Showing my mother around Taipei

Yesterday, I brought my mother to Taipei Botanical Garden and showed her around in my work areas and some special sights to to see. We saw many beautiful animals and plants, but it was too hot for my mother to cope with.

The first bird that we saw a Black-billed Magpie (Pica pica), which was pretty exciting to see since Chinese people call them Lucky Bird. What a way to start off the day! Sadly, it was too well hidden for me to take decent photographs. Nevertheless, it was a sight to see.

Afterwards, I showed my mother around to see some nests of Muller's Barbets and other nesting birds that I know, such as this relatively effortless nest by the Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus) made out of few grass straws.

My mother was pretty excited to see the beautiful Muller's Barbets, especially when they poked their heads out of the cavity hole and looked around. Near the Lotus Pond, we also saw this pair of Red-bellied Skimmers (Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum) mating and laying eggs on the water surface. We observed that while the female lays her eggs, the male flys above her to protect her.

Red-bellied Skimmers (Central Indian subspecies)

After we had lunch outside the garden, we headed to the college where my aunt teaches at. The college is located up on a small mountain so the view is quite nice. Over there, I saw quite a few of the common Formosan Grass Lizards (Takydromus formosanus) hiding in the roadside shrubs.

I hope I am right with my identification since there are a couple of lizards in the family Lacertidae found in Taiwan, and they all looked quite similar to me in the field guide. One main distinction is that T. formosanus has two pairs of inguinal pores, but I didn't want to stress and pick up this little fellow up to examine it more closely.

In another shrub, I saw this beautiful White-spotted Longicorn Beetle (Anoplophora macularia). They are about 24 to 35-mm in length, not including the super long antennae.

In their school garden, I also saw a couple of ladybugs, such as this Six-spotted Ladybird Beetle (Monochilus sexmaculatus).

Today is Sunday, and it is my mother's last day in Taipei. My mother, aunt, and I went shopping in the neighbourhood before we brought my mother to the train station to head back to Central Taiwan. I will not see my mother again for another three months, since she is heading back to Canada in a couple of days while I'm still staying for my volunteer work and internship. Sigh.

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