[Mark Bruce]

This afternoon my wife and I decided to go and take a look around the National Taiwan University Experimental Forest near the village of Jhushan about 20km from where we live.

We arrived at the forest and headed off down the track. There were some people about but not that many. For Taiwan on a Sunday afternoon we were doing well. We moved off the main path and set up in front of some trees on the edge of the forest.

For a good few minutes we didn't even hear anything. Then a Bronzed Drongo started calling but was out of sight. A small flock of Japanese White-eyes arrived and moved about high in the treetops. Then a pair of Bronzed Drongos arrived. They were pretty high up and against the sky offered a very poor shot.

I caught a movement in a nearby tree. It was a Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker. Moments later a second one appeared. I was ready for a shot as soon as one presented itself. I really wanted to try and get one for Larry Lade but it was not to be. They moved off without offering a chance for a shot.

My wife suggested we move along the forest edge and set up again a little further on. We moved along and suddenly a Forest Wagtail just appeared a few metres in front of me. I knew what it was. It was a lifer for me. Forest Wagtail is quite common on the mainland but on Taiwan we only get them as vagrants so this was a real rarity on Taiwan just sitting there looking at me.

Within moments I was ready. The Forest Wagtail was in the open and in good light. I focused and pushed the remote. The camera went crazy. I heard it click. The screen was just a blur of fuzz. I quickly turned to manual and focused. The Wagtail was still there posing. I pressed the remote and nothing happened. I then tried to take the shot without the remote. The screen just went blank.

Here I was with this vagrant in front of me and the camera had gone on strike. I was almost crying with frustration. The Wagtail moved about for a few moments and was promptly joined by a second one. This was just too much. I took out my little Sony and snapped a quick shot for proof of the sighting just as the Wagtails flew up into a tree.

They then flew back to the ground and walked about for about five more minutes before finally moving off. I was both overjoyed and shattered at the same time by the experience.

We decided to call it a day and started to walk back to the car. We hadn't gone far when I spotted a young Malayan Night Heron. It too was posing. I stood looking at it. I then took out the little Sony again and snapped a quick shot.

It was wonderful to see the pair of Forest Wagtails but I'm going to be haunted for a long time by that image of that Forest Wagtail through the lens and not being able to get the camera to respond.

[Dave B Smith]

Thank goodness for a back up camera! Even if it's not the image you could have had, they are certainly clear.

[Mark Bruce]

Originally Posted by Dave B Smith

Thank goodness for a back up camera! Even if it's not the image you could have had, they are certainly clear.

That was a blessing. I think there is a funny side to this. My wife was laughing at me last night. I must look at what I got not what I missed.

[MKinHK]

Congratulations on the Forest Wags, Mark. At least yu have documented proof of the record.

This story ably illustrates why I'm a birder first and a photographer a very distant second! Technology and I have a genuine hate/hate relationship!

I've never had a camera die on me so comprehensively, but at least with optics there's much less that can go wrong.

How many records of Forest Wagtail have there been in Taiwan?

There has been at least one in HK this winter. Most of our birds are early autumn passage birds, with a smaller number in spring and the odd overwintering bird.

[KCFoggin]

Aw Mark, that had to have caused more than a wee bit of frustration. Any idea on what went wrong?

I'm happy that you got to see it though. Your wife is right (they usually are ) It's what you got that counts.

[Dr Manjeet Singh]

There ,there Mark(while patting his back but laughing with his wife-mean ant i .)My friend i know the feeling but you did a good picture-the 2nd.Also i know what you mean by having a picture-if it's rare who will believe you saw without a picture-there are some birds i have seen but afraid to say because i dont have the picture-for there are two that many,many havent seen in Malaysia-who would believe a new birder man.Well you still got a picture.Regards my friend and as for laughing with your wife i had too-i have to side my sister-in-law mate

[Mark Bruce]

Originally Posted by MKinHK

Congratulations on the Forest Wags, Mark. At least yu have documented proof of the record.

This story ably illustrates why I'm a birder first and a photographer a very distant second! Technology and I have a genuine hate/hate relationship!

I've never had a camera die on me so comprehensively, but at least with optics there's much less that can go wrong.

How many records of Forest Wagtail have there been in Taiwan?

There has been at least one in HK this winter. Most of our birds are early autumn passage birds, with a smaller number in spring and the odd overwintering bird.

Mike, that's pretty much me. Birder first and I have a hate/hate relationship with my camera. It seems to like my wife though.

I was under the impression that Forest Wagtails were more of a annual vagrant but after reading your post and doing some digging they do appear to be pretty rare on Taiwan.

I had a look in Hachisuka & Udagawa 1951 and no records. They list all the old Ibis records etc so it had definitely not been seen by Swinhoe, La Touche etc. I then looked at Severinghaus & Blackshaw 1976 and no records. Wu 1991 lists it with five records. There may be a few records that I'm not aware of but I know of one in 2004 and a pair in exactly the same place as I saw this pair in Feb 06. So, perhaps very small numbers are wintering and being overlooked because of the thick forests or being dismissed as Olive-backed Pipit which is pretty common in our forests in winter.

Originally Posted by KCFoggin

Aw Mark, that had to have caused more than a wee bit of frustration. Any idea on what went wrong?

I'm happy that you got to see it though. Your wife is right (they usually are ) It's what you got that counts.

KC, I'm looking at the funny side. Something to laugh about. It was really wonderful to come across the pair as we did. I have a shot for proof and my wife was able to get a shot of the pair but it was from quite a distance but at least is a record of the pair.

The problem seems to be some kind of electrical short around the power button so the camera has to go back to the suppliers to be repaired. Thankfully it's still under guarantee.

[Mark Bruce]

Originally Posted by Dr Manjeet Singh

There ,there Mark(while patting his back but laughing with his wife-mean ant i .)My friend i know the feeling but you did a good picture-the 2nd.Also i know what you mean by having a picture-if it's rare who will believe you saw without a picture-there are some birds i have seen but afraid to say because i dont have the picture-for there are two that many,many havent seen in Malaysia-who would believe a new birder man.Well you still got a picture.Regards my friend and as for laughing with your wife i had too-i have to side my sister-in-law mate

Cheers, Doc ! Yeah, the sighting was really worth a lot more than the missed shot !

[Katy Penland]

I feel your pain, Mark! But there's sure nothing wrong with that second shot. Congratulations on the lifer and the record!

[Mark Bruce]

Originally Posted by Katy Penland

I feel your pain, Mark! But there's sure nothing wrong with that second shot. Congratulations on the lifer and the record!

Thanks, Katy ! I'm getting over the pain and enjoying the feeling of getting a vagrant lifer.

[Dr Manjeet Singh]

Originally Posted by Mark Bruce

Thanks, Katy ! I'm getting over the pain and enjoying the feeling of getting a vagrant lifer.

Have three on me Mark for your record shot of the Forest wagtail... cheers my friend.

[Mark Bruce]

Cheers, Doc !