Birds, dogs flock to Chiayi’s fishponds for easy meals

Birds, dogs flock to Chiayi’s fishponds for easy meals

2026-01-27

Every winter, fishponds in the Xinwen area of Chiayi’s Budai Township are drained for harvest, setting the stage for a feeding frenzy among animals. Large numbers of egrets flock in to feast, stray dogs eye the fish that slip through the nets, and even the protected black-faced spoonbill comes to enjoy a hearty meal.

A flock of white egrets gather in a recently drained fishpond, preparing to feast. On the side, fishers haul nets to catch any small fish that remain in the pond.

The fishponds in the Xinwen area of Budai, Chiayi are drained for harvest every winter. Small fish left in the bottom are scooped up, attracting hundreds of egrets looking for an easy meal. Stray dogs also come, patrolling the riverbanks and looking for any escaped fish. Conflicts break out as animals fight to eat their fill.

There isn’t much to eat. So of course they’ll all come here for this chance.

The leader of the pack chases off other dogs that get too close, guarding the fishpond like he owns it and keeping other dogs in line. The fishers working here are used to it, but it does cause them some trouble.

Chiayi fisherman
It would be ok if it was just here, but the problem is, they dig here and over there as well, they dig everywhere! Sometimes you step into an unexpected hole and fall over.

Even black-faced spoonbill, which migrate from Korea for the winter, have discovered Chiayi’s fishponds and have come looking for food in recent years. With egrets, dogs, and spoonbills all feeding at these fishponds, local biodiversity seems to be on the rise.

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#Chiayi #Budai #fishpond #fisher #fishermen #egret #dog #straydog #hunting #blackfacedspoonbill #biodiversity

嘉義布袋魚塭抽池水收成動物上演爭奪戰搶漏網之魚

2026-01-27

每年冬季，嘉義布袋新塭一帶魚塭都會抽乾池水開始收成，這時就會上演動物們的食物爭奪戰，不只聚集大量白鷺鷥來祭五臟廟，還有野狗也在覬覦這些漏網之魚，甚至就連保育類的黑面琵鷺也來飽餐一頓。

大量白鷺鷥聚集在抽完水的魚塭蓄勢待發，準備好好要來祭五臟廟。只見一旁有漁民已經拉起魚網，要收成漏網的小魚。

近來嘉義布袋新塭一帶魚塭開始收成，剩下池底的小魚也會被撈起，吸引成百上千的白鷺鷥來此覓食，蔚為奇觀。還可以看好幾隻野狗蹲守在岸邊，同樣覬覦這些漏網之魚，還當場上演食物爭奪戰。

“因為都沒得吃，有這個機會，牠們當然就都會過來”

看到其他流浪狗靠近，立刻衝上去驅趕，小黃狗像是老大哥般踩進魚塭鎮守，不准其他狗越雷池一步。養殖漁民習以為常，但也多少感受困擾。

[[嘉義養殖漁民]]
“要是在這邊還沒關係，問題是牠們這邊也挖，那邊也挖，挖得到處都是，有時候不知道踩到就摔倒。”

就連從韓國遠道而來過冬的黑面琵鷺，也開啟食物雷達，這幾年在嘉義的魚塭，經常能看到牠們前來覓食的身影。小小的魚塭出現了白鷺鷥、野狗和黑面琵鷺爭搶食物的景象，也增加魚塭生態的多樣性。

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