More than 7,000 birds have migrated to Taipei's Huajiang Wild Duck Nature Park since the beginning of this year, the Wild Bird Society of Taipei (WBST) said yesterday.
The park, the largest habitat of migrational birds in northern Taiwan, is located at the point where the Hsintien River flows into the Tamshui River and covers an area of more than 11 hectares.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The period to observe migrational birds in the park starts in September and lasts until April, however, most birds start arriving between December and February.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
This year's Huajiang Wild Duck Season officially kicked off at the park yesterday, drawing more than 1,500 bird watchers.
"This year, green-winged teals make up the majority of the birds who have come here. The second, third and fourth largest groups are northern shovelers, pintails and Eurasian wigeons," said Tseng Guo-fang (
According to Tseng, rare birds such as the brown hawk howl, the ruddy shelduck and the common shelduck have been spotted in the park.
"The birds are changing feathers for the summer now. Their bright, new feathers will be very useful in the breeding season," Tseng said.
The ruddy shelduck is usually found in southeast Europe and across Asia. The species' numbers have declined in the western part of its habitat.
The ruddy shelduck lives in Taiwan between October and April while its breeding season begins in March. The bird usually nests in holes in the ground or in trees.
Meanwhile, Huang Jung-feng (黃榮峰), director of the city's Bureau of Reconstruction, praised the WBST's dedication to promoting bird watching and conservation in the area since it was set up 1989.
"To cooperate with the WBST's efforts to conserve the area, the city government established the park in January 1996," Huang said, adding that now people can watch birds that have travelled from Siberia to the park.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS