Tainan Young Birder Blog

Crested Serpent-Eagle Every October, my family travels south to Kenting (in Pingtung) on the national Day of Taiwan. We visit for the purpose of seeing the breath-taking migration of raptors - thousands upon thousands - journeying to their wintering grounds. Because Taiwan is a key rest stop for birds, there are many places to observe this particular migration.  A kettle of raptors Of all the migrating raptors, the Grey-faced Buzzard and the Chinese Sparrowhawk are the ones that are the most abundant. Hundreds of thousands pass through Taiwan every year. The Grey-faced Buzzard is a medium-sized raptor, with a mouse-gray face, a black-tipped beak, a very obvious throat streak, brownish wings, horizontal streaking in the underbody, and bright orange talons. The Chinese Sparrowhawk on the other hand is much smaller in size, has a blueish-gray back and head, and black-tipped wings. Adults lack a throat streak, whereas juveniles have one. Grey-faced Buzzard This year we had a slight cha

      This is the last post of the American birding series. After a month in the states, I noticed some significant differences between Taiwan and America. Yellow-rumped Warbler      The most noticeable difference of course was the totally different birds. Being in a whole other continent, the birds were almost all different with just a few exceptions. Another thing was the types of birds seen in America. There are a lot more woodpeckers in America than in Taiwan, more sparrows, and much prettier warblers than the dull green warblers present in Taiwan. On the other hand, Taiwan has a lot more waterbirds, a huge variety of buntings, dazzling Kingfishers, and many thrushes.  California Towhee      I also noticed some behavioral differences. For example, I noticed American birds aren’t as shy, and will let you get closer. There is also a bird feeding culture in the states, whereas that is frowned upon by birders in Taiwan. There are a couple reasons why that is the case. First off, the wi