Taiwan - Day 7 - 8/12/14

Early morning we walked the Lakeside Water Park for the Azure-winged Magpie before catching our flight from Tainan airport across to Kinmen Island. We then spent the rest of the day walking around several lake areas and agricultural areas with the main highlight being a superb Yellow-billed Grosbeak.

Lakeside Water Park, Tainan

Azure-winged Magpie - 13 (C.c. koreensis)

Brown Shrike - 2

Long-toed Stint - 10

Red-necked Stint - 5

Snipe - 1

Ci Lakes, Kinmen Island

Oriental Magpie Robin - 8

White-breasted Kingfisher - 4

Chinese Pond Heron - 3

Greater Coucal - 4

Crested Myna - ca. 50

Collared Crow - 5

Spotted Redshank - 1

Agricultural Areas, Kinmen Island

Oriental Greenfinch - ca. 150

Yellow-billed Grosbeak - 1

Eastern Marsh Harrier - 1

Siberian Stonechat - 1 (S.m. stejnegeri)

Ring-necked Pheasant - 3

Japanese Quail - 5

Hoopoe - 5

Oriental Skylark - 3

Olive-backed Pipit - 10

 Brown Shrike at Lakeside Water Park

 Azure-winged Magpies at Lakeside Water Park

 Japanese White Eyes at Lakeside Water Park

 Oriental Greenfinch on Kinmen Island

 Spot-billed Duck on Kinmen Island

Kinmen Island

Taiwan - Day 8 - 9/12/14

Little Kinmen and Kinmen Island

Today we took a small passenger ferry over to Little Kinmen in the hope of seeing some Chinese species which do not occur on mainland Taiwan, but common in East Asia. Most of the day was spent wandering around this good looking island before getting a ferry back to Kinmen and birding around a park. 

Little Kinmen

Spot-billed Duck - 13

Pied Kingfisher - 2

Long-tailed Shrike - 1 dark morph

Chinese Hwamei - 3

Wryneck - 1 (a rare bird for Taiwan, so I was pleased to come across this, just wish it was something slightly more exciting)

Olive-backed Pipit - 15

Hoopoe - 10 (incl. a group of 6)

Zitting Cisticola - 2

Fork-tailed Sunbird - 1 male

Brown-headed Thrush - 5

Pallas's Warbler - 3 (one group)

Kinmen Island

Red-billed Starling - ca. 50

White-shouldered Starling - 10

Striated Heron - 1

Yellow-billed Grosbeak - 1 showed very well

Dusky Warbler - 2

Richard's Pipit - 1

 Amur Wagtail on Little Kinmen

 Pale Thrush on Little Kinmen

 Long-tailed Shrike on Little Kinmen

 Daurian Redstart on Little Kinmen

 Eurasian Blackbird (hopefully soon to be Chinese Blackbird) on Kinmen

 Yellow-billed Grosbeak on Kinmen

 Taiwan waiting for the Chinese 

 approaching Little Kinmen

 China viewed from Little Kinmen

(L-R) Steve Gent, Ian and Chris

Taiwan - Day 9 - 10/12/14

Kinmen Botanical Gardens and Jacana Eco Reserve

First thing we walked a stretch of river that turned out to be very disappointing, but all turned out well when we visited the botanical gardens and saw a wealth of good birds. We caught our late morning flight back to the mainland where we headed south stopping at the Jacana Eco Reserve near Tainan which again was very good. We stayed in the south of Taiwan hoping to see the Bulbul the next day. 

Kinmen Botanical Gardens

Black-capped Kingfisher - 1

Chinese Hwamei - 4

Blue Whistling Thrush - 1

Fork-tailed Sunbird - 3 (1 male)

Eurasian Blackbird - 5 (hoping will soon be Chinese Blackbird)

Rustic Bunting - 1 juv/female

Black-faced Bunting - 5

Jacana Eco Reserve

Painted Snipe - 5

Pheasant-tailed Jacana - ca. 120

Baikal Teal - 2 

Garganey - 5

Falcated Duck - 1 eclipse drk

Oriental Skylark - 3 singing

Temminck's Stint - 2

Wood Sandpiper - ca. 150

Eastern Yellow Wagtail - 2

Long-toed Stint - 20

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - 4

 Fork-tailed Sunbird at Kinmen Botanical Gardens

 Chinese Hwamei at Kinmen Botanical Gardens

 Olive-backed Pipit at Kinmen Botanical Gardens

 Pheasant-tailed Jacana at the Jacana reserve

Black Drongo at the Jacana reserve

Taiwan - Day 10 - 11/12/14

South Point, Ying Do Ecology Park and Alishan

A fantastic day today. It started off well seeing the Taiwan Bulbul, before heading north for a couple of hours to Ying Do (also brilliant views of a Black Eagle over the main road) where a whole host of species were seen. Last stop was the mountainous area of Alishan and then Firefly guesthouse. We had booked the hides in the forests there for the evening and was not disappointed, and then things got even better when Mr Lei (the owner) took us out on a mini excursion to spot the White-faced Flying Squirrel. We saw 4 of these beautiful endemic mammals, and was one of the highlights of the whole trip for me. 

South Point

TAIWAN BULBUL - ca. 20

Brown-headed Thrush - 4

Black Drongo - 1

Ying Do Ecology Park

Maroon Oriole - 5 (O.(t.) ardens)

Taiwan Barbet - 1

Crested Goshawk - 2

Oriental Turtle Dove - ca. 20

White-bellied Green Pigeon - 1

Black-naped Oriole - 2

Black-winged Cuckoo Shrike - 1

Manchurian Bush Warbler - 1

Black-naped Monarch - 20

Oriental Honey Buzzard - 1

Crested Serpant Eagle - 1

Black Bulbul - 40

Alishan incl. Firefly Lodge and hides

Swinhoe's Pheasant - 7

Taiwan Hill Partridge - 5

White-tailed Robin - 2 superb males (M.l. montium)

Snowy-browed Flycatcher - 1 male (F.h. innexa)

Taiwan Whistling Thrush - 1 male

Vivid Niltava - 1

White-faced Flying Squirrel - 4

 Taiwan Bulbul in South Taiwan

Maroon Oriole at Ying Do

 White-tailed Robin from the hide

 Crested Serpent Eagle at Alishan

 Snowy-browed Flycatcher at Alishan (taken by Chris Glanfield)

White-faced Flying Squirrel at Alishan (taken by Chris Glanfield)

 Ying Do ecology park

 lower Alishan

 Firefly lodge

 the hide at Firefly lodge

Playing with bugs

Taiwan - Day 11 - 12/12/14

Alishan Area, Jhanshu Township and Jiji Ecology Park

A knock on the door at 4am was not the best way to wake up, but this was only because a Brown Hawk Owl was sat on the wires outside our rooms. When it did get light, we hopped on the back of Mr Liu's truck and headed up the mountain flushing three Malayan Night Herons. Despite our 'best' efforts, we still couldn't find a Rusty Laughingthrush. We soon headed north to the above locations with the highlights below. We stayed in Wushe for the night ready for our last day of birding tomorrow. 

Alishan

Brown Hawk Owl - 1

Malayan Night Heron - 3

Dusky Fulvetta - 3

Steere's Liocichla - 4

Rufous-capped Babbler - 1 (S.r. praecognita)

Jhanshu Township

Collared Scops Owl - 2 roosting in the temple

Crested Goshawk - 1

Jiji Ecology Park

Malayan Night Heron - 2

Night Heron - 20

White-rumped Shama - 1

 White-eared Sibia at Alishan

 Plumbeous Redstart at Alishan

 Collared Scops Owl at Jhanshu

 Malayan Night Heron at Jiji

 Alishan

 the view from my balcony at Firefly Lodge

 Upper Alishan

 Mike and Chris doing their best to find a Laughingthush

Home of the Collared Scops Owls 

Taiwan - Day 12 - 13/12/14

Wushe, Blue Gate Trail, Chun Yung Farm

Today was the last day and our last chance at nailing the last two Laughingthrushes that had eluded us so far. No sign of the Rufous-crowned but the last 1.5 hrs of daylight, we heard a Rusty Laughingthrush and had good views of a small party at Chun Yung Farm. A huge relief!! We also walked the Blue Gate Trail and walked around the summit but it was bitterly cold, so cold in fact that the locals had gathered to witness the first flake of sleet, alas we had retreated by that point. Last stop was Chun Yung Farm which was a fitting end to a brilliant trip. 

Wushe summit

Vinaceous Rosefinch - 1 male (C.v. formosanus) 

Large-billed Crow - 2

Blue Gate Trail

White-browed Robin - 1 (L.(i.) formosana)

Collared Bush Robin - 1 male

Taiwan Barwing - 10

Taiwan Wren Babbler - 3 heard only

Yellow(ish)-bellied Bush Warbler - 4 (C.a. concolor)

Asian House Martin - 10

Also flocks of Tits and Fulvettas. 

Chun Yung Farm

Collared Finchbill - 6

Taiwan Barbet - 5

Vinous-throated Parrotbill - 5 (P.w. bulomachus)

White-rumped Munia - 20

RUSTY LAUGHINGTHRUSH - 6

Olive-backed Pipit - 1

Pacific Swallow - 10

Rufous-capped Babbler - 1

 Taiwan Barwing along the 

 Vinous-throated Parrotbill at Chun Yung Farm

 Black-throated Tit at Chun Yung Farm

 Collared Finchbill at Chun Yung Farm

 Taiwan Barbet at Chun Yung Farm

Rusty Laughingthrush at Chun Yung Farm

 Wushe

Blue Gate Trail