When: June 2022 Weather: Hot 25-30C

Leica M10P 35 summilux, Nikon P950

We normally hold our annual meeting of Asia-Pacific eye surgeons every year but of course we had to cancel the 2020 and 2021 editions. It was pretty touch and go whether our first physical face to face meeting would go off successfully and thankfully it did and all our attendees and industry partners were happy. So I was glad to organise a half day birding trip with Birding Korea who assigned us an English speaking guide, Byoung Woo Lee for a 5-11am bird outing just outside Seoul.

It was already light at 5am as we drove off from COEX Intercontinental and we arrived at the World Heritage Site of Namhansanseong within 30min and started off walking a narrow trail…

Although we tried to locate the Hazel grouse it was probably a bit late in the season so we went back across up a hill towards this complex

We then came down the hill and proceeded to a wetland ecological park…

There was a large body of water which you could walk around fringed by a river and many reeds….so hopes were high for the oriental reed warbler…

So that was the end of the morning’s birding and Byoungwoo was an excellent guide, not rushing us and always wanting to show us more….all in all a great morning’s birding. As I always do when staying at COEX, I will bird at the Bongeunsa Temple directly opposite…a charming little birding site for an hour or two…

So our Korean trip ended with nice sightings and certainly much better than my last trip a few weeks ago to Bachma, Vietnam! I would recommend Birding Korea if you want an english speaking guide who will drive you around and bird.