The days a tawny fish owl researcher spent in Wuling

The Bird Ecology Lab of the Institute of Wildlife Conservation at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology has gathered a group of "owl guys" who head up the mountains by day and come out at night, observing the daily life of the "tawny fish owl," known as the "phantom of the night." These precious records are about to be published, and on December 3 a launch event for the ecological film and new book Phantom of the Night: The Tawny Fish Owl will be held at the Eslite Xinyi Store. Everyone is welcome to attend. Before the launch event, the bird lab put together the feelings of the owl guys, sharing the inner journeys of those who studied tawny fish owls in Wuling.

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A Graduation Speech Long in the Making, by Wang Chen-ning

Devoting yourself wholeheartedly to the study of a single species over a long period is a very special experience, especially when you hear that a chick that was once a tiny fluffball has now spread its wings far away and become a father himself—you somehow feel like you have become a grandfather. And when we found that one tawny fish owl we had tracked the longest had done her utmost for her chicks, and in the end even gave her own life…..it was truly heartbreaking.

While admiring the greatness of a mother, I also scolded her more than once for being foolish and stupid, as if a piece of my heart had been cut out. Some people envy me for being able to spend every day among tawny fish owls and observe their ecology up close, but wildlife research is not as romantic as everyone imagines. During the long four-plus years of research, what accompanied me each night as I braved the biting cold wind was, for the most part, only my poor scooter and the beeping radio receiver.

Thanks to the brothers who accompanied me up the mountains to find nests and down to the streams to watch birds in Wuling, and thanks to all my comrades who spent the last month with me at the bird shop chatting nonsense and crunching statistics. Thanks to my dog Brandy—why thank it? Because at the most critical moments it dutifully let us use it as an object for stress relief. Finally, I was very fortunate to be able to join the big family of the bird lab. This strange place is always full of inexplicable laughter; even when we were rushing papers in the lab in the middle of the night, peculiar music and a wild atmosphere would echo through the room.