waders of Gang-wha island : Wader season

Gang wha island, which is placed on estuary of Han river running through the capital of Korea,

is one of the last refuge for migrating waders-knots, stints, curlews, and plovers.

 Thanks to ongoing and past  reclaimation projects which are aimed to turn these 'useless' mudflats to rice fields,

(I'm quite sure there is much more things underneath these rclaimations, complicated political issues and greeds of monsterous landscape businesses)

more than 90 % of country's priceless wetlands are dissapeared, and so the waders.

Fortuately, due to the confliction between Country's national enemey, DPRK, Gang wha island and Han river estuary's mudflat(Gyong gi mudflat) was relatively protected from large scale reclaimation than others.

Already there are several signs of wader migration started in websites,

I can't wait for this year's autumn season.  I have some target waders for birding, Asiatic dowitcher and

spoon billed sandpiper.

Below photos are from last spring, 2012 southern region of gangwha island.

Little ringed plover

Wild bird society university students are counting waders for their annual survey

(this year is 20'year anniversary since 1992)

 Great knots at high roost. photo from 2008 or before.

full breeding plumagd adult great knot. stunner!!

Whimbrel one of the commonest migratns in spring and fall both

Eurasian oystercatcher.  resident breeders on rocky coasts and islets on west coast of korean penninsula.