Wouldn't it be lovely if those in the Korean peninsular would only be looking up to the skies to admire the dancing of the Baikal teals ( a.k.a. Anas formosa) instead of worrying about missiles falling on their heads?
Sadly, these birds, which used to be as common as ducks, may be just as endangered as the human species, no thanks to over-hunting. According to one source, three Japanese hunters in 1947 used throw nets to catch 50,000 birds from one pond in only 20 days."
Hopefully, with "newly -created rice-fields and reclamation lakes now lining the South Korean west coast - particularly at Seosan, Haenam and Joonam in the south-east", the migrants from the north may be able to recover and find safe havens here.
Bird-watchers, rejoice.
Bird-watchers, rejoice.
sources:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2928812
http://www.haryana-online.com/fauna/Birds/baikal_teal.htm
http://www.birdskorea.org/Birds/Key_Species/BK-KS-Baikal-Teal.shtml
