Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County’s Renai Township has temporarily closed its doors to visitors to conform with the government’s nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert. With nesting season currently underway, a family of collared scops owls — a protected species in Taiwan — has taken up residence in one of the park’s Taiwan incense cedar trees.
Although the recreation area is temporarily closed to the public, the epidemic prevention measures have not stopped its birds and bees from procreating. The months of May and June are nesting season, and things really come to life after dark. Within the recreation area it is possible to observe owls brooding, hear chicks chirping and see adult owls shuttling to and fro from their nests with morsels of food to help their little darlings grow up quickly.
Workers from the recreation area and research specialists from the Endemic Species Research Institute in the county’s Jiji Township were checking breeding boxes when they discovered a family of protected collared scops owls resting in a Taiwan incense cedar tree. The team believes there are at least four collared scops owls nesting in the tree. They have spotted them resting side-by-side in pairs or perching independently. The owls all had their heads tucked down and their eyes closed, sound asleep.
Photo courtesy of Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area 照片:奧萬大森林遊樂區提供
The team quickly grabbed the opportunity to photograph the charming scene, taking as many photos as possible of the owls. While the photographers were snapping away, one fledging owl discreetly opened its big, bright eyes and inclined its head to peek at the people below, which was captured on film to produce a surprisingly soporific photograph of the owlet’s adorably goofy expression.
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
南投縣仁愛鄉奧萬大森林遊樂區因配合防疫三級警戒而休園,正值鳥類育雛期,園區的台灣肖楠樹上則有保育鳥類「領角鶚」家族現蹤。
Photo courtesy of Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area 照片:奧萬大森林遊樂區提供
奧萬大森林遊樂區因防疫而休園,生物的繁衍並不因此停歇,五、六月是鳥類育雛的季節,此時入夜時分,園區也能適時觀察到貓頭鷹的育雛畫面,幼鳥會發出「企、企、企」的叫聲,親鳥則會不停來回餵食,希望鳥寶寶快快長大。
園區工作人員與集集特有生物研究保育中心研究人員,日前在調查園區鳥巢箱的繁殖狀況時,就在台灣肖楠樹上發現正在休息的保育鳥類領角鶚家族,樹上至少有四隻領角鶚,有的兩兩相依,或是各據枝頭,每隻都是縮頭、閉眼,睡得香甜。
樹下的人們則是抓緊時機,拿起相機對著可愛的領角鶚家族猛拍,領角鶚幼鳥還會謹慎的睜眼查看,一雙水汪汪、圓滾滾的大眼睛,歪著頭看著樹下的人,呆萌的模樣讓人看了超療癒。
(自由時報佟振國)
Taiwanese cuisine boasts a rich culture of thick soups, with various options available at street vendors or high-end restaurants. In English, this style of dish is typically called “thick soup.” Western cuisine typically uses flour, cream, or mashed vegetables to create a creamy consistency, while in Taiwan, thick soups are made by simply incorporating food starch into the soup and creating a smooth and silky texture. Tutuo fish in thick soup is such a soup with fried tutuo fish chunks, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and wood ears. 台灣羹品飲食文化豐富,無論是巷口小店或是高檔餐廳,都有提供羹料理。羹在英文稱作「濃湯」,西式濃湯是以麵粉、鮮奶油、蔬菜泥等達到濃稠的口感,台灣的羹湯用太白粉即能做出濃稠絲滑的湯頭。土魠魚羹就是在勾芡的羹湯中加入炸土魠魚塊、香菇、竹筍、木耳等食材的料理。 boast (v.) 擁有(令人驕傲的事物) consistency (n.) 濃稠度 chunk (n.) 厚塊,大塊 wood ear (n. ph.) 木耳 The star of this
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs. WHAT ARE CORALS? Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies. Their calcium carbonate secretions form hard and protective scaffolding that serves as a home to many colorful species of single-celled algae. The two organisms have evolved over millennia to work together, with corals providing shelter to algae,
In Taiwan, a quick stop at a local convenience store allows you to grab a hot dog whenever you want. But have you ever wondered how this popular snack got its unique name and became a leading light of American cuisine? First, the name “hot dog” is actually a combination of different ideas. Vendors called the sausages “red hot” to get customers to buy one fresh off their grills. As for the “dog” part, it’s a playful joke to compare the meat of the sausage to that of a dog—specifically , a dachshund. This small, long dog breed was
A: Also, police seized seven pornographic videos featuring minors that entertainer Mickey Huang purchased in his hard disc. B: That’s just outrageous! A: His ex-girlfriend entertainer Little S and some others are calling for a legal amendment to increase the penalty. B: The buyers and sellers should both be punished heavily. A: But the porn sellers’ Web sites are mostly overseas, so they are hard to catch. A: 此外警方也在黃子佼的硬碟裡,查到7部他買的未成年色情片。 B: 真是令人火大! A: 他的前女友小S等人,還呼籲修法,加重相關的罰則。 B: 購買者和販賣者雙方都該重罰。 A: 不過色情網站大多設在海外要抓也不容易吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)