14-Year-Old Student's Birdwatching Adventure at Andong Lake

On June 9, 2025, 14-year-old 장원준 (Jang Won-jun), a first-year student at 충현중학교 (Chunghyun Middle School) in Gyeonggi Province, visited Andong Lake (안동호) with the goal of photographing the breeding population of the black-tailed gull (쇠제비갈매기) on an artificial sand island, a popular spot for migratory birdwatching tours located 20 minutes by boat from Andong Dam.

This was not Jang's first visit to Andong Lake; he had previously come in June of last year while in sixth grade, capturing various birds around the lake with his telephoto camera. His photographs from that trip were donated to the city of Andong, where city officials praised his work for its dynamic and vivid portrayal of wildlife. His photos were even displayed at the city hall entrance for a month.

Jang's fascination with birds began in the fourth grade after he watched bird-related videos that his mother was viewing. Now, his study room is filled with 23 different bird guides and books, including titles like 'Birds and Humans', 'Surviving in the Bird World', and 'The Language of Birds'.

For the past three years, Jang has pursued his passion for bird photography, aspiring to become one of the top ornithologists in South Korea. He diligently studies to gain admission to a prestigious university's biology program. His mother, 유정윤 (Yoo Jeong-yoon), shared that she bought him a beginner-friendly 300mm telephoto camera due to his keen interest in observing and installing birdhouses around their home.

Upon arriving at the birdwatching island, Jang immediately set up a birdhouse, inscribing the installation date and his name on it. He explained, "The birdhouse I installed is mainly used by resident birds like the great tit (박새), marsh tit (곤줄박이), and Eurasian nuthatch (딱새). If we promote a birdhouse donation campaign for visitors to the Andong Lake black-tailed gull observation island, it could become a bird paradise in the future."

Jang spent the entire day enthusiastically capturing images of various birds, even spending the night on the observation island to continue his photography the next day. He identified the sounds of birds, saying, "That sound is from the brown-eared bulbul (직박구리). When I see or hear birds, I can feel the vibrancy of nature."

At dawn, the sounds of birds awakened him, and he was able to identify many species, including the black-tailed gull, whiskered tern, brown-eared bulbul, little ringed plover, great tit, jay, and more. He successfully photographed several of them.

Looking ahead, Jang aims to purchase a mid-range camera with a lens of 600mm or more, saving his allowance to afford the expensive equipment. He expressed, "I was very impressed by how the black-tailed gulls and various birds coexist with humans at Andong Lake. I plan to return next year with friends who also love birds."

In a collaborative effort, the city of Andong and the Ministry of Environment have completed infrastructure facilities, including observation decks and ecological trails, to promote the black-tailed gull, which is designated as a second-class endangered species. The observation deck, located 300 meters from their habitat, is equipped with high-powered telescopes and ecological interpretation panels, along with planted flowers and trees.

The black-tailed gull, primarily found on sandy beaches, migrates from Australia and New Zealand to breed in Korea and Japan between March and July. They were first spotted at Andong Lake in 2013. However, due to rising water levels since 2019, the city and the Ministry of Environment installed two permanent artificial sand islands in 2020 and 2021 to support stable breeding habitats.