Taiwan Tour Day 5

We headed up and over the summit of Hehuan Mountain at 3000m through dense mist and heavy rain, which turned out to be freakishly heavy and prolonged according to the local news. So we drove by several Alpine Accentors and down the winding mountain road to a restaurant where we checked out the slope behind the building where all the scraps are thrown out. A couple of Ferruginous Flycatchers, Steere’s Liocichla and White-whiskered Laughingthrushes were present scrubbing around the waste and old cartons. However, the appearance of a largish bedraggled warbler set our pulses racing and we spent the next half an hour scrutinising it. In the end it appears to be a Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warbler……….. Although I haven't the time or good internet connection to fully confirm the identification totally - any ideas are welcome! It was heavily waterlogged and its feathers were matted and it appears much darker than it would normally appear making the i.d problematical. The interesting thing is this site was at 2500m so the warbler must have been migrating northwards and dropped in during the storm we experienced overnight.

Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler?

Side view of the warbler

Then we headed down to the east coast through the impressive scenery of the Taroko Gorge and out into the fields along the coast. Pretty soon we’d found our target, the endemic Styan’s Bulbul perched on a telegraph wire and in the end had seen quite a few. 

Styan's Bulbul

There was also Peregrine, Lesser Coucal, Bright-headed Cisticola, Little Bunting and truly wild Common Pheasants to give the trip list a boost. 

Ferruginous Flycatcher

After lunch we drove back up through the gorge and birded the mid-level area finding a small group of Taiwan Barwings and eventually came upon a large flock which began with a few Beavan’s Bullfinches and was followed by our first endemic Yellow Tits amongst a crowd of other species. There were Taiwan Varied, Black-throated, Coal and Green-backed Tits, 3 Vivid Niltavas, Grey-chinned Minivet, Eurasian Nuthatch, Steere’s Liocichla and White-eared Sibia. 


After all this excitement we realised we only had one more endemic to find (Taiwan Hill Partridge!) but would have to save that for tomorrow so headed back to the lodge, stopping to admire an Alpine Accentor taking shelter inside a phone box on the summit before hopping out onto a small patch of grass beside a Taiwan Rosefinch and just a couple of metres away from our vehicle.

Taiwan Update - 20th April

With very poor internet/wifi connection lately, i'm not sure when I can post again. But today I finally scored with a Malayan Night-heron at Huisun, a bird i've wanted to see for many years.

Malayan Night-heron

At Basianshan this morning there were Varied Tits, another new endemic for the tour, as well as Dusky Fulvetta and Red Oriole. Huisun also gave us the spectacular Taiwan Blue Magpie as well and as it was only early afternoon when we saw the night-heron we decided to drive straight to Wushe. and what a good move that turned out to be. After many unsuccessful attempts we finally caught up with Taiwan Bamboo-partridge, as well as Taiwan (Vivid) Niltava, Rusty Laughingthrush and had more views of Black-streaked Scimitar-babbler. 

Even Black Bulbuls look different in Taiwan

And we have had many views of the delightful Rufous-faced Warbler at all of the sites visited so far:

Rufous-faced Warbler

Taiwan Tour Day 3

Following a night of heavy rain the day dawned much better with the clouds much higher and the mountain tops becoming visible once again. The main purpose of our early morning walk was to try and find the diminutive Taiwan Cupwing, a recent split from Pygmy Wren-babbler and a rather secretive denizen of the higher elevation forests. As luck would have it, within 5 minutes we had a pair performing extraordinarily well beside the trail. At one stage both birds paused their circuit of our position on a mossy log on the forest floor and began calling just a couple of metres away – amazing! Along the same trail we had a Snowy-browed Flycatcher, whilst a Taiwan Shortwing again played hardball and somehow remained invisible just 2 metres from our feet in the dense vegetation. After breakfast we drove up to the top car park and in the clear weather found the bird life much more active than on our previous visit. No sooner had we arrived and piled out of the minibus than Nigel had a fine male Vinaceous Rosefinch teed up in his scope, as it sat on top of a pine tree. In fact we found several of these little beauties, which apparently have been split by the Taiwanese as Taiwan Rosefinch now, so added a little extra spice to our ticking! We then hit a ‘purple patch’ when along a narrow trail we scored with Taiwan Bush-robin, Taiwan Fulvetta and finally Taiwan Shortwing, as well as a showy Flamecrest and Ferruginous Flycatcher all in quick succession. A poor view of  a bullfinch species hidden in the shade of the dense canopy may well have been Brown Bullfinch, but we had inconclusive views. 

White-whiskered Laughingthrush

As well as the ultra-confiding White-whiskered Laughingthrushes, Yellowish-bellied and Taiwan Bush-warblers and Collared Bush-robins, we also came across a couple large flocks which held Coal and Green-backed Tits, more Flamecrests and fulvettas, Black-throated Tit, Taiwan Yuhinas, and a few other common species. Then we birded our way down the mountain for the rest of the afternoon seeing White-bellied Green-pigeon, another 3 male and a female Swinhoe’s Pheasants, Steere’s Liocichla, White-eared Sibia, Little Forktail, White-tailed Robin and confiding Rufous-faced Warbler amongst others. We ended up at an open area where Taiwan Scimitar-babbler and Collared Finchbills were coming down to drink at a roadside drain, and there was also Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler and a perched Crested Goshawk to keep us entertained. The last good bird of the day was a Savanna Nightjar spotlighted flying around us before we headed to our next mountain base.

Taiwan Bush-robin

Taiwan Tour Day 2

We began with an early morning walk close to the lodge and although it took a while longer to reach proper birding light due to the low cloud we still saw a number of endemics and other good birds. Of course, Taiwan Yuhinas were ever present, but Steere’s Liocichla and White-eared Sibia were new for us. A Taiwan Shortwing gave brief views as it hopped on the ground and flew past us on a couple of occasions but that was the best we could come up with today, with a number of other individuals heard but none were tape responsive. A Spotted Nutcracker and White-tailed Robin were also seen before heading back to the restaurant for a nice breakfast. Afterwards we drove up to the top of Anmashan, stopping along the way at a nice spot where a cracking male Collared Bush-robin and an extremely co-operative Taiwan Bush-warbler both performed extremely well for us. 

Collared Bush-robin

At the top car park we followed one of the paths, with the mist fortunately clearing but that wasn’t necessary to see the numerous endemic White-whiskered Laughingthrushes – which were often hopping around our feet! More Collared Bush-robins appeared, along with lots of Yellowish-bellied Bush-warblers, as well as our first beautiful Flamecrest. When the mist descended making visibility poor we retreated to the local café for some much welcomed hot soup and fried rice before following another path. We did battle with another couple of shortwings and saw a few commoner species but as it was very quiet we headed back down the mountain. 

Swinhoe's Pheasant

We ended up at the mid-elevation level and spent the next three hours watching a couple of male and a female Swinhoe’s Pheasants feeding close to the road. At one stage the sun even came out and the iridescent greens and blues of the male really shone – such a stunning bird. A female White-tailed Robin also appeared, but was much too close to photograph! We held on until dusk in the vain hope of any partridges appearing, although we were entertained by more sibias and Yuhinas before heading back up to the lodge for dinner.

Taiwan Tour Day 1 or Mikado in the Mist!

An early start saw us driving the short distance to the spectacular Dasyueshan Mountain where we spent most of the morning birding the lower elevations. A reliable site for Taiwan Hwamei proved justifiably still correct as we enjoyed good views of a bird singing from an exposed perch and feeding in some bushes. The same site also produced wonderful views of several Vinous-throated Parrotbills, low flying House Swifts, Chinese Bulbul, lots of Collared Finchbills, Japanese White-eyes, and an extremely co-operative Rufous-capped Babbler. Moving up a little higher we took a side lane and bumped into a few Taiwan Scimitar-babblers, Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Black-naped Monarch, Rufous-faced Warbler, and after a bit of a wait we had an Oriental Cuckoo perched on some telegraph wires. 

Taiwan Scimitar-babbler

Just up the road we had good scope views of Taiwan Barbet and an obliging Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler came in very close. Moving on we made our second attempt at luring in some calling Taiwan Bamboo-partridges which were ridiculously close, and in fact there were at least three different groups calling around us but none of which deigned to come out into the open. As we were working on the first group a Black-necklaced Scimitar-babbler called from below us just to make things a little more frustrating! However, with a little perseverance a pair of this very skulking species eventually showed quite well if a little briefly. With Striated Prinia, 4 migrating Oriental Honey-buzzards, a brief Japanese Sparrowhawk and a telegraph line with over 20 Oriental Turtle-doves, we were doing quite well. Beside a narrow stream a pair of Taiwan Whistling-thrushes, Brown Dipper and more Plumbeous water-redstarts were present, with White-bellied Green-pigeon, Grey Treepie and White-tailed Robin seen nearby. Our first Taiwan Yuhinas were seen here as well, along with another Rufous-faced Warbler and Grey-chinned Minivet as well. 

Mikado Pheasant

Unfortunately in the early afternoon as we headed up towards the higher elevations the weather came in badly with very low cloud and mist, and regular heavy showers that turned into prolonged rain in the late afternoon. After spending quite some time at a stake-out for Mikado Pheasant and drawing a blank we decided to drive down to the lodge. Amazingly, a dark mist-enshrouded blob at the roadside turned out to be a beautiful male Mikado Pheasant. It was such a stunning bird and was absolutely unperturbed by our presence as we watched him in the rain for a good 20 minutes at close distance before leaving him to it and bowling up at the lodge looking like drowned rats!

Taipei

Not much time for birding until I went to pick up the group from Taipei airport and managed to squeeze in a quick hour a few kilometres along the coast before they arrived. In a tidal creek were lots of summer-plumaged Red-necked Stints and Lesser Sandplovers and a few Kentish Plovers, but i'm guessing the male Merlin that rocketed by is quite a good bird in Taiwan? Some partially flooded rice fields just inland held a male Greater Painted Snipe, a few introduced Sacred Ibis and a Crested Bunting was perched on a bush. And then I met my group and we headed down to Fongyuan and a great posh hotel for the night, after eating in the night market and visiting a temple. No more culture please!!!!

Basianshan Mountain

After a breakfast consisting of chicken nuggets & noodles garnished with tomato ketchup I made my way slowly up Basianshan mountain, reaching the Visitor Centre by midday. The road followed a beautiful river valley through a spectacular mountain range and although the birding was slower than yesterday it was a fine walk! There was several Plumbeous Water-redstarts and a Brown Dipper along the fast flowing river, and once the road began climbing steeply birds began to appear. Japanese White-eyes and Grey-cheeked Fulvettas were common, but I was more interested in the Taiwan Bamboo-partridges that were calling. I spent a long time (too long) trying to find them but really never had a hope. A few Grey-chinned Minivets, Rufous-faced Warbler, Black-naped Monarch and other common stuff showed. My highlight was firstly some very close views of a Taiwan Barbet in a roadside tree, followed by a nest-building Taiwan Whistling-thrush.

Taiwan Barbet

But these were eclipsed by numerous views of some very sexy Taiwan Scimitar-babblers: several were along the road but the best showing came when I was walking back down towards the river on the steep boardwalk. I sat down on one of the steps and watched a pair feeding in the lush under storey, and they didn't seem concerned at all by my presence. At one stage one of them perched up on the handrail and began to call, just a few metres away from me! It's not just a split from Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler  because of its geographical location - oh no there's far more than that to these beauties. The crown is darker, the black ear-coverts are bigger, the thick black breast streaking is darker and heavier and on a persil white background, the lower belly is dark chestnut and checkout the obvious rufous nape.

Taiwan Scimitar-babbler

There was also a Maroon Oriole up near the Visitor Centre. Well, actually it's not. Rumours of a potential split have been rumbling on for ages and it seems like at least one authority has upgraded it to full species status. So now it's called Red (or Claret) Oriole Oriolus ardens and just take a look at the photo below to see how different it looks to Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii. Another Taiwanese endemic!

Taiwan Bird Race

Taking part in the Dasyueshan Bird Race was a great start to my time in the wonderful country of Taiwan. With my group not arriving until Monday and just a few 'westerners' present I was made to feel very welcome indeed and it was great to see so many Taiwanese birders thoroughly enjoying the event. They were so helpful and willing to offer advice, despite the alleged 'competitive' edge to the day - something a few Brits could learn from! Anyway, thanks to Richard Foster for his company and local knowledge and letting me join his team.

Well, I managed to see 16 currently recognised endemics, along with Taiwan (Vinaceous) Rosefinch and Taiwan (Viviv) Niltava - these last 2 might be split soon. Also heard Taiwan Cupwing. A few other nice birds seen today included White-bellied Green-pigeon, Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Spotted Nutcracker (future split?), Ferruginous Flycatcher, Black-throated Tit and Yellowish-bellied Bush-warbler amongst others.

One feature of the birding at Dasyueshan Mountain was the great views of the birds. Highlights not photographed were Taiwan Shortwing, Taiwan Bush-warbler, Taiwan Bush-robin, Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush, Taiwan Yuhina and Taiwan Fulvetta.

Here's a few photos from the day:

Swinhoe's Pheasant (female)

Mikado Pheasant (female)

Flamecrest

Steere's Liocichla

White-whiskered Laughingthrush

White-eared Sibia

Taiwan Whistling-thrush

Taiwan Hill-partridge

Vinaceous (Taiwan) Rosefinch

Taiwan Barwing

Collared Bush-robin

Taiwan Bird Race 14th April

Looking forward to participating in the Anmashan International Bird Race on Saturday. Hoping to see most of the endemics in the 24 hours including this little beauty below.

Collared Bush-robin

Eaglenest 2012

We have a tour to Eaglenest in the mountains of north-east India departing soon. It's definitely one of my favourite places in the world and to be in the Himalayas in springtime is to be in birding heaven. In fact we've been guiding groups of birders here longer than any other tour company - FACT! So here's just a few photos of some special birds we've seen there over the years.....

Beautiful Nuthatch

Fire-tailed Myzornis

Grandala

Green Cochoa

Office Work!

This late March/early April period is a time for us at ZOOTHERA to catch up with the office work before heading out on short holidays and preparing for tours to Taiwan & Lesvos later in the month.

Exciting new tours currently being prepared include Northern Peru (Jan 2014), Peninsular Malaysia (April 2013), West Java & Sumatra (Nov/Dec 2013), Japan (Nov 2013), as well as several new Brazil tours.

Well here's a few nice shots from our last Brazil - Atlantic Rainforest tour:

Saffron Toucanet

Shrike-like Cotinga

Streamer-tailed Tyrant

Swallow-tailed Hummingbird

Versicolored Emerald

Yellow-fronted Woodpecker