Although Kenting is an all-year-round place for various activities, some activities are seasonable. One of these – Kenting Eagle Watching, happens in September-October every year when migratory birds fly through Kenting. creating spectacular views.
Due to Kenting’s favorable geographical location, it serves as a critical stopover for migratory birds, with over 200 species passing through or wintering here annually. Among them, the most spectacular sight is the autumn migration of diurnal raptors.
The most famous of these raptors is the Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle, often referred to as the Grey-faced Eagle. Thousands of them migrate through Kenting each autumn, roosting in the Hengchun Peninsula, and pass through the Changhua area in spring.
They have stable roosting sites and can often be seen circling and landing before nightfall. To protect these birds from extensive trapping during migration, they were named “National Day Birds” because they tend to migrate around Taiwan’s National Day on October 10th.
When is the peak period for eagles migration in Kenting?
In Kenting National Park, the peak period for the Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle’s autumn migration is from early to mid-October, lasting about 20 days. They primarily roost in the mountainous areas near Manzhou Township.
Kenting National Park also witnesses many Japanese Sparrowhawks during their autumn migration, with tens of thousands observed over the past decade. Their migration spans from early September to late October, with a peak in mid to late September, and there have been records of nearly 60,000 of them migrating in a single day.
The Kenting “Bird Watching Season” during autumn has become a significant tourist attraction. This event, which includes various activities, takes place from September through October. Bird-watching sessions are held both in the morning and afternoon, allowing visitors to observe these magnificent raptors in action.
What time and where can I watch the bird migrations in Kenting?
In September, the morning sessions take place from around 5:30 AM to 7 AM. During this time, visitors can witness raptor flocks gathering and heading southward over the sea, performing impressive aerial displays. The Lingxiao Pavilion in Sheding Nature Park (社頂凌霄亭) is an excellent spot for observing this phenomenon.
Lingxiao Pavilion in Sheding Nature Park (社頂凌霄亭)
Location of Lingxiao Pavilion in Sheding Nature Park (社頂凌霄亭) for bird watching activity in Kenting
This includes low-altitude upwind gliding, soaring using thermal air currents, high-altitude gliding, and wing flapping, creating a variety of impressive scenes.
Under the morning sun, the smiles on the faces of bird watchers reflect their inner joy. The Lingxiao Pavilion in Sheding Nature Park is an excellent observation point. It provides a view of the spectacular “Eagle River,” where thousands of eagles gather, or the “Eagle Sea,” where eagles fill the sky, and there are often surprises with eagles flying low and close.
In October, besides the morning session for observing eagle flocks heading out to sea from the Sheding Nature Park, there is also the afternoon session for waiting for the eagles to return.
This takes place from early afternoon until around 5 PM, and it features the repeated spectacle of eagle flocks circling, gathering, diving, landing, and taking off again at low altitudes, which continues until just before nightfall. Although the observers are not very close to the eagles, the experience is always captivating. The areas outside Manzhou Township and the bridges at Shan-Ding (山頂橋) and Li-Ding (里德橋) near Manzhou are excellent places with expansive visibility for bird-watching.
