Our short tour started at Yeongjong airport at lunchtime on the 17th: from there we drove to Ganghwa Island for an afternoon's birding in bright conditions and mild temperatures.
That evening ("follow that bus!" ) we drove across to Gwangneung National Arboretum, where we stayed at the classy castle: the Euro.
On the morning of the 18th, grey and overcast with occasional snow flakes, we birded around and inside Gwangnueng, with undoubted highlights being the Pallas's Rosefinches and THAT Hazel Hen. In the afternoon we headed north towards the Imjin, which we followed down to Han-Imjin estuary and its Swan Geese. In the evening we drove to Song Do, where the next morning (the 19th) we had to spend less than 30 seconds looking for either Chinese Nuthatch or Relict Gull (where else can you compare them in near breeding plumage to Saunders's Gulls??)!
Still needing Pallas's Reed Bunting and hoping for a second try for the Oriental White Stork, we drove back up to Ganghwa….A couple of new birds later, the drive back to the airport and a pizza finale.
| English Name | Number seen | Location and comment |
| Great Cormorant | 30 | Han River |
| Grey Heron | 5+ | Ganghwa |
| Bean Goose | Ca 5,000 Tundra Bean; ca 500 Taiga Bean | Han-Imjin |
| Greater White-fronted Goose | 10,000 | Ganghwa, Han |
| Lesser White-fronted Goose | 2: 1 ad, 1 sub-adult type | Ganghwa: A scarce migrant and winter visitor: less than 50 records nationally, but probably much overlooked. World Pop. Ca 18,000 |
| Swan Goose | 3 | Han-Imjin. Commonest in November and again in March. World pop. Ca 30,000 - 50,000 |
| Ruddy Shelduck | 300+ | Ganghwa, Han |
| Common Shelduck | 15 | Song Do |
| Mandarin Duck | 5 | Gwangnueng. World pop. Ca 70,000 |
| Falcated Duck | 1 | Ganghwa |
| Mallard | 50 | Ganghwa etc |
| Spotbilled Duck (Yellow-nib Duck) | 150+ | Various |
| Pochard | 50 | Han-Imjin |
| Common Goldeneye | 15 | Han-Imjin |
| Smew | 5+ | Han |
| Common Merganser | Ca 75 | Han-Imjin and Song Do |
| White-tailed Sea Eagle | 3 | Han-Imjin |
| Cinereous Vulture | 5+ | Han-Imjin |
| Common Buzzard | 5+ | Various |
| Upland Buzzard | Ca 4 | Various: very scarce winter visitor to South Korea |
| Common Kestrel | 5 | Various |
| Peregrine | 3 | Gangwha |
| Hazel Hen (Hazel Grouse) | 1 ad male | Gwangneung |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | several "genuine" | Various |
| White-naped Crane | 16 | Han-Imjin: World pop. 5 500- 6 500 |
| Eastern Oystercatcher | 2 | Song Do. A very distinctive form osculans found only in Far East Asia; estimated population of ca 10 000 |
| Solitary Snipe | 3 | Gwangneung |
| Dunlin | 10 | Song Do |
| Black-tailed Gull | 300++ | Various |
| Kamchatka Gull | 50++ | Various |
| Heuglin's Gull (Siberian Gull) | 2 | Song Do |
| Mongolian Gull | 1500+ | Especially Han-Imjin. For ID paper, go to Mongolian Gull |
| Slaty-backed Gull | 1 | Song Do |
| Relict Gull | 10+ | Song Do.The majority of this species probably winter in the northern Yellow Sea, and are very scarce in mild winters. World pop. Ca 2,000- 10,000 |
| Saunders's Gull | Ca 50 | Song Do. World pop. Ca 7,000- 10,000 |
| Black-headed Gull | 100s | Song Do |
| Rufous Turtle Dove | 50++ | Various |
| Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker | 5 | Ganghwa/Gwangnueng |
| White-backed Woodpecker | 1 | Gwangnueng |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 3+ | Ganghwa/Gwangnueng |
| Grey-headed Green Woodpecker | 2 | Ganghwa |
| Black Woodpecker | Several heard | Gwangneung |
| Northern Skylark | 20+ | Ganghwa |
| Black-backed Wagtail | 1 | Ganghwa |
| Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit | 3 | Ganghwa |
| Brown-eared Bulbul | Many | Various |
| Bull-headed Shrike | 3 | Ganghwa |
| Brown Dipper | 1 | Gwangneung |
| Winter Wren | 5 | Various |
| Siberian Accentor | 5+ | Ganghwa |
| Daurian Redstart | 2 | Various |
| Dusky Thrush | Ca 10 | Various.1 eunomus and rest naumanni |
| Vinous-throated Parrotbill | Ca 50 | Mostly Ganghwa |
| Goldcrest | 5 | Song Do |
| Long-tailed Tit | 20 magnus + 4 white-headed caudatus or japonicus | Ganghwa / Gwangnueng |
| Eastern Marsh Tit | 5 | Various |
| Coal Tit | 10+ | Various |
| Great Tit | 30+ | Various |
| Varied Tit | 10 | Various |
| Eurasian Nuthatch | 5 | Gwangneung |
| Chinese Nuthatch | 1 male | Perhaps no record for 5 years prior to this winter, with at least 4 records submitted to Birds Korea by January |
| Common Treecreeper | 1-2 | Ganghwa |
| Chestnut-eared Bunting | 4 | Ganghwa |
| Rustic Bunting | 200++ | Mostly Ganghwa |
| Yellow-throated Bunting | 20 | Mostly Ganghwa |
| Pallas's Reed Bunting | 25+ | Ganghwa |
| Reed Bunting | 2 | Ganghwa |
| Lapland Bunting | 1 | Ganghwa |
| Brambling | 15+ | Various |
| Pallas's Rosefinch | Ca 15 | 1 heard Ganghwa, rest Gwangneung; a good irruption year…. |
| Bullfinch | 1 heard | Gwangneung |
| Hawfinch | 15-20 | Various |
| Tree Sparrow | 100+ | Most Ganghwa |
| brandti Jay | 20+ | Most Gwangneung |
| Black-billed Magpie | 100++ | Various |
| Carrion Crow | 2 | Ganghwa |
| (Jungle) Large-billed Crow | 11+ | Gwangneung |