TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Local birdwatchers are reporting cattle egrets have entered peak migration period as 60,000 were spotted flying over Yunlin’s Zhang Hu Scenic Area on Sunday (Sept. 17).

One migratory group after another was spotted flying between the valleys in spectacular formations, to the delight of tourists and birding enthusiasts, per Liberty Times. The Zhang Hu Scenic Area is along the migration path of cattle egrets, which travel south in autumn.

This year’s migration began on Saturday (Sept. 16) and has been quite an impressive sight over two consecutive days. Birdwatcher Cheng Ching-wen (鄭清文) uploaded a video of the cattle egret migration to YouTube. He has been observing this migration for many years, though this was the first time he was able to film such a large migration.

Birdwatcher films massive migration of cattle egrets in central Taiwan. (鄭清文 youtube)

Cheng said that groups of cattle egrets began flying in formation beginning at about 3 p.m., with several groups passing overhead until 6 p.m. on Sunday (Sept. 17). Cheng spotted between 30,000 and 40,000 cattle egrets in the afternoon, while others counted about 30,000 passing by in the morning.

Local authorities say the migration of cattle egrets is a seasonal spectacle, typically occurring from early September to mid-October every year. Peak migration occurs some 15 days before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

As long as the weather is good and there is no rain, one can observe the migration in the late afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. each day during the migratory season, with popular viewing locations including the old campus of Zhanghu Elementary School and Zhanghu Police Station.