Following Goni the Whooper Swan to the Island at the River's End

Before it gets any colder — off we go!

On a snowy field, a big bird flapped his wings — whoosh! I tucked in right beside him and rose up too.

Below us was a sheet of white snow. The kind of cold where your breath might freeze the moment it leaves your mouth.

"Hi! I'm Goni. Eldest son of the whooper swan family." The bird beside me greeted me brightly.

Goni's father retired last year, so this winter is Goni's first as the leader, guiding the whole family on their southward flight. First-time leader — no wonder his shoulders looked a little proud.

"The tundra is way too cold to spend winter here. We're going to warm Eulsukdo. Brrr~ let's hurry before it gets even colder!" The moment Goni called out, his wings beat faster.

Today I quietly slipped into their winter journey. Following Goni, I'd finally get to see that island at the end of the river.

A mallard family we met along the sky road

Once we climbed above the clouds, the sky was full of birds.

Not just whooper swans either. Birds whose names I didn't even know were strung out in long lines, all beating their wings in the same direction.

"Look at that! Everyone's heading to Eulsukdo to spend the winter." Goni nodded sideways.

Then he called out cheerfully, "Hey, Mallard! Long time no see~"

A mallard flying nearby turned his head. "Oh, Goni! How've you been? You made leader — congrats!"

"Haha, thanks. Let's have another good winter." Goni smiled a little shyly, and somehow it warmed my heart.

I guess even a first journey feels safer with a friend nearby. My own mood lifted, and I beat my wings a bit more cheerfully.

Where river meets sea, an island is born

Goni's little brother tucked himself close and asked, "Big bro, what kind of place is Eulsukdo?"

"It's an island at the mouth of the Nakdong River. The river starts way up in Gangwon, flows all the way down, and meets the southern sea right there."

I perked up my ears too. River meeting sea — what would that even look like?

"After flowing a long way, river water slows down. The mud and sand it carries quietly settle and pile up. Layer by layer, that pile became the island called Eulsukdo." Goni pointed down with his wing.

An island built from the mud a river carried!

Because river and sea water mix together there, all sorts of creatures you can't see anywhere else make their home there.

"Huh? Big bro, is that the island down there?" the little brother asked, his voice bright with excitement.

"Yes! We're almost there. That's Eulsukdo." Before Goni even finished, a green island rose up to meet us. Wow — sitting right in the middle of the river!

I took a long, quiet look at who lives in the wetland

The moment we touched down, Goni was bursting with joy. "There's a reason migratory birds love this place. The wetland is well-protected, so there's so much to eat!"

So much to eat? I couldn't wait to find out who actually lived here.

I opened up WAGZAK JUMP and pulled up "A Trip to the Wetland" — I wanted a closer look at the creatures of the tidal flat and the water's edge.

First Goni led me into a patch of grass. "This is saeseommaejagi sedge. It grows in clusters like this where river meets sea."

When Goni nudged aside the mud with his beak, a fat little lump hung from the roots — round and chubby like a potato or sweet potato.

"These tubers are our whooper swans' favorite food." Goni smacked his beak so deliciously I almost wanted to try one.

Next were the clams. Goni tapped a thin one. "This one's a razor clam. Its shell is way thinner than other clams, so it cracks open easily. Such a thoughtful snack for us!"

Right beside it sat a thicker shell. "This one's a Meretrix clam. It's common all over our coast, and there are lots of them here at the Nakdong River mouth."

Then Goni added something I didn't expect at all. Meretrix shells are sometimes ground down into the white stones used for the game of Go. Clam shells turning into Go stones — how curious!

Just then something darted sideways across the muddy ground. A crab! Goni said, "We call them fiddler crabs. They dig holes in the tidal flat and live inside."

I leaned in for a closer look, but the crab spotted me and slipped right into its hole! Faster than a blink — gone.