After entering autumn, the peak period of migratory raptors passing through Taiwan arrives, and the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung is the last rest stop. The Kenting Management Office began surveying the autumn raptor migration from September 1st. Up until yesterday, over 180,000 Crested Goshawks flying south were recorded.
Crested Goshawk
The Grey-faced Buzzard, also known as the ‘National Day Bird’, has also begun to arrive, but in sporadic numbers, with a total of 3361 counted until yesterday. This morning, several thousand were reported flying south over the Hengchun Peninsula from Lide Village in Manzhou Township. It is estimated that in the next few days, there will be a surge, with tens of thousands migrating each day.
Raptor Migration Route from Japan through Kenting, En Route to the Philippines
Chen Xuanwu 陳玄武, the head of the interpretation and education department of the Kenting Management Office, said that every year from September to October, migratory raptors pass through Taiwan, and large numbers of Crested Goshawks and Grey-faced Buzzards pass through the Hengchun Peninsula. These are the two representative ‘protagonists’ of the raptor-watching season in the Kenting National Park in autumn.
Bird watching enthusiasts await raptors in Lide Village
The Crested Goshawk, being the most numerous raptor migrating through Kenting in the fall, is currently in the tail end of its main migration period. Although the number, over 180,000 until yesterday, is less than the over 250,000 in past years, it is close to the average number over the past decade.
Gray Faced Buzzard
He said that next, the Grey-faced Buzzard arrives. According to observations in past years, they always arrive around National Day, also earning them the elegant name of ‘National Day Bird’. In recent years, the migration number has exceeded 100,000, but this year, during the four-day National Day holiday, only a few have passed through, leaving raptor enthusiasts somewhat disappointed.
As of yesterday, the total was 3361. Reports of eagles from all over Taiwan indicate that the peak of migration is approaching and is expected to last for more than a week. To accompany eagle enthusiasts in welcoming delicate guests from the north, the Kenting Raptor Carnival will take place this Saturday afternoon in Manzhou Township. Telescopes will be set up on-site for visitors to admire the aerial prowess of the flock of eagles and for guided explanations. Usually, these bird watching enthusiasts also gather at Lingxiao Pavilion in Sheding Park, however, this time, Lingxiao Pavilion was damaged by the typhoon Koinu.
Raptor-watching expert Cai Yirong 蔡乙榮 said that as long as the weather is clear and the wind speed does not exceed level 5, there is a high probability of seeing a large number of eagles migrating south. When the eagles take off, they form ecological natural wonders such as ‘eagle balls’, ‘eagle rivers’, and ‘eagle seas’.
The ideal time is from 6 to 8 in the morning when the eagle flocks are most concentrated. At noon, there is a chance to encounter eagles that have just arrived and are preparing to head to their nighttime perching spots. The best places to watch the ‘falling eagles’ roosting in the forest in the afternoon are in Lide Village and Gangkou Village, Manzhou Township.
Grey-faced Buzzards and Chinese Sparrowhawks migrate from northeastern Asia to the Philippines, Borneo, and Sumatra, passing through Taiwan’s Kenting area. In this migration path, they do traverse the ocean and have been observed to fly non-stop over open water for significant distances.
The Kenting Management Office said that the traditional viewing spot for watching the eagles take off, the Lingxiao Pavilion in Kenting She Ding Park, is dangerous due to damage from wind disasters and is not recommended for visits, and now even closed due to typhoon damage, as we wrote earlier.
Guanshan in Hengchun West Terrace, the surrounding area of Longluantan in the Hengchun Valley Plain, and along Provincial Highway Taiwan Route 26 southward to Eluanbi near Gangkou Suspension Bridge (by the way – typhoon Koinu destroyed this bridge as well) in Manzhou Township, Pingtung County, are all good spots for watching Grey-faced Buzzards and other migratory raptors.