Hsu Chen (許宸), an 18-year-old student in Taitung County who has been photographing birds for a decade, on Tuesday said his dream is to host a solo exhibition this year.
Hsu began birdwatching with his father when he was in the third grade, eventually becoming more invested in it than his father, Hsu said.
Every weekend, he would wake up at 6:30am to join a birdwatching event hosted by the Wild Bird Society of Taitung, he said.
Photo courtesy of Hsu Chen
Over time, he became an expert at identifying birds and when he was in the sixth grade, the society gave him the title “youngest birding guide in Taiwan,” he said.
In May, 2010, he and his father joined photographers from across Taiwan and traveled to Taitung Forest Park to photograph a black-naped oriole that had built a nest there and was brooding, he said.
He was the only person using a point-and-shoot camera, he said.
With an illustration of the bird in hand and a camera around his neck, the two carefully followed the movements of the bird, he said.
He even told people that he had captured the best angle, he added.
Since then, he has visited numerous birdwatching sites in Taitung and elsewhere in Taiwan, including in Kinmen County, Hsu said.
Hsu, who is a third-year student at National Taitung Senior High School, has been accepted into National University of Tainan’s department of ecology and environmental resources.
Birdwatching helped him understand the environment, he said, adding that he hopes to protect it.
For now, Hsu said his dream is to share with the public his photographs and stories from 10 years of birdwatching.
He has been selected as one of the recipients of a grant funded by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Liu Chao-hao (劉櫂豪) and would use the money to host an exhibition, he said.
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