More than 100 participants roamed Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan at the Taiwan Birdathon 2019, sighting a high figure of bird species in just 24 hours. Mallika Naguran joined them in her newly gotten camouflage tee-shirt to report on this two-day event that brought together professional and amateur bird spotters, and families.
CHIAYI, 3 December 2019. We stepped out of our van into the sunshine, having driven a short distance from the starting point at Beimen Visitor Center. The Augu Wetland is vast and mesmerizing. It’s our first call at a bird race.
Through my binoculars, the vision of a bird that I had so badly wanted to see became clearer. The Black-faced Spoonbill poked idly around the water looking for breakfast. This graceful creature, I am told, is a migratory bird.
The Black-faced Spoonbill from Korea winters in Taiwan. Johnny Orn, President of Cambodia Bird Guide Association, captures some memorable snapshots at the Taiwan Birdathon 2019.
“The Black-faced Spoonbills breed in Korea during the summer. Then they winter in Taiwan… originally they went to Tainan but over time had spread themselves out to Chiayi,” explained Victor Yu, President of Ecotourism Taiwan and organiser of the event since its inception.
I’m at the Taiwan Birdathon, an event sponsored by the South-West Coast National Scenic Area and Taiwan Tourism Bureau. My dream of seeing as many birds of Taiwan, beginning with the spoonbills, was coming true. It was what I had packed my bag and left Singapore for… apart from the yummy food of Taiwan!
The Augu Wetland is a mecca for waterbirds in Taiwan and a popular site for Taiwan Birdathon racers. Pic: Gaia Discovery
I was one of the 100 plus participants who were keen to mark a tick against the checklist of 663 bird species of Taiwan. The birdathon or bird race began on 22 November at 10 am with honorary guests making celebratory birdlike whistles from reed instruments. Presiding the official ceremony was Mr. Eric Lin, Chief Secretary of Taiwan Tourism Bureau MOTC.
The birdathon would go on to 10 am the next day, and depending on how keen a birder and racer you are, you could limit your sleep time to seek out nocturnal creatures. A race against the clock to spot as many bird species sounded competitive and fun, but my teammate and I took it easy. That’s Johnny Orn, a birder and conservationist, and president of Cambodia Bird Guide Association. We had good company with Korean birders Bonghee Lim and Dami Jeong (a researcher of habitat change impacts on Barn Swallow population).
Not far from the spoonbills were the ibises! My eyes settle on the distinctive Sacred Ibis with its curved black head and streaks of black tertial feathers. A few of the ibises mingled among the egrets and in the foreground, Dunlins dipped their bills and Pied Avocets circled in the wetlands.
The Sacred Ibis is a sight to behold, along with the Dunlins. Pic: Johnny Orn
We were told that there were Eurasian Spoonbills too, but it was hard to spot one among the many that gathered together on an islet, sunning and resting. However our capable local bird guide Mr. Chung Han Wu exclaimed that one of those could very well be our sought-after bird. Looking through the field scope, his eyes flashed! The Eurasian Spoonbill was far away but a head tilt for fleeting seconds revealed a thin black loral line rather than a black patch on its face that’s typical of the Black-faced Spoonbill.
Beyond them, trees were laden not with fruits but the Great Cormorants… hundreds and hundreds of them. Bird mecca? You betcha!
Thousands of waterbirds can be seen at the Augu Wetlands, our first stop at Taiwan Birdathon in the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area. Great Cormorants in the rear and the Sacred Ibises on the front strip. Pic: Gaia Discovery
Birdspotting in Taiwan’s Southwest
The Augu Wetlands is in Chiayi county. However, the bird race opens up possibilities for bird spotters to discover feathered creatures from diverse landscapes, from Chiayi to the coastal areas of Yunlin and Tainan in southwestern Taiwan.
Mountain-Scops Owl spotted in Yunlin at Taiwan Birdathon. Pic: Johnny Orn
To the west of Tainan City lies Cigu or Zengwen River Estuary, which is part of Tainiang National Park. Cigu is a popular birdwatching site. The estuarine sandflats and tidal land lure the Black-faced Spoonbills, Falcated Duck, Baikal Teal, Black Stork and Oriental Stork.
Within the mountainous terrains of Yunlin, forest dwelling birds shelter, breed and feed. My camouflage tee shirt—a deliberate purchase for my trip—came in handy. Surreptitiously, we approached the wild. We spotted the White-rumped Shama in the branches and the Ruddy-breasted Crake in a mountain stream. Later in the night, the temperature dipped and mist hung in the air. As we huddled in our jackets, we spied the Mountain-Scops Owl by casting light from a torch at the tree trunk below it. We didn’t want to hurt its eyes.
Later, after having come down from the mountain, a drive around plots of tangerine farmland rewarded us with sightings of the Savanna Nightjar.
We were ready to call it a night!
Taiwan Birdathon 2019 Results
Excitement was in the air at the closing of the event on the second day at the Chiayi County Human Resources Development Center. It was heartening to see many children and youths joining their parents at this wildlife event, recounting their tally of bird species using the eBird app.
The Lu Family have been a Taiwan Birdathon fan for a number of years. Birding keeps the family together! Pic: Gaia Discovery
Among the recipients of the Family Award were the Lu family—fans of the Taiwan Birdathon for several years. Steve and Angel were rather proud to have their 12-year-old son Alan and 7-year-old daughter Anne join the bird race. Victor recalled their participation since the early years. “We have known Alan since he was little, looking at birds as a child. Look how tall he has grown now!”
Winners of Taiwan Birdathon 2019 in the most species spotted category. Weng Chang-Liang, mayor of Chiayi county, presented them with a certificate while Hsu Chen-Nan, Director of South-West Coast National Scenic Area Centre (far left), gave them the wining prize. Pic: Ecotourism Taiwan
There were two main prize categories: Most Endemics Spotted and Most Species Spotted. At the end of the race, the tally was 22 endemic bird species spotted by all teams combined… not bad considering that Taiwan has 29 endemic bird species throughout the country and islands.
The winner of the 2019 Most Species Spotted category was Breeding Nature—a team from Pingtung at the southern tip of Taiwan. They spotted 171 bird species. Collectively, all 25 teams logged 216 species of birds out of the recorded 663 bird species in Taiwan, including migratory ones. Mr. Hsu Chen-Nan, Director of South-West Coast National Scenic Area Centre, gladly presented the prizes that were mostly local produce and consumables.
In second position at the Taiwan Birdathon 2019 was a team from Yunlin. Pic: Gaia Discovery
In second position was a young team from Yunlin and they spotted 126 species of birds. Their name, according to Victor, was Yi-Na-Wu-tsai-Yu-Gou-di-jia (meaning “yeah that best of Painted Snipe is still there” plus its an abbreviation of the team members’ names). “It’s complicated!” laughed Victor.
The Wagtails focussed their bird sightings within Yunlin county alone at Taiwan Birdathons to gather data on bird species there. Pic: Gaia Discovery
In third position were The Wagtails, a small team of non-citizens who live and work in Taiwan. Mark Wilkie and son Dave from South Africa, Ian Steedman from Canada and American Anne Hendricks chose to narrow their bird race to within Yunlin alone. “We have done this at the previous bird races, and continue to do so, as we wish to document the many bird species that could be found in this area,” explained Mark. Yunlin, unlike Taipei city or Chiayi, tends not to be on top of visitors’ priority list.
“We hope that our findings help create awareness that Yunlin mountains are as good as the other scenic areas in Taiwan such as Alishan in Chiayi, and we hope that this would bring greater ecotourism to Yunlin,” he explained. The group spotted 104 species in less than 24 hours (factoring in sleep and travel time) covering wetlands, coastal plains, grasslands and mountains, starting from the foothills to higher elevations.
The Taiwan Partridge is one of the 29 endemic species of Taiwan. Pic: Johnny Orn
“In the forests of Yunlin we spotted the Swinhoe's Pheasant, Taiwan Partridge, Black Eagle, Taiwan Barbet, Taiwan Yuhina, Yellow Tit, White-eared Sibia, Steere's liocichla, Black-throated Tit, Grey-chinned Minivet, Maroon Oriole, Little Forktail, Taiwan Whistlingthrush, Rusty Laughingthrush, Vivid Niltava, Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler.
So, Yunlin, anybody? Or Taiwan’s Southwest Coast? If you’re keen, look out for next year’s birdrace. The organizers welcome international participants to explore Taiwan’s amazing birdlife and are ready to offer complete guide, transport and accommodation packages that will help birders get around easy. Or just explore Taiwan anytime to appreciate its incredible birdlife.
Contact Victor Yu at ecotourismtaiwan@gmail.com to find out more or follow Ecotourism Taiwan FB page for updates.
Gaia Discovery sincerely thanks the organisers South-West Coast National Scenic Area, Taiwan Tourism Bureau and Ecotourism Taiwan for making this trip possible. With thanks to Johnny Orn too for his excellent bird photography . Visit his blogsite https://khmerbirder.wordpress.com/2019/11/29/2019-taiwan-birdathon/.
Watch the video highlights here:
https://youtu.be/1juUOprYGOw