On 10 Oct 2012, I visited Kenting National Park for the annual event of the massive raptor migration. Kenting National Park is located at the southern tip of Taiwan, it is the first national park of Taiwan.
The migratory raptor species stop at Kenting in October are mainly the Gray-faced Buzzard (Butastur indicus, 灰面鵟鷹), Chinese Goshawk (Accipiter soloensis, 赤腹鷹) , Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus, 遊隼) and Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus, 紅隼). Besides the raptor, Brown Shrike is also one of the common migrants in Kenting, especially the subspecies of lucionensis.
Kenting is also one of the birding sites for the Taiwan Bulbul (Pycnonotus taiyanus, 烏頭翁), an endemic bird species of Taiwan. This species of Bulbul can only be seen in the lowland forest of the east or southern tip of Taiwan, whereas the Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensisis 白頭翁) is the dominant species on the island.
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| Taiwan Bulbul |
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| Light-vented Bulbul |
Gray-faced Buzzard, Chinese Goshawk, Eurasian Kestrel, Great Cormorant and Chestnut-cheeked Starling were my lifers in Kenting.
Happy Birding.
