Category: birdwatching

another bird we saw in taiwan was their famous blue magpie, which is endemic to the island and a little bit of a symbol of the country. you can find it in postcards and even murals!

we saw it really unexpectedly too: it just pranced in the path ahead of us mid-hike in yangmingshan, mindless of our human proximity, as if it just didn’t care. we were so shocked that we first froze in place, and then scrambled to get some pictures.

they didn’t turn out great, but still, it made us happy to have gotten this quiet moment with the special blue bird. :)

these are gorgeous birds, and so unlike our own mediterranean grey herons… it’s like they have no neck at all 😅 

they’re so used to people here that they just chill around the city ponds like they own the place. i love their colors and particularly the few stray bits of white “hair” that stick out of the head, like a fancy accessory!

the red eyes, on the other hand… slightly creepy.

walking around the da’an forest park here in taipei, we saw a lot of people with their big cameras pointed at a little hole in a tree…

so i gathered up my courage and asked a grandpa standing there whether they were all birdwatching. he said “we’re waiting for the five color bird!”, and at my confusion, he picked up his phone and showed me pictures of the taiwan barbet… wow! 😍 we had heard its call before (a loud frog-like noise coming from the trees in the park), but the bird itself remained elusive. with some patience though, we were able to find it… and it is stunning!

most of the body is green and blends with the foliage, but the head and neck feature some really bright stripes of color, including 2 red dots just above the beak. and that call!

we haven’t even left the city and we’ve already seen a few other new birds… i had forgotten how exciting islands can be for birdwatching — even sparrows are a little different here! :)