Taiwan is one of the world’s most underexposed ecotourism destinations. The Taiwanese explore their island in droves, but westerners tend to think of it as a concrete megalopolis with little wilderness. Nothing could be further from the truth, with some 60% of the original forest cover remaining, making Taiwan one of the wildest and least altered lands on Earth – a stark contrast to many of its neighbors. Despite its tiny size, the towering mountain ranges that dominate its spine are tall and spectacular, reaching over 13,000 ft. (4000 m.). Along with its avian riches, Taiwan boasts friendly people, picturesque cultural scenes, and wonderfully distinctive Asian cuisine. The most interesting development in the last decade has been an explosion in interest in birding and bird photography. Taiwanese love photographing endemics, residents, migrants, and especially rare visitors to their island, and there is a fervent community pushing tens of thousands who are passionate about their hobby. This means that many birds are well staked out, used to people and cameras, and thus very cooperative for birders and photographers. It all bodes well for birders with cameras! All visitors, no matter what their particular bent, are in for a great experience. The wild interior holds some high quality endemic birds, including two pheasant species, as well as a host of laughingthrushes and the snazzy Flamecrest. Added to the wealth of endemic and resident birds, almost all of which remain easily found in winter, are a suite of migrants that occupy the island in the winter. Millions of waterfowl, shorebirds, and passerines flood the island from Siberia and the frozen north, and there are several great spots to catch up with them. In addition, many of the birds have been habituated at a series of feeding stations and are tame and are easily photographed, making it a dream Asian photography destination. Asian birds are notoriously hard to get pictures of, but not in Taiwan.
