Birding the Ganghwa tidal flats, timed to the tide

Where the Han, Imjin and Yeseong rivers meet the Yellow Sea, Ganghwa Island holds one of Korea's widest tidal flats, a stopover on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Join a small guided walk at high tide, when cranes, spoonbills and shorebirds come close to shore.

See walk dates Why high tide?

Bird walks

Small groups (up to 15) with a WLGI guide on the south shore of Ganghwa. Walks are guided in Korean; if you need help in English, say so in the note and we will try to arrange it. Sign-up takes a minute and needs only your name and email.

Why we follow the tide

The Ganghwa coast has one of the largest tidal ranges in Korea, up to 8–9 m at spring tides. At low tide the birds feed far out on the mud; as the water rises it pushes them toward the shore, and around high tide they gather at roosts near the sea wall. That is why every walk starts 1–2 hours before high tide at Oepo, the local tide station.

2–3 hours before high tide
Arrive and set up. Shorebirds start moving in with the water.
Around high tide
The closest views: flocks rest on the shore, cranes feed on the edge of the fields.
After high tide
Birds spread out again as the mud reappears. Time for a last look and a species count.

What you can see, month by month

Key species on the south Ganghwa flats. ● main season · · occasional · B breeding season (breeding islets are off-limits).

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Black-faced SpoonbillEndangered · summer, breeds on off-limits islets			·	·	B	B	B	B	●	●	·
Chinese EgretVulnerable · spring–summer				·	●	●	●	●	·
Shorebirds (sandpipers & plovers)Spring and autumn migration				●	●	·	·	●	●	●
Eurasian OystercatcherNear Threatened · all year	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Common ShelduckWinter flocks on the mudflats	●	●	●							●	●	●
Red-crowned & White-naped CranesVulnerable · winter	●	●	·								●	●
Geese & swansWinter flocks	●	●	·							●	●	●
White-tailed EagleWinter raptor	●	●									●	●

Based on WLGI's Korean bird calendar and member records. Species list source: Birds Korea (2022).

Visiting and etiquette

Getting there: Ganghwa Island is about 1.5 hours from central Seoul by car or bus. The meeting point on the south shore is emailed to you after you sign up.
Birds first: keep your distance, keep voices low, and never flush a flock. Your guide will show you where to stand.
Stay off the mud: the tide comes in fast and paths can flood. Please be on time.
Breeding sites: Black-faced Spoonbills breed on small islands that are closed to visitors. We do not publish their locations.
Weather: walks are cancelled in strong wind, heavy snow or cold-wave warnings; we will email you.
Bring: warm layers, gloves, a hat. Binoculars if you have them; scopes are provided.

Plan your own visit: the Korean home page has a live tide chart, weather and the best spots right now. Go to the Korean page →

About WLGI

Wetland Link Ganghwa-Island (강화도습지연대, WLGI) is a citizens' group on Ganghwa Island that watches, records and teaches about the rare birds that visit its tidal flats, and supports responsible bird tourism. Members keep a monitoring log of the species they see.

Phone 010-4705-7623 (Korean) · Email brentkim7@gmail.com
Instagram @wlgikorea

Privacy notice

When you sign up for a walk we collect your name, email address and, if you give it, your phone number, only to contact you about that walk. The data is kept in WLGI's sign-up sheet, seen only by the organisers, and deleted 3 months after the walk. You can ask us to delete it sooner by email. The Korean privacy policy is the official version: 개인정보 처리방침.