The Deskbound Birder: Great Knot

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Tuesday, 11 February 2020

South Korea and Taiwan - 11th February (Day 17)

After a rather sleepless night on the eco-lodge due to barking dogs we were up 05:15 for our final days birding. We headed the short distance to Pintung University for the two remaining targets of the trip. We walked down the track through forest and secondary growth and set-up on the bund between the two lakes and began scanning. Black Drongo and Light-vented Bulbul began to appear in the tree-tops and then I picked up a bird of different shape and squinting through the gloom of the early morning I could make out some deep red colouration; Maroon Oriole, our first target and one that we had missed earlier in the trip. I shouted and the others got onto the bird fairly quickly. Our first target down. Over the next few minutes we approached the oriole more closely and eventually got great views. Next Ian found a green pigeon perched in a dead tree which was soon joined by others. We identified two species the larger White-bellied Green-pigeon and our final key target, Whistling Green-pigeon. These two species were remarkably similar even when perched together but the orange forehead, heavily marked ventral area and more uniform dull green appearance of the Whistling Green were good pointers. Over the next 45 minutes we had fantastic views of the pigeons eventually seeing 13 Whistling and seven White-bellied. My eBird checklist for the morning can be viewed here.

Maroon Oriole - Pintung University, Taiwan

White-bellied Green-Pigeon - Pintung University, Taiwan

White-bellied Green-Pigeon (lower three birds) and Whistling Green-Pigeon - Pintung University, Taiwan

Whistling Green-Pigeon - Pintung University, Taiwan

Chestnut-tailed Starling - Pintung University, Taiwan

Common Kingfisher - Pintung University, Taiwan

Elated by our early morning success we decided to head north and to the west coast of the island for some wader watching. We arrived at the Qingkunshen IBA at just gone 10:00 and began scanning the large number of waders. The masses were dominated by Dunlin of one of the long-billed races, probably sakhalina. Amongst these were Pacific Golden Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Kentish Plover, Lesser Sand-plover, Red-necked Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt and Avocet. The star birds were Great Knot some of which were beginning to enter summer plumage and the star, a Nordmann’s Greenshank which eventually gave excellent views . This species is a rare vagrant on Taiwan, this bird has been present at the site since at least the end of 2019. Also at the site we recorded Caspian Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern and Whiskered Tern. It was now 12:15 and we decided that we should start our journey towards the Taipei. A short stop at a lagoon further along the road produced a Black-faced Spoonbill and a rice paddy a little further on was smothered in Wigeon, Shoveler and Pintail. My eBird checklist for the site can be viewed here, here and here.

The drive north took around 4 hours with a couple of brief stops. We checked into a hotel to change and shower and after some dinner headed to our international flights. Mine departing at 00:20.

Lesser Sand Plover - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Caspian Tern - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Pacific Golden Plover - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Black-winged Stilt - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Kentish Plover - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Whiskered Tern - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

The naturalised African Sacred Ibis - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Marsh Sandpiper - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Intermediate Egret - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Great Knot - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Nordmann's Greenshank - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Black-faced Spoonbill - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

Black-winged Kite - Qingkunshen IBA, Taiwan

List of Birds Recorded in Taiwan

We recorded 153 species in Taiwan of which 33 were new for me (shown in bold).

Taiwan Partridge

Taiwan Bamboo-partridge

Mikado Pheasant

Swinhoe's Pheasant

Tufted Duck

Northern Shoveler

Chinese Spot-billed Duck

Mallard

Common Teal

Little Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

Ashy Woodpigeon

Oriental Turtle-dove

Red Turtle-dove

Eastern Spotted Dove

White-bellied Green-pigeon

Taiwan Green-pigeon

House Swift

White-breasted Waterhen

Common Moorhen

Common Coot

Black-faced Spoonbill

African Sacred Ibis

Yellow Bittern

Malay Night-heron

Black-crowned Night-heron

Cattle Egret

Grey Heron

Great White Egret

Intermediate Egret

Little Egret

Pied Avocet

Black-winged Stilt

Grey Plover

Pacific Golden Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Kentish Plover

Lesser Sandplover

Bar-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Great Knot

Red Knot

Curlew Sandpiper

Red-necked Stint

Common Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Common Greenshank

Nordmann's Greenshank

Common Redshank

Marsh Sandpiper

Black-headed Gull

Little Tern

Common Gull-billed Tern

Caspian Tern

Whiskered Tern

Collared Owlet

Collared Scops-owl

Mountain Scops-owl

Osprey

Black-winged Kite

Oriental Honey-buzzard

Crested Serpent-eagle

Mountain Hawk-eagle

Black Eagle

Crested Goshawk

Besra

Black Kite

Common Kingfisher

Taiwan Barbet

Grey-capped Woodpecker

White-backed Woodpecker

Peregrine Falcon

Maroon Oriole

White-bellied Erpornis

Grey-chinned Minivet

Black Drongo

Black-naped Monarch

Brown Shrike

Grey Treepie

Taiwan Blue Magpie

Plain-crowned Jay

Southern Nutcracker

Large-billed Crow

Coal Tit

Chestnut-bellied Tit

Green-backed Tit

Yellow Tit

Plain Prinia

Taiwan Cupwing

Asian House Martin

Red-rumped Swallow

House Swallow

Barn Swallow

Asian Plain Martin

Black Bulbul

Collared Finchbill

Light-vented Bulbul

Styan's Bulbul

Yellow-browed Warbler

Arctic Warbler

Rufous-faced Warbler

Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler

Yellowish-bellied Bush-warbler

Black-throated Tit

Taiwan Fulvetta

Taiwan Yuhina

Japanese White-eye

Taiwan Scimitar-babbler

Black-necklaced Scimitar-babbler

Rufous-capped Babbler

Dusky Fulvetta

Grey-cheeked Fulvetta

Taiwan Hwamei

Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush

Rusty Laughingthrush

White-whiskered Laughingthrush

White-eared Sibia

Taiwan Liocichla

Taiwan Barwing

Eurasian Nuthatch

Northern Wren

Brown Dipper

Crested Myna

Common Myna

White's Thrush

Taiwan Thrush

Eyebrowed Thrush

Brown-headed Thrush

Pale Thrush

Dusky Thrush

Small Vivid Niltava

White-tailed Blue Robin

Orange-flanked Bush-robin

White-browed Bush-robin

Collared Bush-robin

Little Forktail

Taiwan Whistling-thrush

Snowy-browed Flycatcher

Plumbeous Water-redstart

Daurian Redstart

Flamecrest

Fire-breasted Flowerpecker

Alpine Accentor

White-rumped Munia

Scaly-breasted Munia

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Olive-backed Pipit

Grey Wagtail

Eastern Yellow Wagtail

White Wagtail

Taiwan Rosefinch

Brown Bullfinch

Grey-headed Bullfinch

Links to Other Days of the Trip (Click to View)

South Korea

26th January (Day 1 and 2) – International flight then Han River area.

28th January (Day 3) – Songdo Tidal Flats and Korea National Arboretum.

29th January (Day 4) – Seosan Reclamation.

30th January (Day 5) – Seosan Reclamation then Geum River.

31st January (Day 6) – Yubu Island, and Han River.

Taiwan

1st February (Day 7) – Fly Seoul (South Korea) to Taipei (Taiwan) then Dasyueshan Forest Reserve.

2nd February (Day 8) – Dasyueshan Forest Reserve.

3rd February (Day 9) – Dasyueshan Forest Reserve.

4th February (Day 10) – Dasyueshan Forest Reserve.

5th February (Day11) – Dasyueshan Forest Reserve then Huisin Forest Reserve.

6th February (Day 12) – Huisin Forest Reserve then Blue Gates Trail.

7th February (Day 13) – Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area.

8th February (Day 14) – Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area then Firefly Lodge.

9th February (Day 15) – Alishan.

10th February (Day 16) – Alishan, Kenting National Park and Pintung University.

11th February (Day 17) – Pingtung University then international flight.

Tuesday, 24 April 2018

South-east China - 24th April (Day 4)

We were up at 05:00 and after packing our bags commenced the short drive to the Dongtai sandflats area for our final birding session at this superb site. After breakfast of bread, bananas and sweet coffee we walked the kilometre or so across the sandflats to the waters edge. The main goal was to try to improve on our views of Spoon-billed Sandpiper. At the waters edge we walked southwards closely following the waters edge and scanning the vast flocks of superb summer plumaged Red-necked Stint as they busily fed on unseen morsels. Close investigation of the sand surface revealed many tidy polychaete worm trails, molluscs and crustaceans which fuel the birds on their north bound journey and make this site of major importance. Amongst the stint were lesser numbers of Greater Sandplover, Lesser Sandplover, Great Knot, Red Knot, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Dunlin and Curlew Sandpiper all resplendent in their summer finery and all with the same aim of feeding and moving northbound to the Siberian tundra to breed. Alas, after two hours of searching there was no sign of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper and we decided to head to the seawall scrub to search for passerine migrants. We worked our way westwards but the strong winds hampered our efforts and we saw relatively little, new species that we had not seen here yesterday were Oriental Reed-warbler, Chinese Grosbeak and Green-backed Flycatcher. On the lagoons were Pintail, Garganey and Shoveler as well as Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Black-faced Spoonbill and Saunder’s Gull.

Boarding the bus we headed one hour to the south to Yankou and the fabled Magic Wood which I had last visited on 9th November 2016. This rather unattractive area with bird park, modern hotels, golf courses, imposing wind turbines and littered with waste plastic and polystyrene makes one wonder why it is evidently such a popular spot for Chinese tourists. We birded the avenue of trees that is the Magic Wood seeing relatively little, the highlights being a cracking White’s Thrush, two Dusky Thrush, Silver-throated Tit, Yellow-browed Bunting and at least six Chinese Grosbeak. After a superb lunch of various Chinese dishes which included sweet and sour pork, liver in a black bean sauce, spicy cauliflower, sweet and sour aubergine and pork strips we began the five-hour drive south to Minjiang.

We arrived at Nanhui just as it was getting dark and birded the area around the hotel but it was probably a little late and we saw little but for a few common species such as Barn Swallow, Long-tailed Shrike, Dusky Warbler and Crested Myna.

Mixed flock of Red Knot, Great Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover - Dongtai, Yancheng

Mixed flock of Red Knot, Great Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit - Dongtai, Yancheng

Lesser Black-backed Gull of subspecies heuglini - Dongtai, Yancheng

Red-necked Stint - Dongtai, Yancheng

Gull-billed Tern - Dongtai, Yancheng

Olive-backed Pipit - Dongtai, Yancheng

Saunder's Gull - Dongtai, Yancheng

Female Green-backed Flycatcher - Dongtai, Yancheng

Birding the Magic Wood, Yankhou

Landscape just outside the Magic Wood, Yankhou

Links to Other Days of the Trip (Click to View)
Day 1 and 2 – International flight and Dongtai.
Day 3 - Dongtai.
Day 5 - Nanhui then fly to Fuzhou.
Day 6 - Shanutan Island and Fuzhou Forest Park.
Day 7 - Fuzhou Forest Park then Emeifeng Mountain.
Day 8 - Emeifeng Mountain.
Day 9 - Emeifeng Mountain.
Day 10 - Emeifeng Mountain then Wuyuan.
Day 11 - Wuyuan.
Day 12 – Drive Wuyuan to Dongzhai.
Day 13 - Dongzhai.
Day 14 – Dongzhai then fly Wuhan to Korlor.
Day 15 – Taklamakan Desert.
Day 16 – Taklamakan Desert then Urumqi.
Day 17 and 18 – Nanshan in the Tien Shan Mountains then fly Beijing. International flight.

Tuesday, 7 June 2016

Alaska - 7th June (Day 11)

We were up early at 04:30 and headed to Anchorage Airport for a 07:25 flight to Nome landing at 08:45. We collected our car and checked into the Hotel Aurora having booked the Hotel Polaris. We heard the Polaris was a little like the movie ‘Pyscho’ so enquired at the Hotel Aurora, the best hotel in town which was full when I originally tried to book. Fortunately, the hotel had had a couple of cancellations and we were into the Aurora somewhat relieved. After grabbing some pic-nic supplies we headed out into the field and birded the Council Road as far as to Mile 52. Birding the tundra, creeks and Safety Sound plus the higher tundra and mountains beyond Bonanza Creek. It was fantastic birding with numerous Aleutian Tern, Semipalmated Sandpiper on the tundra, Black Brant, Surfbird in summer plumage, Sanderling, Black Turnstone and for me one of the highlights of the trip, numerous summer plumage Long-tailed Skua. We spent some time birding the inlet to Safety Sound where we had great views of stunning Surfbird in summer plumage, Western Sandpiper, Black Turnstone and Semipalmated Sandpiper. At a distant, I picked up there waders on the sandbar and I puzzled as to what they were, as I walked a little closer their black marked plumage, rufous scapulars and down curved bulls identified them as Great Knot, a very rare bird on mainland Alaska. Further along the highway we spent sometime taking photos of an old steam train stuck in the mudflats before heading up hill to Mile 48 a Gyrfalcon nest on a cliff top was seen and also here were Rough-legged Buzzard, Wilson’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler and Grey-cheeked Thrush. We crashed at around 01:00 after a great afternoons birding.