L’île d’Eocheong, le Ouessant coréen

Eocheong, a small island in the Yellow Sea 70 km out from Gunsan City, has become the latest Korean birding « hotspot ». Not only relatively easy to reach, Eocheong has rapidly built an international reputation for the quality of its migrant birds. Sometimes quiet, but often spectacular (where else in the region can you see 122 species in a day?) with only a few shifts in planning approaches Eocheong island has the potential to be the leading non-wetland site in Korea for birdwatching-based ecotourism, providing multiple benefits for the islanders, birders and the birds.
Following a first visit in mid-April 2002, Nial Moores (Birdskoreablog.org) spent a further 61 days counting birds and guiding on the island, in late-April, May and again from late August to the end of October. Covering only the accessible part of the island, no less than 228 species were recorded in total, including 4 first records for the Korean peninsula (Ferruginous Flycatcher, Crag Martin, Rose-colored Starling and Chinese Bulbul).
We publish there a French version of his report.