My American Birding Adverture, Conclusion

     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 winters in America are much harsher than the winters here, so there is no danger of not finding enough food in winter. Also because of how American cities and homes are designed, the population is much more spread out, thus encroaching on the land animals need. The cities in Taiwan, however, are much denser, leaving more space for wildlife. Because the cities are so dense, there isn’t too much green space in the city, so the birds found in your backyard often are the ones you don’t want: sparrows, doves and invasive mynas.

Mute Swan

    Birding in America wouldn’t be as interesting if not for the amazing app eBird and all its cool functions. We have been using eBird for over seven years now, but this trip was really the first time we were able to use some of the new functions, the most useful being the sound identification. Because there are so many birders in the US, eBird has compiled a lot of data, making the sound ID very accurate. The sound ID was super helpful, mainly because it has been so long since we have come to the states, so there were many unfamiliar bird sounds. Even with the help of eBird, we still made a few mistakes. But what truly surprised us was the replies from the eBird volunteers. In Taiwan, mainly due to lack of personnel, the replies from eBird often take weeks if not months, making it very hard to recall what we actually saw. But in America, the replies were efficient and polite, kindly pointing out the mistake, and giving tips for the next time we see it, very different from the terse and rude language found in the Taiwanese ones. We were very appreciative and grateful for the temporary change.

Marbled Godwit

    Last but not least was the different human behaviors. Many times during our trip, we met complete strangers that just started a conversation, or at least showed some interest in what we were doing. Although both Taiwanese and Americans are very kind, Americans seem a lot more outgoing with their kindness, whereas Taiwanese are more reserved with strangers. Total strangers who you will never see again are more willing to engage in a c onversation in the States, but Taiwanese will generally avoid interaction if they can.