Our major draw near Longshan Temple is the Wild Duck Natural Park, a natural area inside Taipei that protects lots of ducks and other water and migratory birds. We are hoping to see at least a few special birds here, as long as we can get there. There is really no easy access as we try to approach as the main street sidewalk is closed and the sidestreets dead end at a major street that anyway has a large wall separating us from the natural area. Finally we make it past the closing on the main street and there is a crossing here but how can we pass through the wall?
The answer is easy when we get close to the wall, there is a passage here that can be close anytime. It is likely to protect against tsunamis and floods but it also makes reaching the park harder than we expected.
But now we are inside the park and it is time to start exploring. We can choose left or right and left we go passing some weird artwork representing dismembered or more likely swimming ducks.
Already here we see a few new birds, the light vented bulbuls that are ubiquitous in Taiwan and a Plain Prinia singing away in the reeds.
The trail is quite scenic passing through the reeds with the drawback being that there is little shade and it is quite hot outside.
To avoid the sun for longer periods we try to use the shade of the trees whenever we are passing near them. And we are not the only ones using the trees there are egrets and herons also and they are not happy to see us pause near them even for a short while.
There are also a few more interesting birds in the trees including our first Black collared Starling, quite an interesting looking bird.
Of course there are also water birds, lots of egrets and a lost Green Sandpiper among them.
We return slightly more inland passing through a small grove of trees that we investigate for some interesting birds. Initially beside an Oriental Magpie nothing stands out but we decide to rest on a bench for a bit and watch what else passes by.
And then we get pooped on, literally from the tree. As we look up to see the offending bird we see it a Taiwan Barbet, an endemic bird that we really wanted to see but not getting pooped by. It is a really beautiful bird though even though now we have to be careful where it is to avoid additional accidents.
As we return we keep an eye out over the tide flats and soon we notice there are lots and lots of crabs that are doing their best to stay hidden and are mostly failing.
We try to explore also the way to the right of the parking lot but it is too hot so soon we retreat back to the city to find some cold drinks and something to eat for lunch before returning to the hotel.
