Photography
One of the amazing perks of working and living in Taiwan is Taiwan's abundance of natural beauty. From my place in Hsinchu, it takes about 25 minutes on the scooter to get to the sea and the birding areas along the coastline. A 30 minutes ride into the opposite direction will bring me into the mountain arreas with their scenic beauty. The Tsing Hua Butterfly Garden (清華蝴蝶園: web page, FB group) is part of the campus and ususally brims with insects, a true and tested El Dorado for macro enthusiasts.
The cold season is my birding season. A typical hunting ground are the shores of the Jincheng lake (金城湖: google maps) and various spots close by. The area around the Jincheng lake can be quite crowded, specially on holiday. Hence, I frequently roam the banks of the Touqian River (頭前溪) to look for new birding spots. My preferred method for birds is a classic 'stake out' eased by a thermos full of coffee while the 'chase' dominates my hunt for butterfly pictures. The links below lead to two galleries with examples from my photographic endeavours.
