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Frank C. Chen was the mayor of Kaohsiung from 1960 to 1968. The foundation that bears his name is the reason we have Formosa Files. Paul Chen is one of Frank Chen's sons (b. 1944), and in 1979, he established the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society. Why? Well, he and his dad were once avid hunters, and Paul Chen kept noticing there were fewer and fewer birds, and set out to do something about it. Today, Mr. Lin Kun-hai 林昆海 is the society's General Secretary, and in this bonus episode, we hear from both the founder and the person still leading the charge to SAVE THE BIRDS!
Cover image, courtesy of the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society: Eryk's favorite Taiwan bird, the Black-naped Oriole.
Below: Learn more about the KH Wild Bird Society by scanning this QR code.
Below: Society members and wetland creators pose with famed conservationist Jane Goodall in 2005.
Below: The opening of the Niaosung Wetland, an area tucked just next to and behind what was once a well-known McDonald's fast-food restaurant near the main gate that enters Cheng Ching Lake. It took many years and lots of pushing to get this project done.
Below: Workers clear vegetation and prepare to plant native plants that attract native birds. It's not good enough to just plant trees. Birds can rest on trees, but most of the trees in KH today are not native species. Taiwanese birds need specific plants that attract specific insects they can eat, showcasing why it has to be an entire "ecosystem," not just green spaces or parks with trees.
Below: A pond at the Kaohsiung Fine Arts Museum with the right plants that attract the right insects that serve as food for some native birds.
Below: Educating the youngsters at the Niaosung Wetland area. If birdwatching becomes more popular, more people may be inspired to SAVE THE BIRDS!
A KH Wild Bird Society chart shows sightings of Black-faced Spoonbills in the Qieding Wetlands of northern Kaohsiung.
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Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.
