup and non-duck species like Little Grebe and Great Crested Grebe.

It was near dusk when we finally located our “must see” bird. On a large stretch of water near Deoksong-ri, an estimated 90,000 Baikal Teals had gathered to roost for the night. We looked on in awe at the sight before us. There were so many Teals that the flock (swarm is more accurate) appeared as an enormous dark line on the water. The sound of so many ducks was audible, even from a distance of several hundred meters. As the sun descended, the whole flock took to the air like a dark cloud rising out of the water. We watched in stunned silence; the symphony of 90,000 pairs of flapping wings was the only sound we heard. No one left Haenam that night without a profound sense of wonder and amazement at what we had seen.

The treasures of Haenam County are many, whether you measure that wealth in terms of culture or economy. Overlooked, however, are the hidden treasures in the numerous species of plants and animals that share our world.  Too often we lose sight of these treasures in our constant pursuit of the others. But fortunately, we have the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with them, and we need go no further than Haenam County
.