When returning home from birding in a new country — a
sub-tropical country with lush jungle growth, strange bird songs
and calls coming from exotic trees and bushes, wildflowers rioting
around me — I found it quite difficult to express what impressed
me the most. The Birding in Taiwan tour was packed with much
information, sights and sounds, all experienced at high speed, as
much had to be covered in a relatively short time. It took me
several months to sort out the memories which had impressed me
most from the kaleidoscope of sights, sounds and happenings. Even
then, I had to sift and sort which memories were at the top of the
list!
Was it the people? Those we met were kind, generous
with their time and information, amazingly well informed on
conservation issues affecting their land, and deeply committed to
preserving as much as possible. Old and young seemed to enjoy the
outdoors equally; such as the family of grandparents, parents and
three children starting off on a forest trail while loaded with
backpacks, binoculars, cameras, and with bird books in hand. I
noticed several other families doing the same.
Was it the food? Delicious, interesting meals served
in an eye-catching fashion — truly a cultural and social
experience.
Was it the scenery? The pastoral, quiet lanes with
lush overhanging vegetation, banks of wildflowers with many
colourful butterflies dancing in the patches of sunlight which
filtered through the forest canopy, or the rugged mountains, deep
canyons and river valleys with rushing rivers and streams, some
altered by huge landslides caused by typhoon rains or earthquakes
which affect the island and its people. Farther south, the ocean
peacefully lapped black sand beaches or broke against outcrops of
black rock, marks of the volcanic origins of the island. Marshes
were dotted with lotus in bloom, while snowy white egrets stalked
amongst the vegetation.
The culture of this island and its people would need a
separate journey in order to understand the sharply contrasting
scenes…highly developed industry and technology, cheek-to-cheek
with simple, rural land use; rice-paddies nestled between modern
industrial buildings; a water buffalo pulling a wooden plow.
Another snapshot seen from our bus at a busy intersection in a
large town was an elderly woman dressed in black cotton clothing,
wearing a woven conical hat, riding a bicycle pulling a cart
loaded with heavy-looking logs. Beside her on the road was a
gleaming white stretch limousine, its occupants in formal dress
whites! Still another snapshot from the bus; a family on a
brilliant pink motor scooter — the father driving; between his
knees a fat, glossy Labrador Retriever; the man’s wife behind him
holding a baby, and a boy of about 6 years riding behind his
mother!
Birding was of course the primary reason for this
journey, and bird we did with early departures,
all-day searches, and late arrivals at overnight stays. Everyone
was kept on the alert; stop here, walk there, search for movement,
listen for sound. Our guides were ever watchful and we were
fortunate to have the best.
Taiwan, with its 15 endemics and about 500 other bird
species (residents, migrants and strays, both land and sea) is
definitely a challenge. One has to have good eye-sight, and it
helps to have knowledge of calls and songs as well as an
understanding of the habitat requirements of each species.
Personally, I was fortunate that one of the guides,
Mr. Ten-Di Wu, took the time to let me listen to a bird’s song,
point out its behaviour and the habitat it favoured. The Hwamei
(Garrulax canorus taewanus), an endemic sub-species,
moves mostly silently in the underbrush, occasionally singing its
beautiful song from a favoured perch low in the bushes. When Ten-Di
told me that the Hwamei often returns to the same singing perch, I
was able to memorize its song and identify it subsequently in
other places. Ten-Di also made me aware of the song and behaviour
of Gray Treepie and the endemic Steere’s Liocichla. Later, to
find them on my own brought me real excitement!
Another vignette indelibly imprinted in my memory
bank: While walking along a trail, I came upon a flock of small
birds that seemed to be mobbing something; had they noticed an owl
or a snake? As I often lagged behind the group, there were no
other birders with me, so I decided to watch the mob to try to
find out what excited them so. The group of mobbing birds, 15
White-eared Sibia, 3 Taiwan Yuhina, one Eurasian Nuthatch and some
others I could not get a good look at, hopped and scolded in great
agitation in the underbrush. After a few minutes, the mob
dispersed, and I never saw what they were so anxious about.
Still another memory is of a quiet early morning walk
in a local park. The paths were lined with brilliantly blooming
Bougainvillea shrubs. No one else was there, and in this oasis a
Hwamei and 9 other birds allowed me to identify them. It made my
day!
Of the 160+ species seen by the group, I only saw 115
that I was sure of. Mine is not an exceptional list, but the
colours, sounds, smells and pictures in my mind will stay with me
for a long time.
台灣賞鳥觀感（2005/5/2-11）
原著：Madelon
Schouten
（加拿大卑斯省）
翻譯：陳理事碧鐘（台灣國際觀鳥協會）
亞熱帶台灣有著茂密的森林，充滿異國風味的樹木，在叢林及野花間傳來陣陣鳥叫聲，均令人倍感興奮，要叫我說出何者印象最深刻，還真有些困難，我花了幾個月時間才理出頭緒，從萬花筒般影音中找出我記憶最深刻的部分。
難道此行最動人的部份是台灣的人民嗎？此行我們遇到了大方奉上時間又肯與我們分享訊息的人們，他們對影響這片土地的保育常識充足，也願堅持保育工作。台灣的年長者像年輕人一樣酷愛戶外活動，祖孫三代背著背包，攜帶望遠鏡、照相機以及賞鳥圖鑑一同漫步在林間小路上。
難道是本地的美食嗎？當美味可口及充滿趣味的食物呈現在你眼前時，那真是一次可貴的文化及社會交流經驗哩！
也許你認為是當地的風景最令人難忘嗎？當你徜徉在靜僻田園式的小巷裏，周遭長滿了茂盛垂懸的植物，彩蝶翩翩飛舞其間，陽光由森林空隙間投影大地，真是美不勝收。一眼望去，但見崎嶇山嶺、深邃峽谷及由颱風與地震所造成的谷中激流。往南些可見海水輕輕的打著沙灘及裸露的岩石，顯然這是島上火山岩地形的特徵，又見沼澤裏點綴著朵朵盛開的荷花，雪白的鷺鷥也在各種作物之間輕踏著腳步，悠閒的走著。
台灣島上的文化及人民也呈現對比的景象，高度發展的工業及技術與鄉村田野的簡樸相映成趣，稻田就橫列於工業建築之間。一輛裡面坐著全身白色西裝賓客的流線型轎車，正從一位身著黑棉衣，踩著單車的老婦人身邊駛過；而另一頭則是父親騎著粉紅色機車，後面載著抱著嬰兒的太太，前面還蹲坐著一隻拉不拉多犬，他們六歲左右的男孩也踩著單車緊跟在母親後面。
本趟訪台行程最主要的目的當然是賞鳥。我們一早就出門，不停的尋找，直到夜晚才歸返。我們時時提高警覺，走走停停，靜觀四方，側耳傾聽任何細微聲音。
台灣本身就有15種特有種鳥類，以及500種左右的鳥種，這對我們形成挑戰。你必須要有好眼力，才能分辨鳥兒的不同叫聲，你也要瞭解鳥類對棲息地之需求。
我們很幸運有吳添地先生擔任嚮導，他指點我如何分辨鳥兒的聲音，又講解鳥兒的習性及牠們喜愛的棲息地。畫眉鳥為台灣特有亞種鳥類，常見在樹林下小木叢中安靜的活動，偶爾也見其在矮樹枝上唱歌，牠也常又回到原先歌唱所站的同一枝椏上，讓人容易記起牠的歌聲來。此外添地還介紹了樹鵲和特有種黃胸藪眉的歌聲及習性，真正令人感到十分的振奮。
我還記得有次漫步在林間小路上時，看到了一群受到攻擊而驚嚇的小鳥，到底是貓頭鷹還是蛇在攻擊牠們呢？我單獨留下想探個究竟，終於見到了15隻白耳畫眉,
3隻冠羽畫眉,
一隻茶腹鳾以及其他鳥類，但只幾分鐘時間，牠們全走了，我仍然不知牠們焦慮的真正原因。
我也依然記得有天清晨於一處公園散步時，在路徑兩旁盛開的九重葛當中，認出了一隻畫眉鳥及9隻其他小鳥，真令人高興不已。
整個觀鳥團共見到160種鳥類，我則確定自己見到115種，但台灣鳥兒的顏色及影像將會長存在我心中。
Top BBS Participant Honoured
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