Guandu Nature Park

Guandu sits at the confluence of the Keelung and Tamsui rivers, where the tide pushes brackish water into a plain of reed beds, mudflats and mangrove. It survived as open ground because it floods, and it is now run as a reserve with managed water levels, a nature centre and a line of timber hides along the marsh. In winter it fills with migrant waterbirds working the mud at low tide: egrets and herons all year, then ducks, plovers and sandpipers on passage, with occasional rarities that bring out the local telescope brigade. A separate strip of mangrove alongside the riverside cycle path is a stricter reserve that can be seen from the boardwalk but not entered.

What you actually see

• The bird hides - timber screens along the managed marsh with benches and viewing slots.
• Winter waterbirds - ducks, plovers and sandpipers on the mud, with egrets and herons all year.
• The mangrove boardwalk - a raised walk beside the stricter reserve on the river side.
• The nature centre - displays on the estuary and telescopes set up on the marsh.

When to go

October to March is the season, when migrants are in and the heat has gone; numbers peak in the depth of winter. Birds are closest around a rising tide, which pushes them off the outer flats towards the hides, so it is worth checking tide times. The park closes on Mondays. Early morning is best for light and activity.

Honest expectations

If you are not interested in birds there is not a great deal to do, and in summer the marsh is quiet, hot and full of mosquitoes. Without binoculars most of what is out there stays a distant white speck. Signage in English is limited, the site closes one day a week, and the flight path and the road bridge keep noise in the background.

Nearby

Guandu Temple is close by and the riverside cycle path runs on to Tamsui.