9 CHALLENGES

 (2 levels)

Did you know there are at least 700 different fungi species in Taiwan? They tend to appear after the rain or on decomposed logs. We actually don’t know much about what kind of mushrooms are found in Juhu village, so its up to us to find them! If we find indicator fungi species, then we can use this information to help us assess habitat status. 

Level 1  “Fungis and Fun Gals”

Your mission is to find fungi and take a picture of it! Easy right? Hmm… maybe…

Try to take several images at different angles. Upload your image(s) on iNaturalist. Don’t forget to pin the right GPS location and don’t worry about not being able to identify the species. We can count on great identifiers on iNaturalist to help us out! 

Level 2  "There's So Mush-room in My Heart"

Your mission is to find and take pictures of 3 different fungi species. Yes, three! This challenge shows just how much you are enthusiastic about fungi! And by the way, your observations have to be different from level one’s observations. Hmm… fungiliscious! 

Tip: Increase your chances of finding mushies if the weather is rainy or if it had just rained. 

(4 levels)

There are at least 8 mammals known to be found here. With a little bit of luck, skills, silence, and patience, you may see them running off (or deceased) in your presence. Some are more abundant than others, like muntjacs and macaques. A little bit too abundant, in matter of fact. Long story short, this is actually a problem we are trying to address and we can’t do it alone. With your help, we may know a bit more about our mammal friends. For example, we can know where these mammals are active and how we can co-exist with them. Just know that every observation counts and we want you to feel like you got something meaningful and fun out of this experience. Are you ready to become a mammal mania? 

Level 1 "Keep Your Eyes on the Floor"

Everyday mammals leave their traces around if you know how to look. Your mission is to track signs of their activity down, specifically: 

1. Muntjac faeces

2. Macaque faeces

3. Boar signs (either footprints, digging signs, or signs of plant damage)

Upload all your observations to iNaturalist and make sure you pin the right GPS locations of your observations. If you aren’t sure if what you saw is correct, come find us after and we can verify your observations.

Tips: Muntjac faeces look like small droppings in very dark color, whereas macaque faeces are soft, sometimes coil-shaped, and resemble a little bit like ours. Sometimes wild boar and macaque faeces can look similar. However, wild boar faeces is more irregular in shape. They can look like larger clumps stuck together with visible plant fiber in it.

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Level 2 "My Sweet Deer"

Your mission is to take pictures of two muntjacs at different times or locations. This one is a little tricky, because they run away before you even get a chance to take the photo. However, have no fear, there is plenty of opportunities to try again if you miss. We assure you. To increase your chances of success, have your phone ready at hand with you always. Walk slow and do not talk. Whisper if you must. You may also try being stationary in one place for a while until a muntjac comes out. It really works! How patient can you be? Last tip, you may take a video first, screenshot the clip, and then crop the photo. 

Upload all your observations to iNaturalist and make sure you pin the right GPS locations of your observations.

Level 3 "The Climbers"

Your mission is to take pictures of two squirrel individuals. The species is called Pallas’s squirrel. Its dark brown with a fluffy tail. Ouf! That’s hard you say? Well, maybe… 

Fun fact is that you can hear them before you see them, and they tend to appear in the late afternoon or early mornings. As a tip, increase your chances by being under the forest or around the restaurant in the late afternoon! Look for them on the trees.

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Level 4 "The Generalists"

There is a growing trend that mongooses are becoming more abundant in Taiwan. In this area, it’s really true. Your mission is to take a photo of a mongoose! Even though they are abundant, it requires a little bit more luck than skill to encounter one. I know what you're thinking, “Where on earth do I start?” Worry not, we spend a lot of time here and we can tell you where you can likely spot them. 

As a tip, walk slow, be silent, and look at the ground. We usually spot them crossing the roads or running away from us and into the bushes. You can also increase your chances by staying in one place for a while and waiting for something in the bushes to move. You may also try taking a video first, pause on the clearest clip, and then screenshotting it. 

(4 levels)

There’s so many different kinds of insects in the world. Global insect diversity is strikingly decreasing , especially in regions like Europe … What is causing this? Wa-ha-ha! That is a loaded question. If you really want to know, pesticides, habitat destruction, and climate change play big factors in this loss. 

Let's just say without insects, we won't have the fruits and vegetables on our dinner plate. Without insects, we won't have a thriving habitat full of different vegetation to support other animals. Yeah, insects are THAT important. We often think of mosquitos, cockroaches, and stinging wasps and categorize all insects as a nuisance and disgusting. But that isn't true! Give them a chance to see and appreciate their beauty. This challenge may very well trigger an admiration for them if you don’t already. 

Okay, enough with the problem, we all probably more or less know how important insects are. We want to hear what the solution is. What can we do right here and now in Juhu? One way to help is by completing this challenge. Yes, it can be just that simple. Are you ready to be an insector?

Level 1 "The Diligent Observer"

Your mission is to find five different insect species. Upload all your observations to iNaturalist and make sure you pin the right GPS locations of your observations. If you can’t identify the species, ask us or count on great identifiers on iNaturalist to do the job for us!  

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Level 2  "The Lovers"

Can you feel the love in the air? Your mission is to find insects in pairs, preferably mating, dancing, nuzzled together, or just in each other’s company. Take an image of them and upload it to iNaturalist. Remember to pin the right GPS location of your observation. If you can’t identify the species, ask us or count on great identifiers on iNaturalist to do the job for us! 

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Level 3 "Not So Busy, Bee!" 

You're on a mission to hunt for honey bees. We want to know where it is likely to find them, where their nests are, and what flowers they visit. It has been reported that honey bees have been decreasing in number and we need preliminary data in order to get some insight about this. We need your help! Can you make 3 honey bee observations at different locations? 

 You also need to take a picture of the flowering or fruiting plant if you found it roaming around the plant. 

As a tip, you can increase your chances by visiting the large Ficus tree near the 500 m zipline landing point or by finding flowering plants. From experience, they may end up finding you before you finding them!

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Level 4 "Larvae Heaven" 

Baby insects. Fat, squirmy, squishy things. What could they be? Caterpillars, beetle larvae, fly larvae, and other larvae swimming in pools of water. Where else? Under leaves, on a leaf, on a plant, inside wood, on barks, under rocks, on rotting fruit, in garbage bins, on the forest floor or even on the road, and many other places! Your task is to make 4 different observations of larvae and upload them to iNaturalist. Remember to pin the right GPS location of your observation. If you can’t identify the species, ask us or count on great identifiers on iNaturalist to do the job for us! 

(5 levels)

Once upon a time you could hear so many birds around this mountain area. Bird societies from Taitung and Gaoxiong used to regularly survey birds here. One day, they stopped doing so because they noticed bird counts were gradually decreasing. Now, it’s up to us to continue monitoring which birds are our local friends and which birds still migrate through. While this is just a fun activity for you, your observations and/or recordings is our data that we will use. We want to know which birds are very common, less common, and migratory. We want to know where they tend to be active and where they nest. Joining this challenge will help us answer these questions alongside our ecologist(s). 

Level 1 "Birdastic"

In ecology, birds are one of the reliable indicators for ecosystem health. Why? Because we can easily hear them, of course! However, for this mission, you have to actually see one. Therefore, are you up to be a bird photographer and take pictures of 3 different bird species? 

If you can’t identify what bird it is, use these apps to help you: BirdNET, eBird, Merlin, and of course, iNaturalist. There are bird projects on iNaturalist, such as “Taiwan Birds”, that you can rely on for photo references. You may also browse through our website to see what birds are presently known to be found here.  

Level 2: "The Bird Tuner"

Level 1’s task asked you to make 3 different observations of birds, but for this level, your task is to make 3 different recordings of birds and identify them. It’s a different kind of challenge than taking pictures, because it requires you to make sure that the bird you are recording is the dominant sound recorded so that other listeners can know. Each recording has to be at least 10 seconds long. Some birds calls have long intervals in between so make sure you record at least 2 repetition of calls or songs. Both the BirdNET app and Merlin app can help with sound identification. You can use those apps to directly record the sound.

As a tip, avoid multi-species sounds and noise in the background. Don’t speak while recording. Point your recording device towards direction the sound is coming from. 

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Level 3 "The Spy"

Your mission is to attune your eyes to camouflaging ground-dwelling birds. The only ground-dwelling birds presently know here are the Emerald Dove, Bamboo Partridge, Common Moorhen (in aquatic areas), Taiwan Patridge, and the Fairy Pitta (although an understory bird rather than strictly ground-dwelling). You may visit our website to find pictures of these birds.

Is that even possible, you say? Well, here are some tips. If you hear some movement on the ground, it may be possible that it is a bird, especially if it is a flocking sound. Second, these birds have distinct calls so it is best to first listen to their calls and keep your ears opened while you’re on the mission. It is very likely that the only times you encounter them are when they get startled by you and fly away. So stay quiet and walk slow, and with a little bit of luck and randomness, you may very well encounter one! Take a photo of one of these ground-dwelling birds and upload it on iNaturalist. If you can’t identify the species, ask us or count on great identifiers on iNaturalist to do the job for us! 

You can ask us to play some of the common bird calls for you (or go through our handbook).  

Level 4 "The Ornithologist"

This is your chance to do something really interesting. Be a surveyor for a day and experience what it is like. Walk along a path in one direction for a fixed amount of time and count the number of birds you see. They can be perching or flying around you (though not too far!). Distances of 20 m beyond you don’t count.

Find one of us to get a briefing before you start and you should be good to go! We may also have the chance to accompany you if feasible at the time.

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Level 5 "Home Sweet Home"

Birds make nests in different shapes, sizes, and locations. We rarely see them around here so finding some would be a jewel! It is known from the evidence we have that macaques make it nearly impossible for birds to successfully brood their eggs. They predate all sorts of eggs they can find. If we find some nests then we can monitor them and try to protect them. 

For this last and challenging mission, your task is to head to where trees are or go to the forest and make 1 observation of a nest. Look for holes in trees that look like it may host nests. As a tip, don’t get confused with ant nests. They may look similar at a quick glance, but they are very different.