Birding Locations - The Tsai Yuan Jiu Yuan Wetlands, Penghu Islands, Taiwan Strait

Tsai Yuan Jiu Yuan Wetland Entrance, Penghu Island


The Tsai Yuan Jiu Yuan Wetlands

The Penghu archipelago or the Pescadores as the Portuguese mariners called them is made up of 64 islands and is located in the Taiwan Strait about halfway between Taiwan and the Fujian coast of southern China. This beautiful archipelago is an important stop on the Southeast Asia Migration Routes. Penghu is a county of Taiwan and with its white beaches, coral reefs and calm blue waters is a favourite summer getaway spot for many Taiwanese.


The Tsai Yuan Jiu Yuan Wetlands are situated on the main island of Penghu, south east of the county capital, Magong. The Tsai Yuan Jiu Yuan Wetlands is an area covering about 50 hectares. It includes a reservoir, a river, ponds, coastal scrub and seashore with mudflats. Tsai Yuan Jiu Yuan has a very large hide looking out over some ponds and the mudflats. There are a number of blinds and pavilions throughout the wetland. Common resident birds are Cattle, Little and Great Egret; Grey Heron; Little Grebe; Black-crowned Night Heron; Moorhen; Common Kingfisher; Oriental Skylark; Nutmeg Mannikin; Japanese White-eye; Tree Sparrow; Crested, White-vented and Common Myna; White-vented Bulbul; Spotted Dove; Bustard Quail; Eastern Reef Heron; Kentish Plover and Little Ringed Plover. During summer Oriental Pratincole; Barn Swallow; House Swift and Little Tern are Present. Greater Crested, Roseate and Black-naped Tern* may be seen over the bay.


The Tsai Yuan Jiu Yuan Wetlands is best visited during the spring and autumn migration periods(winter is also good). During migration the wetlands play host to Great Cormorant; Intermediate Egret; Chinese Pond Heron; Chinese Little Bittern; Black-faced Spoonbill; Spot-billed Duck; Pintail; Common and Falcated Teal; Eurasian Wigeon; Northern Shoveler; Tufted Duck; White-breasted Water Hen; Osprey; Black-winged Stilt; Common Snipe; Wood, Green, Sharp-tailed, Common, Curlew, Terek and Marsh Sandpiper; Whiskered and White-winged Black Tern; Black-capped Kingfisher; White and Grey Wagtail; Grey, Greater Sand, Lesser Sand and Pacific Golden Plover; Grey-tailed Tattler; Whimbrel; Ruddy Turnstone; Long-toed and Red-necked Stint; Dunlin; Common Greenshank; Common Redshank; Eastern Marsh Harrier; Short-eared Owl; Hoopoe; Red-throated, Olive-backed and Richard's Pipit; Chinese Sparrowhawk; Grey-faced Buzzard Eagle; Eurasian Buzzard; Common Kestrel; Oriental Cuckoo; Brown Shrike; Siberian Rubythroat; Blue Rock Thrush; Red-flanked Bluetail; Daurian Redstart, Common Stonechat; Pale, Dusky and Red-bellied Thrush; Oriental Great Reed, Japanese Bush and Arctic Warbler; Grey-streaked and Ferruginous Flycatcher; Little and Black-faced Bunting,Brambling; White-cheeked, White-shouldered and Red-billed Starling; and Black-headed Gull.

The Tsai Yuan Jiu Yuan Wetlands can be reached by exiting Magong on Road 204. After about 4km you'll see the Penghu visitor centre on the left. Just passed the visitor centre turn right into Road 205. The wetland entrance is about 70 m down the road on the left.


Tsai Yuan Jiu Yuan Wetland


* Black-naped Tern breed on the old uprights of the Kuahai Bridge that links the island of Paisha to Hsiyu.The terns can be viewed from the new bridge.

Also see:
The Penghu Islands (Pescadores) trip report.

Back to Birding Locations.