Kinmen

A Black Kite

Most of Taiwan's offshore islands have a lot to offer in terms of birding; there are almost certainly birds there you can't see on the mainland of Taiwan. Of all of them, though, I think Kinmen is the best. Besides being Taiwan's largest offshore island, it is also very close to China, meaning you can see many birds that would otherwise only be possible to see if you went to China. These birds can travel the few kilometers to Kinmen but won't travel all the way to Taiwan proper.

A Eurasian Hoopoe

Kinmen is very productive throughout the year. In the winter, the most interesting birds are the Great Crested Grebe, Red-throated Loon, Black-capped Kingfisher, Glossy Ibis, and many different kinds of cormorants. The summer also yields some very interesting birds, including the stunningly beautiful Fork-tailed Sunbird, the vividly colored Blue-tailed Bee-eater, the Pied Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, and of course, the iconic Eurasian Hoopoe.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

The Hoopoe is my favorite of the birds I saw during my trip to Kinmen. It is a bit bizarre looking with a long curved beak and a mohawk. In Taiwanese culture, it isn't considered a lucky bird and most older people on Kinmen don't like it. That's because it usually roosts in the eaves of abandoned buildings, most commonly the small family mausoleums common throughout the island. Thus, it is locally referred to as the "Graveyard Bird" - somewhat of an ominous name for such a cute, pleasant bird.

Another favorite is the Blue-tailed Bee-eater, which has a chestnut-colored throat, a black eye stripe, a pretty olive green coloring, with a blue back and tail. Besides being beautiful, it also has some interesting habits. Like the kingfishers that it is related to, it doesn't build nests, but rather digs a three-meter hole in the side of a hill or riverbank, laying its eggs deep inside. They also court potential mates by giving gifts of delicious mealworms or bees.

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Another exciting bird we saw was the Fork-tailed Sunbird at the botanical garden. It also has a long, curved beak, but is only the size of a warbler. It reminds me somewhat of a hummingbird. My absolute favorite bird on Kinmen was the Eurasian Oystercatcher, a larger black wading bird similar to the Black Oystercatcher in America. When I saw it on my birding leaflet, I immediately knew it was my top target species. We went to a couple of beaches where it was reported, but got skunked. On our second to last day we decided to go to Oucuo, which has the most beautiful beach in Kinmen (really, all of Taiwan). There is even a WWII-era tank half-sunk in the fine, white sand - it makes for great pictures at sunset. As my family was exploring the area around the tank, I surprisingly came upon a group of Oystercatchers after I followed the familiar sound of shorebirds calling. They flew behind a rocky patch and I had to scramble over it to see where they landed. The rocks were all coral and full of shells, so I had to walk fast but not too fast, because I didn't want to fall or scare the birds. I had to tippy-toe around lots of sharp rocks, but eventually the Oystercatchers came into view, in a neat, orderly line. I was afraid they might be scared off, so I took a couple of quick establishing shots and then began edging closer and closer. As I was snapping pictures like a madman, my dad came around the bend and actually got a look at them, too. It was an unforgettable end to our amazing Kinmen trip.