The day after scattering 10 tons of rice seeds... Ah... this place... is truly a paradise for migratory birds.

Hello, this is Suncheon Bay in Korea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve,

and designated as a Wetland Protection Area due to its high ecological value. It's also a hotspot for migratory birds.

This time, Suncheon City has given me the chance to freely explore and experience Suncheon Bay to my heart's content.

(Unlimited Access~) I'll be staying here for a few days to observe the birds and learn how this place is operated and managed.

That's the plan. So, tomorrow, we'll start monitoring the hooded cranes at dawn.

Here she comes. (Sun-mi Hwang, Officer, Suncheon Bay Conservation Division) Here's a warm drink for you.

(Welcoming Drink) This is an empty bottle, but... Oh, sorry about that. (Almost recycled it right away)

The road here is a narrow farming road, so it's dangerous. Please drive slowly, and when I turn off my headlights ahead, you should do the same.

You can follow me with just your parking lights on. (Since the hooded cranes are sleeping here, we'll move without lights)

(Arrival) Are we climbing up the mountain? Yes, this is Yongsan Mountain.

From here, you can see all the birds' roosting spots at a glance. So we'll head there to get a full view of the area.

(Hiking in the dark) Is this the place? The view is amazing, right? So what we're doing here is...

observing a bird that represents Suncheon Bay, called the hooded crane. These hooded cranes roost here in the tidal flats.

When they gather to sleep, we count how many there are every day. Can you see them?

Yes, I can. Do you see the group right in front of us? In front of the reed field.

Oh, they're right in front of us. Hooded Crane: Endangered Species Class II, Natural Monument.

They're sitting over there in a large black cluster. Yes, sitting in a large black group.

The ones near the waterway are Baikal Teals. All of those are ducks. What's amazing about this is...

when you're here, you can see their aerial displays. This is one of the few places where you can witness tens of thousands of birds flying in formation.

Would you like to take a look at the roosting area through this? (Those in the distance are the Hooded Cranes)

Black and white stripes stretched out. There's a large group over there, and another one near the wild turkey colony up ahead.

When their roosting spots get scattered like this, it becomes quite challenging to count their numbers with the naked eye.

It's too far, isn't it? Isn't it difficult to count them at this distance?

It must be really challenging. Exactly. When they're so dispersed like this... and when there are so many of them...

that's why we have to rely on drone surveys. (They used to count them one by one manually,

but now they conduct surveys with a simple drone snapshot.) Wow, the morning sunlight makes the scenery so beautiful.

From the Hooded Cranes' perspective, this is probably what they see. They can head over there to eat.

They sleep in the tidal flats, and right across is their feeding area. At what altitude should we observe them?

We've gone as low as 70 meters before, but let's maintain 70 to 80 meters for now.

Look at these guys. I'll go as slowly as possible. We're currently at 70 meters.

They're spaced out more than I expected. I thought they'd be packed tightly together, but they seem to maintain some personal space.

I'll pull the drone back for now. Thankfully, not a single bird flew away. (Monitoring complete.)

(Moving on.) This is Haeryong Stream, located right in front of Suncheon Bay.

A lot of birds gather here as well. We'll monitor the area as we pass through. Eurasian Spoonbills (Endangered Species Level 2, Natural Monument).

There are so many Eurasian Spoonbills. This Haeryong Stream... is one of the three main streams

that flow into Suncheon Bay. Because Haeryong Stream is shallow, the Eurasian Spoonbills frequent both the tidal flats and the stream.

(There are so many of them) Shall we move on? (Suncheon Bay Nature Ecological Center)

Is this the office? Yes, this is the office. Wow, a large Hooded Crane model.

Is this what dinosaurs might have looked like? (2nd-floor Observatory) Wow, the view here is amazing.

The spot we visited in the morning... was over at Yongsan, where we observed the entire roosting area.

Then, along the stream, we moved to the Haeryong area. But this area is the main site, actually.

This is the main spot. (Time to taste the main dish) (This is the Hooded Cranes' feeding ground.)

Oh no... A motorcycle is entering. Or is it a bicycle? The birds are all going to fly away.

Ah, they're all taking off. In situations like this... the guards at the observation post will come out to intervene.

Is that a civilian? Or maybe a farmer...? I think it's a tourist. Honestly, this is so frustrating.

(Immediate intervention via phone call.) (Dispatch to the field.) Now, only residents...like members of the local fishing cooperative,

are allowed access. Today, we are installing fences here. It seems like the hooded cranes came in because they saw the fence.

Until yesterday, they weren't entering this area. (Village elders working on the fence installation.) Excuse me,

this area now has many migratory birds visiting, so it's a restricted zone. (Successfully securing the perimeter.)

People might unknowingly enter...Yes, they could enter without knowing. Some people ride their bicycles from the city all the way to Suncheon Bay.

When the area is clearly restricted, they realize they can't enter, but since we're still working on it...

(Heavy) Now, they're starting an activity to spread rice seeds for the migratory birds visiting Suncheon Bay.

These bags—800 kilograms of seeds. They spread about 12 bags each time (Nearly 10 tons).

So many, haha! (Dropping the rice seeds onto the field.) The field is so soft and muddy that

only the rotor-driven vehicle can go in. (Pouring out the rest of the seeds.) (Installing cameras.)

The hooded cranes won't mess with this, right? Installing another camera over here. Let's see what gets captured now.

(Footage from the installed camera.) Instead of hooded cranes, lots of ducks have arrived.

By the way, ducks are also winter migratory birds from the north. <- Male Northern Pintail

(Munching.) (Alert.) (Uneasy.) (Munching.) (Alert.) The tense life of ducks, never letting their guard down.

Oh, Baikal teals have shown up, too. But I was hoping to catch some hooded cranes on camera...

The spot where we scattered the rice seeds is in the field behind this observation deck. Have many of them gathered there?

(They did come, but their position...) Hmm... over where the cameras are set up, there are mostly ducks and geese.

The hooded cranes are sitting further back. Why are they sitting there? Oh, come on, guys...

They're just so cautious. While the ducks and geese landed right away, the hooded cranes are being wary, not landing immediately.

They're observing, and once they feel it's safe, they walk over. Oh? Wait, there's a cinereous vulture, too?

A vulture... What's a vulture doing here? (??: "Good, that felt natural.")

What funny guys! Vultures are large birds of prey, but they only eat carrion.

Looks like even birds know they're not dangerous. (Ducks suddenly take off into the air.) Ah, a hen harrier!

It's just a female hen harrier passing by. The hooded cranes stay put since they're big,

but the ducks got scared and flew away. Actually, hen harriers can't catch ducks, but from the ducks' perspective,

it's better to flee when they see a bird of prey. This observation deck is pretty entertaining, isn't it?

With the ducks gone, the hooded cranes come in. (Finally starting to eat.) Anyway, in places like Suncheon Bay,

they leave and scatter rice seeds like this for the birds. Now, you might wonder, what about the farmers who grew the rice?

Do they just give it all to the birds? Is all their hard work just for the birds?

Yes, it is given to the birds. But they do get compensated for it. This is part of a program by the Ministry of Environment

called the Ecosystem Service Payment Program. It's a system that protects nature and benefits the locals.

It might sound unfamiliar, but it's a widely practiced approach overseas. (Thanks to this, we get to enjoy such scenery.)

This here is called the "Earthing Path." It's a boundary path between the farmland on the right

and the tidal flat on the left. It's an incredibly beautiful trail to walk on. And the interesting thing about the farmland on the right is that

during the day, Hooded Cranes and geese feed here, and at night, Baikal Teals come to feed.

So, right at this dusk hour, the Hooded Cranes are heading to the tidal flat to roost,

while the Baikal Teals are coming to the farmland to feed. You can witness this beautiful crossover moment right now.

The Baikal Teals are starting to fly over there. Wow, this is amazing. Truly breathtaking.

If they pass by with the sunset in the background, it'll be so stunning. Are they going to fly by?

Are they flying overhead? (Here they come~) The Baikal Teal's murmurations, unique to Korea.

(Crossing paths of Hooded Cranes and Baikal Teals.) Ah... this place...

is truly a paradise for migratory birds.
  (Feel the sound of the wingbeats.)

Oh no, I got pooped on! Wow, my mouth was open—almost went in! This is the view from the observation deck.

I mean, all of this... you have to see it before you leave. (Not a single visitor around... LOL)

(No one knows this kind of scenery exists...) Wow... From the Earthing Path, you can see the birds flying into the farmland,

and from the observation deck, you can watch them flying above the farmland. Wow, it’s truly amazing.

(The next morning) Since the Hooded Cranes of Suncheon Bay sleep on the tidal flats,

they head out by boat to conduct surveys. Wow, seriously, there are no streetlights out here.

It feels like stepping into untouched nature. Oh, the atmosphere feels so mystical. I hope the sounds are recorded well.

Because of the Hooded Cranes’ roosts, they’re heading over there... Oh, we’re landing on the tidal flat now.

Wow, the sound of the Hooded Cranes. Ahead of us, it’s completely covered in black.

All of that—they’re Hooded Cranes. (Hooded Cranes sleeping together on the tidal flat)

(In North Korea, they’re known as “Tidal Cranes”)
The Hooded Cranes are heading off to eat now.

The Hooded Cranes, now awake, are flying to the farmland to feed. (Morning breaks over Suncheon Bay)

공무원들이 작정하고 철새 밥 주면 생기는 놀라운 일(ft.순천만습지)

VLOG + 자연다큐 / 한국의 야생과 자연을 만나볼 수 있는 채널! 

🐣 새덕후가 알려주는 How to 탐조 

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