The Guandu Nature Park Art Season Opens, Welcoming the October Migratory Bird Season!

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team

The 9th Guandu International Natural Installation Art Season, held at Guandu Nature Park, grandly opened on September 28, 103 (2014),with international artists undertaking 15 days of on-site creation.The artists collected natural materials such as branches, fallen leaves, soil, bamboo, and stones on-site to create large-scale installation artworks that blend with the natural environment. The artworks completed by five artists were displayed at Guandu Nature Park, Taipei National University of the Arts, and Zhishan Cultural and Ecological Green Park, with the exhibition running until December 31, 103 (2014). Visitors are welcome to come and appreciate the beauty of natural art crafted from natural elements.

During the creation period of the installation art season, international artists not only had to adapt to working in Taiwan’s humid and hot climate but also deal with various unexpected situations of outdoor work. Canadian artist Tom McKinnon once had to go to the emergency room after cutting his ankle with a chainsaw during the early stages of creation, but he continued to focus on his work despite the injury. Filipino artist Roger Tibon, who was invited to Taiwan for the fourth time this year, shared emotionally at the farewell party. He mentioned that apart from creating artworks, what he cherished most was the interaction with the enthusiastic and voluntary Taiwanese art volunteers, which was the most special experience the Guandu Art Season brought to the artists.

As the north wind begins in August and September and the seasons transition into autumn and winter, the scorching summer heat gradually cools down.The highlight season for birdwatchers has begun!The egrets on the Guandu Nature Reserve have dispersed, and the park now hosts more yellow-crowned night herons, little egrets, and great egrets. Recently, migratory birds appearing at Guandu Nature Park have made the area lively, and on October 5, an internationally protected migratory bird—the black-faced spoonbill—was spotted in the core wetland conservation area, further exciting birdwatchers. Gazing across the pools, grasslands, and thickets, flocks of egrets resemble delightful cotton candy. The Egyptian goose, which wandered far from home, and the egrets of September will soon head south for winter, but then the winter migratory birds, such as the Eurasian teal squadrons, will arrive in the Taipei Guandu area. The migratory bird season at Guandu Nature Park has officially kicked off!

The Taipei City Animal Protection Office noted that to maintain waterbird habitats, habitat restoration projects are continuously carried out each year, including dredging waterways, mowing tall grasses, and slowing down the rate of wetland terrestrialization. By appropriately introducing brackish water from outside the embankment, they aim to increase benthic biodiversity and improve the benthic ecosystem, hoping to attract more waterbirds to stay. Recently, after the completion of the habitat restoration project in the core conservation area of Guandu Nature Park, the number of migratory birds inhabiting the area this year has noticeably improved. Additionally, on September 20, park staff observed dozens of Eurasian teals arriving, and their quacking calls marked the prelude to the autumn and winter duck season, making them the most numerous wintering group at Guandu Nature Park. They will soon be followed by northern pintails and mallards, while the northern shovelers will arrive slightly later. The ducks gathering in the wetlands of Guandu call out to each other in the darkness, as if congratulating each other on their safe thousand-mile journey south and celebrating their annual reunion at Guandu Nature Park.