Celebrating winning the photography competition: for bird watching lover 🐥

🐥Today’s blog is to celebrate my winning second place in the 2020 university photography competition with the theme of 'wildlife' surrounding York Campus East, where is an organic lakeside area full of lush trees and diverse hidden wild animals.

It's my first time to attend such a contest, and I am just an amateur photographer but a 100% nature lover. Given that wildfowl are nesting and breeding between March and September, this contest is held in chilly winter. 

Although this competition is mainly designed for the amateur; winning out from 150 photos was not without any efforts. I actually sent several animal photos to enter the contest, including ducks, hares, swans, birds; as a result (check this link), the review panel chose this bird as the second place—an unexpected joy—as I thought they could favour the hare in the jungle.

In fact, bird watching is already one of the most popular leisure activities in Europe and the United States. Among them, the British style is the most popular. In 2004, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) already pointed out that there were 2.7 million bird-watching trips to the reserve every year, far more than 1.2 million fishing trips. Tim Hunnable, ex-Commercial Manager Nikon UK, once told the journalist, 'The British are crazy about bird watching' so that cameras, telescopes are all essential materials for the bird-watching trip. 

With this joy, I would like to share more about bird-watching in Taiwan. First, I introduced two nice online papers written by foreigners, which shared their real experiences in Taiwan; and second, I introduce one of my Taiwanese friends' bird-watching photos, which really inspire my inner passion to take the winning photo! 

Enjoy bird-watching now!

🐥Bird-watching in Taiwan by Mike Weedon, 19 Oct, 2016

🐤Birdwatching In Taiwan: Advice from expert to novice by Joshua Samuel Brown, 19 Sep, 2018 

🐦Photoed by Mr. Jim Yeh in Taiwan: 

Oriolus Traillii (Endemic Subspecies in Taiwan)  photoed by Mr. Jim Yeh

Black Naped Blue Monarch (Endemic Subspecies in Taiwan) photoed by Mr. Jim Yeh  

Black Drongo (Endemic Subspecies in Taiwan) photoed by Mr. Jim Yeh

Accipiter Trivirgatus (Endemic Subspecies in Taiwan) photoed by Mr. Jim Yeh

JapaneseWhiteEye with Pongamia (photoed by Mr. Jim Yeh)

🐦🐥🐣慶祝贏得校園攝影比賽

今天的部落格文章是為了慶祝我在大學攝影比賽中獲得第二名，主題是約克東校園附近的野生動植物，這是一個有機湖畔區域，到處都是茂密的樹木和隱藏的各種野生動物。這是我第一次參加這樣的比賽，我只是一名業餘攝影師，但是個100％的自然愛好者.考量到野禽在3月至9月之間築巢繁殖，因此該比賽在寒冷的冬天舉行。

儘管該比賽主要是針對業餘選手而設計的；要從150張照片中脫穎而出並非沒有任何努力。我實際上發送了好幾張動物照片參加比賽(請見這一篇)，其中包括鴨子，野兔，天鵝，鳥類；結果，審核小組選擇了這隻鳥作為第二名，這是一個意想不到的快樂，因為我認為它們可能會喜歡叢林中的野兔。

實際上，觀鳥已經是歐洲和美國最受歡迎的休閒活動之一。其中，英式風格最受歡迎。 2004年，英國皇家鳥類保護協會（RSPB）就指出，保護區每年有270萬觀鳥之旅，遠遠超過120萬釣魚之旅。Nikon英國前商業經理Tim Hunnable曾對記者說：“英國人為觀鳥而瘋狂”，因此照相機，望遠鏡都是觀鳥之旅的必備材料。

帶著這種喜悅，我想分享更多有關台灣賞鳥的訊息。

🐥首先，我介紹了由外國人撰寫的兩篇不錯的網路文章，他們分享了在台灣的真實經驗。

🐦其次，我介紹另一位台灣友人的觀鳥照片，這確實激發了我我內心的熱情去拍攝獲獎照片。

就讓我們一起來賞鳥吧!

Film set in Yorkshire: The Secret Garden🐾

When it comes to the film set in Yorkshire, the medieval Shambles as Diagon Alley in Harry Potter is one of the famous scenes. The Secret Garden is also a very popular film based on a novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett in 1911 in the context of Yorkshire. And there are different versions of movies, the one I watched last week was the 1987 version.

It is about a 10-year-old British girl, Mary, who was sent to Yorkshire where she lives in her wealthy uncle’s manor after her parents died in India. She is used to be spoiled in India and had no friends at all in Yorkshire. She is thought to be a difficult girl by the people around. She goes about the manor alone every day and finally her curiosity helps her to find the key to a locked secret garden, which the master of the manor didn’t allow anyone to entry due to her loved wife died accidentally there.

🌹It’s my garden now.

      🌹My own secret garden.  

With this new discovery, Mary started to change her self-centred personality by sharing this information with her new friends: Dickon, a good-natured boy outside the manor and Colin, her sick cousin living in the manor. Colin is believed born to be a cripple lying in the bed and thus he is unhappy and has a bad temper, However, Mary makes him laugh by showing ‘Yorkshire laugh and Yorkshire talk’. Colin is inspired by her descriptions about this garden and asks to go out to have a look. 

Afterward, visiting the hidden locked garden every day secretly and planting flowers and plants there in the fresh air becomes their new activity. Both their personality and health are changing in a good way, even maids chat about this and say:

🌸Yorkshire rain makes flowers and children bloom. 

The end of the storyline is pretty. Colin recovers from illness and is able to walk with the encouragement of Mary and his own efforts. And the broken-hearted manor’s master, Mary’s uncle, is surprised at Colin’s recovery when he returned home after leaving for a while. Flowers are now in full bloom in this secret garden. As Mary says:

🌼Wonders never cease.

In Yorkshire, I have my own secret garden, too; and more than one. 

🌼秘密花園

當談到在約克郡拍的電影時，中世紀的SHAMBLES街作為哈利·波特的《對角巷》是著名的場景之一。 《秘密花園》是另一部受歡迎的電影，改編自弗朗西斯·霍奇森·伯內特（Frances Hodgson Burnett）於1911年在約克郡背景下創作的小說。它已出了很多電影版本,我剛就看了一部1987年版的.

故事大概是說有一個10歲的英國女孩瑪麗，她的父母在印度去世後，她被送到約克郡，住在她叔叔的莊園裡。她曾經在印度被寵壞，在約克郡根本沒有朋友。周圍的人認為她是一個很難搞的女孩。她每天獨自一人去莊園亂晃，最後，她的好奇心使她找到了一個鎖著的秘密花園的鑰匙，莊園的主人由於她所愛的妻子在這裡意外去世而不允許任何人進入。

🌹現在是我的花園

🌹我自己的秘密花園。

有了這個新發現，瑪麗開始想與新朋友分享此訊息而有些改變自己以自我為中心的性格：Dickon,莊園外的一個心性善良的男孩，還有她住在莊園裡生病的表弟科林（Colin）。大家以為科林天生就是躺在床上不良於行，他也因此脾氣暴躁不開心。不過，瑪麗卻以“約克郡的笑聲和約克郡的談話”使他笑了。Colin受到她對這個花園的描述的啟發，要求出外看看。

之後, 這3個孩子每天都會偷偷去秘密花園並在新鮮的空氣中種花草，這成為他們的新活動。他們的性格和健康狀況都在發生很好的變化，甚至女傭也聊著說：

                🌸約克郡的雨水使鮮花和兒童綻放青春。

故事情節的結尾是美好的。Colin從疾病中康復，能夠在瑪麗的鼓勵和自己的努力下行走了。心碎的莊園主人瑪麗的叔叔在離開家一會後返家時對科林恢復感到驚喜。現在，這個秘密花園裡開滿了鮮花。如同Mary說的:

                 🌱奇蹟永不止息!

🌷在約克郡，我也有自己的秘密花園。而且不止一個。

Online trip to Okinawa

During the coronavirus hit, there are some countries are not in lockdown in East Asia, such as Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. While the UK Government is managing to increase the number of Covid-19 tests, Japan is still only testing people who are already quite sick as the earlier UK strategy.

Cultural Performances, 2014 Okinawa trip 

However, this week is Japan’s Golden Week Holidays and the weather is expected to be sunny. Okinawa is one of the most popular destinations to travel in Japan, and the local government has reported that about 60,000 people have booked flights to visit the island for vacation.

A very popular local pizza restaurant, 2014 Okinawa trip

While the Tainan City Mayor is complaining that the central Taiwanese government has overstated the spreading risk of COVID-19 threat which undermines local tourism and economic prospects, in Japan, Governor Denny Tamaki is pleading with tourists to stay away from Okinawa.

On Japan Today, he announces, " I am sorry to tell you this but Okinawa is under a state of emergency. There is no way we can provide the very best ‘omotenashi’ (hospitality)."

Yes! Okinawa is asking 60,000 booked travelers to cancel their trips!

This reminds me I once travelled to Okinawa. The aquarium, beautiful beaches, and mountains…and the most unique and interesting experience during my journey was a self-drive road trip on Okinawa island.

The aquarium, my favourite, 2014 Okinawa trip

It is relatively safe, easy, and leisurely for female tourists, suitable for families or couples alike, to self-drive from one beautiful blue ocean one location to the next.

But if we cannot enjoy all the whole Okinawa, we better go next time as there are more than beautiful beaches and mountains things in Okinawa for tourist to enjoy, real interactions with local people and indulging in delicious food and beer are the crucial part of the best travelling memories. 

Shabushabu しゃぶしゃぶ, 2014 Okinawa trip

Since Governor Denny Tamaki is asking tourists not to go due to the epidemic, why not try an Okinawa online tour first and have more time to plan your next trip.

Pineapple flours, 2014 Okinawa trip

  

Please keep Okinawa safe, and keep personal health.  

   

線上沖繩旅遊

在冠狀病毒襲擊期間，東亞有一些國家沒有受到封鎖，例如台灣，日本和韓國。 儘管英國政府設法增加Covid-19的檢測數量，但日本仍僅像先前的英國策略那樣只檢測已經病重的人。

有點令人緊張的是本周是日本的黃金周假期，預計天氣晴朗。沖繩是日本最受歡迎的旅遊目的地之一，據當地政府報導，約有60,000人預訂了前往該島度假的航班。

在台灣的台南市市長抱怨台灣中央政府太高調COVID-19威脅的擴散風險，而破壞了當地的旅遊業和經濟前景時，在日本，知事Denny Tamaki正懇求遊客遠離沖繩。

他在社交媒體Japan Today上宣布：“很抱歉告訴您，但是沖繩正處於緊急狀態。我們無法提供最好的'omotenashi'（熱情好客）。”

是的! 沖繩要求6萬名預訂的旅客取消旅行。

這使我想起我曾經去過沖繩。水族館，美麗的海灘和山脈……以及我在旅途中最特別，最有趣的事情是沖繩的自駕旅遊。對於女性遊客來說，相對安全，輕鬆，休閒，也同樣適合家庭或情侶，從一個美麗的藍色海洋自駕到另一個地方。

但是，如果我們不能享受整個沖繩，那麼我們最好下次再去，因為沖繩不僅有美麗的海灘和山脈供遊客欣賞，與當地人的真實互動和沈迷於美味的食物是留下美好回憶的關鍵部分。由於知事Denny Tamaki要求遊客疫情期間不要前往，何不先來個沖繩網路旅遊並多一些時間來計畫下次旅行。

請確保沖繩安全,保持個人健康。