Wrapping up the week of “language missions”, a small group of ICLP teachers and students attended a guided birdwatching tour of the Guandu Nature Park.  It has been repeatedly mentioned that Taiwan has exceptionally high biodiversity and our trip underscored this fact.  Despite its mere area of 36,000 square kilometres, Taiwan is a premier birdwatching destination, boasting of over 560 species of birds.  Its bird population can divided into five categories: 1) 160 species of resident birds (liuniao 留鳥) who breed domestically; 2) 150 species of winter birds (donghouniao 冬候鳥) who breed in the north and migrate here during the winter; 3) 150 species of migrant birds (guojingniao 過境鳥) who pass through en route to Southeast Asia; 4) 100 species of vagrant birds (miniao 迷鳥) who visit occasionally; and 5) 10 species of summer birds (夏後鳥) who breed here during the summertime.  Situated at the confluence of the Danshui and Jilong Rivers, the Guandu wetlands serve as an important site for migratory birds in the Asian region.  Having recorded 229 species of birds so far, it has been classified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.

        However, the ecological import of the Guandu wetlands has not always been appreciated.  Originally a series of rice paddies, this area has undergone several transformations.  As a result of a severe flood in Taipei in 1963, it became oversalinated, thus lending itself as a habitat for ducks.  A fun fact is that the resident ducks produced a unique type of egg with a red yolk, called hongxindan 紅心蛋.  Yet, this land was perceived as little more than swampland (zhaozhe 沼澤) and in 1995, the Taiwanese government purchased it for 15 billion TWD, intending to rezone it for housing.  Lobbied by the Wild Bird Society of Taipei, an NGO with stated experience in conservation and environmental education, the government established a wetland reserve instead, eventually turning management duties over to the Wild Bird Society.

        The park encompasses 57 hectares, but only 10 hectares are accessible to the public, including a large educational center.  It is rather nondescript in its greenery, but with the help of an excellent guide—a passionate and knowledgeable volunteer from the Wild Bird Society—we started to uncover the ecological richness of the wetlands.  Although we visited during the afternoon, a less popular time for birds to make an appearance, we managed to observe several different species of birds, including a grey heron (canglu 苍鹭), green-winged teal duck (xiaoshuiya小水鴨), black drongo (wuqiu 卷尾), pheasant-tailed jacana (shuizhi 水雉), and the bage and hongguan shuiji species of birds.  Armed with a telescope with 32x magnification power, we were able to view these birds in fine detail, revealing them to be stunningly exquisite creatures.  Their delicate beauty can be easily be appreciated by an amateur or professional eye.  Guandu has now become synonymous with birdwatching in Taiwan and is easily accessible by the subway—a 10-minute walk from the Guandu MRT station.  A great way to finish the day is renting a bicycle and taking the bicycle path to nearby Danshui to enjoy the sunset and night market.