The Deskbound Birder: South Korea and Taiwan

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.