Little Egret

      Because Taiwan has the steepest mountains in East Asia, Taiwan receives 2 1/2 times the world average rainfall.  For that same reason, most of the water quickly runs off, by way of countless rivers, creeks, and streams.  As a consequence, water birds of various types can be seen almost anywhere in Taiwan.

     The photos on this page are of little egrets I saw in along Huang-shi Riverside Park in the Shih-lin District of Taipei, the 228 Peace Park in downtown Taipei, and along the Tamsui (Dan Shuei) River between Shih-lin and the city of Tamsui. 

     Here are a few photos of little egrets in the 228 Peace Park:

      The hardest photos to take were the ones along Huangshi Riverside Park in the Shih-lin District.  Only rarely was it possible to get close enough to take clear pictures.  Of the many photos I took, I was satisfied with only these three.

     Huangshi Creek runs into the Tamsui River, which flows into the Taiwan Strait.  From the point Huangshi Creek empties into the Tamsui River, it's all wetlands.  

    Just before you reach the big temple near Guandu, a stream flows under the biking path and wends its way to a creek that runs parallel to the Tamsui River.  It's at that point you find an opening in the mangrove swamp, and you can see the stream and creek below.

     That's a nifty place to get close enough to get close enough to a little egret to take pictures.  Once in awhile, an Oriental ibis frequents the place, but I haven't gotten close enough for a clear photo of that fellow.

      I saw this little egret in a tidal stream in Danshui. 

     I took the next picture while I was hiking a few miles from the city of Guanhsi, in Hsinchu County.  It doesn't clearly show the little egret, but I like the overall effect of the rice field, the forest, the reflection of the sky on the rice field, and the egret.

For more information on the little egret, click here.