Skip to main content

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.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kenting Raptor Migration

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bird Ecological Center

The Tainan Wild Bird Society, of which I am a member, is in charge of the Bird Ecological Center in the Taijiang National Park in the Sicao area of Tainan. It was originally an office for administrators of the salt industry and was built during the Japanese Occupation. The Anshun Salt Fields are a big attraction in Taijiang and the beautiful scenery brings tourists from around the island. Harvesting salt was a major industry in Tainan throughout the Japanese and KMT periods, and only ended in the last forty years or so. After the harvesting stopped, the Wild Bird Society decided to preserve the building and use it as a resource for the public to learn more about birds and the larger ecology of the Taijiang area. When I volunteer there, my work is mainly focused on introducing the large array of bird specimens and a cool display of local seeds and fruits. I take visitors around the specimen room and give a broad introduction of the birds on display and some interesting facts about them....
1 comment
Read more

Mountain Hawk-Eagle

    The Mountain Hawk-Eagle is one of the biggest raptors native to Taiwan, and is also one of the rarest and hardest to observe. It's wingspan is a bit small for such a big eagle, which is one of the easiest ways to identify it. A big body with wide wings. The Mountain Hawk-Eagle is not easy to see because it lives only in places with almost no human disruption. It also only comes out to hunt a couple of times a day, so you might not be able to see it even if you are in a suitable habitat. The Mountain Hawk-Eagle is considered very sacred by some indigenous tribes in Taiwan, and the tail feathers of the eagle are used to decorate the headdresses of local tribal leaders. I also consider the Mountain Hawk-Eagle as sacred because I have only met it a couple of times, and it is the bird that started my birding journey. Of the four times I have seen it, three times I saw it in Ali, the place where I first started birding. It is still one of my favorite places to do mountain birdin...
Post a Comment
Read more