The Deskbound Birder: Taiwan Rosefinch

Showing posts with label Taiwan Rosefinch. Show all posts

Monday, 10 February 2020

South Korea and Taiwan - 10th February (Day 16)

We headed back up to KM108 at Alishan Forest Recreation Area again this AM for our final mornings birding in the area. We wandered up and down the road and also a short way up the track to the visitor centre seeing much the same as yesterday and missing all remaining targets for the site. Highlights were a pair of Yellow-throated Marten foraging around the car park, great views of Steere's Liochichla, Taiwan Rosefinch and White-browed Bush-Robin. At around 10:00 we began the long drive south to Kenting National Park. My eBird checklist can be viewed here.

Yellow-throated Marten - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Steere's Liochicla - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Taiwan Rosefinch - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

White-browed Bush-Robin - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Taiwan Fulvetta - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

We arrived at Kenting National Park in the far south of the island just before 14:30. The park is just above sea level and this was the first lowland birding we had done on the island and it was noticeably warm and with a strong sea breeze blowing. We quickly located our target here, the now rare and localised, Styan's Bulbul but it took some time before we all had obtained satisfactory views. Other species here included a range of familiar wildfowl seen from the very plush hide. My eBird checklist for the site can be viewed here.

After Kenting we headed back north to Pingtung University arriving just as it was getting dark at 17:30, we sussed out the site for tomorrows birding and had some nice views of Savanna Nightjar as darkness fell. After dinner we headed to our accommodation at the Hakka Eco-Farm where we heard more Savanna Nightjar and a booming Malayan Night-Heron. My eBird checklists for these two sites can be viewed here and here.

Brown Shrike - Kenting National Park, Taiwan

Scaly-breasted Munia - Kenting National Park, Taiwan

Styan's Bulbul - Kenting National Park, Taiwan

Black Drongo - Kenting National Park, Taiwan

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.

Friday, 7 February 2020

South Korea and Taiwan - 7th February (Day 13)

We began the day at the NTU Experimental Farm to the south-east of Ren'ai. Our journey here was interesting to say the least, we could have followed the main road but Google maps sent us on the most direct route down a steep and often unmade track with multiple sharp hairpin bends and in places barely passable. We arrived at the farm at 06:50 and birded here for the first three hours of the day seeing Taiwan Bamboo-Partridge, a distant White-bellied Green-Pigeon, Taiwan Hwamei, Rusty Laughingthrush and Snowy-browed Flycatcher. The birding was very pleasant around the small woodland patches and weedy arable fields. My eBird checklist for the site can be viewed here.

Collared Finchbill - NTU Experimental Farm, Ren'ai, Taiwan

Rusty Laughingthrush - NTU Experimental Farm, Ren'ai, Taiwan

Taiwan Hwamei - NTU Experimental Farm, Ren'ai, Taiwan

Snowy-browed Flycatcher - NTU Experimental Farm, Ren'ai, Taiwan

We then headed up hill to Hehuan Shan Mountain to the north-east of Wuling and at 3,150m. The carpark at the pass was shrouded in thick fog and Taiwanese people marvelling at the thin covering of dirty snow and ice in the litter strewn car park. There were no birds to be seen. We then dropped to the the carpark at Song Shue Lodge which was bathed in sunshine but very cold. Here we recorded Taiwan Rosefinch, White-whiskered Laughingthrush, Flamecrest and Taiwan Fulvetta but there was no sign of our main target, Alpine Accentor. We headed a little further along the road to various lay-bys but saw little. My eBird checklist for the area can be viewed here.

Cutting our losses we headed back downhill and spent the last hour or so of daylight on the lower section of the Blue Gates Trail but saw little. My eBird checklist for the area can be viewed here.

Flamecrest - Song Shue Lodge, Hehuan Shan Mountain, Wuling, Taiwan

White-whiskered Laughingthrush - Song Shue Lodge, Hehuan Shan Mountain, Wuling, Taiwan

Taiwan Fulvetta - Song Shue Lodge, Hehuan Shan Mountain, Wuling, Taiwan

Taiwan Rosefinch - Song Shue Lodge, Hehuan Shan Mountain, Wuling, Taiwan

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.

Monday, 3 February 2020

South Korea and Taiwan - 3rd February (Day 9)

We started the day birding the KM50 area of Dasyueshan Forest Reserve as many of our remaining targets were in the higher elevations of the reserve. We birded the area around the main tourist complex, along the trail to the 'Sky Pond' and a track that extended south-west through bamboo dominated forest from the main car park area called the 230 Forest Road. One of the highlights of the morning was a superb White's Thrush that showed in the open feeding on Cotoneaster berries for at least 15 minutes giving us all time to study the intricacies of this superb birds plumage. Other new birds we had were a pair of Taiwan Rosefinch coming to drink on the pool at the rear of the toilet block, Taiwan Cupwing, White-browed Bush-robin, two Taiwan Thrush and Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler on the 230 Forest Road. My eBird checklists for the morning can be viewed here, here and here.

White's Thrush - KM50 Area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Taiwan Rosefinch - KM50 Area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Taiwan Barwing - KM50 Area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Coal Tit of subspecies ptilosus - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

After a superb self cook vegetable and noodle soup at the visitor centre (eBird checklist here). We headed down to KM23 and walked down the road. We enjoyed good views of Taiwan Barbet and our best views yet of Taiwan Whistling-thrush but otherwise the species here were much the same as yesterday mornings session at KM23. My eBird checklist can be viewed here.

Taiwan Barbet - KM23 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Taiwan Whistling-Thrush - KM23 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

White-eared Sibia - KM23 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Swinhoe's Pheasant - KM23 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

It was now 15:00 and we decided to head uphill. As we reached KM30 I heard a call I had not heard before and on stopping the car we found a group of eight Steere's Liochichla feeding along the roadside and then in the tree's above a party of 12 Brown Bullfinch of the endemic subspecies uchidai. Here we also had good views of White-backed Woodpecker of the heavily streaked subspecies insularius and Rufous-faced Warbler, a bird whose insect like trill was commonly heard but we had good views of relatively few. My eBird checklist for the location can be viewed here.

After 30 minutes the fog rolled in and we drove above it to KM35 (eBird checklist here) but it was not long before the fog had risen up the hill and shrouded us once again and so it was time to head back to the lodge after a successful days birding.