When: December 2014 Weather: Cool, drab and 17C
Leica M240 35mmF1.4 summilux and 24mmF1.4 summlux
In Taipei for the weekend and mixed up a bit of city photography with some birding at the nature parks….Taipei 101 is always an interesting an challenging building to shoot so here are a couple of shots…they were taken from the si si nan chun(literally 44 south village) area which is 200m from the Grand Hyatt Taipei. The juxtapositioning of the old buildings in the foreground makes for a more interesting shot of 101.
The iconic Taipei 101, once the tallest building in the world…the old and the new
si si nan chun…44 southern village
Taipei 101 in B&W
First port of call was the Taipei Botanical Gardens which I had first visited a couple of years ago and found to be a little gem in the heart of Taipei. Easily accessible, it’s open real early and though the light was poor, you can get the lay of the land and watch the activity unfold.
pavilion by the lotus pond
lotus blooms in muddy water
the black capped night heron was easy to see, very tame and quite beautiful
and again
intermediate egret
A poor shot of the grey treepie in the dull early morning light
And then this slightly larger bird appeared…the blue sheen and the white barred tail confirming the beautiful Formosan Blue Magpie..the national bird
another view of the blue magpie
Formosan Bulbul
Formosan bulbul perched..
and here we go!
and then another lifer appeared…the Taiwan Scimitar Babbler…here pecking the leaves in the roof gutter
and again
Guang Xin He Pin nature park is a riverine park about 40min out of Taipei, near to the scenic area of Wulai
It was a scenic area with egrets and raptors prominent…
with fresh fish for lunch
Fish eagle?
quite pretty scenery
a short drive away was the scenic area of Wulai with this red suspension bridge
and the bluest water
And on our last morning we visited San Xia Old street
where this gem of a temple was…I much prefer shooting nature but I have to say this was a very pretty temple with lots of colourful detail..
dragon at the entrance
afternoon sun
incense fumes
courtyard
The Natural Traveller 