The Deskbound Birder: South Korea and Taiwan

Wednesday 5 February 2020

South Korea and Taiwan - 5th February (Day 11)

We started the morning by loading the car in the semi-dark ready to depart Dasyueshan Forest Reserve after a few hours of birding. The day started well with a superb Little Forktail feeding on the road not far above the entrance gate. We then birded the area around the park entrance gate seeing a range of the species we had seen previously including Swinhoe's Pheasant, White-tailed Robin and Collared Bush-Robin. My eBird list for the area can be viewed here.

A short way further down the road in some nice looking forest at KM31 we stopped again and very quickly located a pair of stunning Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler, they showed well as they foraged amongst the leaf-litter. And then in the same bush Ian picked up a flock of Rusty Laughingthrush, we were amazed at our luck in seeing our two main remaining species to see at this site in the same bush and in the final hour or so that we had. Eventually, 33 Rusty Laughingthrush appeared and foraged busily in the bushes eventually flying across the road where we managed an accurate count. On closer study of my photographs it appeared that they were feeding on an odd gelatinous substance adhered to the branches of the bush. This can be seen in the first image of the species below, the bird can be seen with the substance in its bill while further blobs can be seen adhered to the branches. Also here in the same bush were two Steere's Liochichla and a single Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler. My eBird checklist for this stop can be viewed here.

Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler - KM31, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Rusty Laughingthrush - KM31, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Dropping out of the mountains we stopped randomly at KM4, this produced great views of Crested Serpent-Eagle and a Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler. My eBird checklist can be viewed here.

Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler - KM4, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Crested Serpent-Eagle - KM4, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

After stops to get picnic supplies and lunch we arrived at our next stop, Huisin Forest Park at 14:15. A stop at the park entrance produced our first ornate Taiwan Blue-Magpie and their drabber cousin's Grey Treepie. The park was the only site where we saw the Blue-Magpie and here they were common, we were puzzled why we didn't encounter this species more widely given that the forest habitat here seemed to be widespread. Further into the park on the lawn area beside the coffee shop and the education centre were two cracking and very confiding Malayan Night-Heron and 10 Taiwan Blue-Magpie. After checking in to our accommodation we wandered to the observation platform but saw relatively little, the highlight being a White's Thrush which we thought may have been a Scaly Thrush but eventually we considered that it looked to dark and not sufficiently golden and with the cheeks too well marked. After dinner we did a short nightwalk which produced a single Collared Scops Owl. My eBird checklists for Huisin Forest Park can be viewed here and here.