First overseas birding of the year!
I was on vacation in Taiwan from 28 Mar to 04 Apr 2026. While the primary objective of the trip was not for birding, I did manage to squeeze out some time here and there to bird. My first stop was Guandu Nature Park, a wetland nature reserve in northern Taipei located at the confluence of the Tamsui and Keelung Rivers.
The park can be easily accessed by the Tamsui-Xinyi Metro Line (Red Line). Alight at Guandu Station and the park entrance is about 15 mins walk away.
Entering the park, I was immediately greeted by a good variety of birds in the forested area. This Taiwan Barbet (lifer) was spotted excavating a hole in the tree for nesting.
Some Black-faced Buntings (lifer) were spotted foraging along the walkway in the quiet hours of the morning before more visitors arrive.
A Common Kingfisher had a successful dive in a pond and caught a fish. Unfortunately, I did not manage to photograph it before the bird ate it’s catch.
As for the shorebirds, they congregate on the mudbanks far away from the park walkway. The best place to spot them is from the birding hides in the park – specifically the one which is double-storied which allows for a higher vantage point of the area.
I was stunned by the amount of Black-winged Stilts (lifer) here. These birds are rare migrants in Singapore.
There was also a good variety of ducks, sandpipers and snipes congregated on the mudbanks. But they were so well camouflaged that I did not even realized they were there until I got back home and uploaded my photos to a computer.
On the far end of the park, I spotted a flock of African Sacred Ibis (lifer). They are considered an invasive species – accidentally introduced into Taiwan when some captive birds escaped a zoo damaged by a typhoon in 1979.
All in all, it was a productive half day of birding adding 14 new ticks to my life list.
eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S317310382
The Salaryman Birder 
Leave a comment