The first of the migratory Chinese sparrowhawks to arrive in Taiwan this year have been spotted in Kaohsiung, with more expected to arrive next week.
The Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society said that between 500 and 1,400 Chinese sparrowhawks had been seen near Kaohsiung’s Fongshan Hills (鳳山丘陵) each day from Monday to Wednesday, adding that Japanese sparrowhawks, Eurasian sparrowhawks, ospreys and other migratory raptors have also been sighted.
Chinese sparrowhawks migrate from Southeast Asia to Taiwan in the spring and the Fongshan Hills area is the first in a series of habitats they visit on their migratory route, Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society director-general Lin Kun-hai (林崑海) said.
Of the migratory raptors seen in Taiwan, Chinese sparrowhawks and grey-faced buzzards arrive in the highest numbers, Lin said, adding that in any given year, the total number of the birds ranges from thousands to tens of thousands.
More raptors are expected to arrive when favorable easterly, southeasterly or southerly winds begin to blow across the Bashi Channel, conditions which are expected to take place before Tuesday next week, Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society executive director Cheng Cheng-ching (鄭政卿) said.
The highest number of Chinese sparrowhawks estimated to have arrived in Taiwan was 30,000 in 2013, but the number has since declined each year for unknown reasons, although some observers believe that more of the birds are dying during the migratory flight from Southeast Asia, Cheng said.
Bird lovers who want to catch a glimpse of the Chinese sparrowhawks should head for Kaohsiung’s Tantoushan (潭頭山), Banpingshan (半屏山) or Siaogangshan (小崗山), the society said.
The society is to hold an event in Banpingshan tomorrow for people who would like to see a raptor, it said.
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