ABC Wednesday: H is for High Speed Chase

I am not talking about the High Speed Chase that we have often seen in the police movie.  I refer to chasing the bird in the mid-flight what the photographer often called "panning".  This Spot-billed duck (斑嘴鴨), Anas poecilorhyncha was taken at a wetland in Yilan county, east of Taipei.

I was on a tour with "Natural Kingdom", the only government registered natural tour operator in Taiwan.  The trip was to go to the Fu-shan Botanical Garden at Yilan county, but the guide took us first to this wetland to see migratory birds.  It was a sight that I have never seen in Taiwan.

I have seen the massive colony of Sandy Crane in New Mexico, and heard of the large number of migratory sea birds on the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge on Cape Cod.  But I have never expected to see this massive showing of migratory birds in Taiwan.  The main species at this location are Black-winged Stilt (長腳鵴), Himantopus himantopus, Gray heron (蒼鷺), Ardea cinerea and Egret.

The most impressive showing was by the Black-winged Stilt.

Hundreds of them would suddenly take off into the air all at the same time.  It is a sight to behold.

The area used to be rice fields and shrimp farms, now it is under heavy pressure from land developers.  I hope there will always be enough wetland left for this natural wonder.

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