Gettin' It Done in Taiwan (1 Viewer)

I arrived in Taiwan yesterday. Today I photographed six endemic Taiwanese species. I photographed four at a single spot: A Magic Tent in the southern Taiwanese mountains. The experience at the tent was one of the most memorable of my birding career. Here's one of the endemics: a pair of white-eared or Taiwan sibias (白耳奇鹛, bái'ěr qíméi, Heterophasia auricularis). A farmer set up a tent on his property at about 1150 m above sea level. Fifteen meters away, the farmer lays out maize and water. My Taiwanese friend 山林飞羽 (shānlín fēiyǔ) told me that the farmer has been laying out food and water for years. The result is that the local birds know that the location is reliable. The beautiful thing is that, because the spot is in a remote place deep in the mountains, the birds, despite their regular recourse to this site, are fully wild; they approach the maize and water nervously. The other species that arrived at the tent today are Steere's liocichla, Swinhoe's pheasant, and Taiwan hill partridge. Yet another species, Chinese bamboo pheasant, also appeared at the tent; the endemic Taiwanese subspecies probably merits full species status. At other locations I found a Taiwan barbet and a Taiwan scimitar babbler, both also endemic to Taiwan. Nikon D3S, 600 mm, F/5.6, 1/6400, ISO 6400, 11.9 m.

So where is this magic tent, Craig? We have a plant outside Tainan - quite near the jacana reserve, actually. It looks like I might be heading there at least once or twice in the coming year, and I'd love to get a few more of the endemics, especially pheasants and partridges.

tnx,

JH

Very nice. I've been birding here for almost a year and I've actually never seen any of those four (although I've only birded in the mountains a few times). Is this farmer the owner of a B&B, perchance? And does he welcome birders?

Nice, where is the "magic tent"????
I live in Taiwan for years and haven't heard about it!
Boris