The Deskbound Birder: Flamecrest

Showing posts with label Flamecrest. Show all posts

Sunday, 9 February 2020

South Korea and Taiwan - 9th February (Day 15)

We were up at 06:00 and after breakfast at Firefly Lodge headed to KM108 on Highway 18 that passes through Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. On our drive, at approximately KM104 two stunning Yellow-throated Marten ran across the road in front of the vehicle and we eventually had great views of these beautiful mustilids. We began the morning by birding the car park area where we had a flock of nine Grey-headed Bullfinch fly along the road, Taiwan Rosefinch, Collared Bush-robin and Steere’s Liochicla. Wandering up the road that passes the Tourist Information Centre and the Giant Taiwan Hemlock we trawled for Golden Parrotbill, Taiwan Shortwing and Taiwan Bush Warbler our only remaining species in the higher altitudinal habitats but with no success. We did enjoy further great views of three Yellow-throated Marten and bird species such as Taiwan Fulvetta, Taiwan Barwing, Taiwan Barbet and Flamecrest. We finished walking the loop trail and arrived at the Tataka Visitor Centre which was closed for refurbishment although the restaurant was open and serving terrible food, we had peanut butter on toast with hundreds and thousands! We then birded back down the road to the car seeing much the same as before, the highlight was probably a flock of six Japanese Waxwing which we saw in flight - a scarce bird in Taiwan.

After finding a hotel in the main visitor centre complex further down the road we birded a few random spots on our way back up to KM108 but saw relatively little. We spent the last few hours of the day birding at KM108 but saw much the same as we had this morning. I came across two Grey-headed Bullfinch feeding in a weedy patch but they flushed before I spotted them on the ground and flew into the forest not to be seen again. My eBird checklists for the day can be viewed here, here, here and here.

Collared Bush-Robin - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Coal Tit - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Taiwan Barbet - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

White's Thrush - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Black-throated Tit - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Flamecrest - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Taiwan Fulvetta - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

Pale Thrush - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan

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

Formosan Macaque - Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, 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.

Sunday, 2 February 2020

South Korea and Taiwan - 2nd February (Day 8)

After a good nights sleep in our very cold rooms which have hot water but no heating, we began our first day at Dasyueshan Forest Reserve with a drive up hill to KM50 looking for Mikkado Pheasant but with no luck. We then headed down hill to KM23 arriving at around 08:30. In the fruiting trees here were many White-eared Sibia, Taiwan Yuhina and Vivid Niltava. It was not long before one of the most difficult Taiwan endemics appeared, a stunning Taiwan Thrush whose head shone in the dull morning light. We spent some time at these fruiting trees watching the birds coming and going, we eventually saw two Taiwan Thrush here plus Taiwan Yellow Tit, Swinhoe’s Pheasant, Taiwan Barbet and White-tailed Robin. We then walked down the road a short way where we saw a third Taiwan Thrush, Pale Thrush and our only Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush of the trip, a small group of six birds foraging through the understorey. My eBird checklist for this location can be viewed here.

Taiwan Thrush - KM23, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

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

Taiwan Barbet - KM23, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

White-tailed Robin - KM23, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Vivid Niltava- KM23, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Vivid Niltava - KM23, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

We then had to head back to the lodge to finish the check-in process and to gather some gen on birding sites for the next few days birding at the reserve. The rest of the day was then spent in the area around KM50 where many of the speciality birds, including Mikkado Pheasant can be encountered. Over the next 5.5 hours the highlights included Taiwan Barwing, Flamecrest, White-whiskered Laughingthrush, Collared Bush-robin, Spotted Nutcracker, Ashy Woodpigeon and Brown-headed thrush. My ebird lists for the afternoon can be seen here, here and here.

Red-flanked Bluetail- KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Red-flanked Bluetail - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

White-whiskered Laughingthrush - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Taiwan Barwing - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Black-throated Tit - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Flamecrest - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

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

Reeve's Muntjac - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Eurasian Wren - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Ashy Woodpigeon - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Taiwan Yuhina - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Brown-headed Thrush - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

Spotted Nutcracker - KM50 area, Dasyueshan Forest Reserve, Taiwan

As the day drew to a close we took a slow drive down the road back to the lodge and at KM47 we encountered a stunning male Mikkado Pheasant feeding on the roadside. My eBird list can be viewed here.