The 2013 Huajiang Wild Duck Festival kicks off on December 7th, featuring a 2-meter-tall little duck as a special guest

▲Senior birdwatcher Chen Yuehui poses with a 2-meter-tall little duck to promote the importance of natural ecology and environmental protection.

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

From September each year to March of the following year, thousands of wild ducks migrate from Siberia to spend the winter, inhabiting the wetlands around the “Huajiang Wild Duck Nature Park” in Taipei, making the park an important ecological resource for the city. To reignite sustainable interaction between people and nature through the city’s only wildlife reserve—the Huajiang Wild Duck Nature Park—and to build conservation and environmental education experiences while fostering a sense of local identity, the Taipei City Animal Protection Office is organizing the “2013 Taipei Huajiang Wild Duck Festival,” which will take place with a lively opening under the Huajiang Bridge on December 7 and 8.

The organizers have put extra effort into realistically portraying the appearance of wild ducks and have created two little ducks, standing 2 meters tall and 3 meters wide—20 times larger than their actual size—to help participants gain a deeper understanding of these birds. The 2013 Taipei Huajiang Wild Duck Festival not only offers birdwatching fun and wetland scenery viewing under the Huajiang Bridge but also includes events such as the Water God yP Wild Duck - Parade, challenge games, a birdwatching expo, and a conservation fair.

▲The Huajiang Wetland Park welcomes many overseas guests each year who come to spend the winter.

Chen Yuehui, a senior birdwatcher known locally as a “conservation pioneer,” has observed over nearly 30 years of long-term monitoring that in addition to wild ducks, a small group of peregrine falcons has consistently returned to the Huajiang Wetland during the Double Ten period for several consecutive years. Chen urges everyone to pay more attention to this hard-won urban wetland and to manage it sustainably in a way that is more ecologically friendly, leaving a space for future generations to enjoy birdwatching, experience life, and engage in environmental education.

Yan Yifeng, director of the Animal Protection Office, stated that to slow down the process of wetland terrestrialization and ensure sustainable environmental management, the Taipei City Government designated the Huajiang Wetland as the “Taipei City Wild Goose Reserve” in 1997 (the 86th year of the Republic of China), and in 2013 (the 102nd year), carried out habitat restoration and dredging covering 3 hectares. According to Chen Yuehui’s observations, the area has indeed attracted more waterfowl this year compared to the same period last year, indicating that the habitat restoration efforts have shown preliminary success.