The same species over and over in Qi Gu now, with new Ferruginous and Japanese Paradise Flycatchers today. Japanese Leaf Warblers have begun moving through, too, with many singing. These often have a 'dirty-breasted' look to them that I think later 'Arctic' Warblers tend to lack.
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Taiwan - Birding Reports (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Dave 2x
- Start date
Dave 2x
Well-known member
Finally met up with the other David from this thread and we had a long but fairly successful trip to Guishan Island. The weather turned out to be sunny and flat calm which didn't help when looking for migrants. Highlights included:-
Black Bittern - seen behind the visitor centre before we got on the boat;
Short-tailed Shearwater - just before we reached the island;
Eurasian Siskin - at least 2 birds, disappointed still not to get photos as I have seen this bird now quite a few times;
Rustic Bunting - female;
Brambling
Chinese Grosbeak - We missed this but others had good looks/photos;
David - great to finally meet you and at least we got a few good birds. Feel free to add any other details.
Here's a few pics...
Cheers
Dave
Black Bittern - seen behind the visitor centre before we got on the boat;
Short-tailed Shearwater - just before we reached the island;
Eurasian Siskin - at least 2 birds, disappointed still not to get photos as I have seen this bird now quite a few times;
Rustic Bunting - female;
Brambling
Chinese Grosbeak - We missed this but others had good looks/photos;
David - great to finally meet you and at least we got a few good birds. Feel free to add any other details.
Here's a few pics...
Cheers
Dave
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Indeed it was a pleasure to meet up with Dave 2x and it was a good day of birding even if there weren't as many migrants as we hoped for. I gained a lot of respect for folks like Dave who can get onto a bird instantly while hand holding hefty photo gear. That Black Bittern was only in sight a couple of seconds in flight and yet he got some very good photos.
For others considering a trip to Guishan (Turtle) Island I would recommend avoiding doing it on a 3 day weekend unlike what we did. Boats with 40+ passengers kept offloading all morning and there's only limited space for birding on the island and crowds don't help.
Hopefully there is still a few weeks left of the migrant season and a few more chances to chase some good birds before the slow summer season.
David
For others considering a trip to Guishan (Turtle) Island I would recommend avoiding doing it on a 3 day weekend unlike what we did. Boats with 40+ passengers kept offloading all morning and there's only limited space for birding on the island and crowds don't help.
Hopefully there is still a few weeks left of the migrant season and a few more chances to chase some good birds before the slow summer season.
David
That's not too bad a selection for Guishan Dao in spring to be honest. Black Bittern is always nice to see, and your Rustic Bunting unseasonably late.
After a very quiet weekend in Qi Gu, a Radde's Warbler turned up this morning, together with yet more Japanese Paradise Flycatchers.
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Dave 2x
Well-known member
Thanks Steve...actually having doubts on that "Rustic" ID now.....will change the ID to Bunting sp....as I really can't be sure from the photo I got.
Is this year exceptional for the amount of Japanese Paradise Flycatchers....I have never seen so many passing through Yehliu?
Cheers
Dave
I don't think it's exceptional for the numbers especially as Japanese Paradise Flycatcher is really not at all that rare a passage migrant in Taiwan.
This spring does seem exceptional for the number of full-tailed males that are passing so late in the spring, though, as these usually start arriving in the last days of March and peak in mid-April. The same arrival pattern is usually true for Ferruginous Flycatcher, which this year is also arriving much later than usual. There may be a bit of 'catching up' going on, which has brought some very large arrivals of birds all clustered together over just a few days.
Dongyin again this weekend, which was again excellent.
Highlights: Eurasian Hobby, Tiger Shrike, White-throated Needletail, Dollarbird, Hair-crested Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Lesser Cuckoo, Chestnut-eared Bunting, Yellow-breasted Bunting etc etc.
Two 'biggies' in the form of Brown-chested Jungle-Flycatcher, which I managed to photograph well, and Rosy Minivet, which I found twenty minutes before I was due to leave (so you can imagine the panic that created!).
Highlights: Eurasian Hobby, Tiger Shrike, White-throated Needletail, Dollarbird, Hair-crested Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Lesser Cuckoo, Chestnut-eared Bunting, Yellow-breasted Bunting etc etc.
Two 'biggies' in the form of Brown-chested Jungle-Flycatcher, which I managed to photograph well, and Rosy Minivet, which I found twenty minutes before I was due to leave (so you can imagine the panic that created!).
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A few odds and sods showed up 'at the death' in Qi Gu this spring. The undoubted star was the 'one day only' Blue-winged Pitta, which I couldn't photograph but the finder did OK with. Gray's Grasshopper Warblers have put on a reasonably good show (as per normal), and I got a few record shots of them (for me, all those passing Qi Gu are fasciolata). At least three Asian Koels showed up in late May, one of which I was able to photograph. A decent spring all told!
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Dave 2x
Well-known member
You never fail to amaze me with your great finds and photos Steve!!!
The North of Taiwan is extremely quiet now, so we are having to console ourselves photographing some of the more common birds.
I will be joining the survey team to monitor the Chinese Crested Terns towards the end of this month, so I am praying for good weather. Apparently more than 10 have turned up so far.
Cheers
Dave
The North of Taiwan is extremely quiet now, so we are having to console ourselves photographing some of the more common birds.
I will be joining the survey team to monitor the Chinese Crested Terns towards the end of this month, so I am praying for good weather. Apparently more than 10 have turned up so far.
Cheers
Dave
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Thanks for that, Dave. I do OK for pictures given that I only use a very cheap camera!
I'm sure you'll get a decent look at Chinese Crested Tern on Matzu, especially if you're joining a team. I saved myself the boat fare for this summer by finding one in Tainan this afternoon!
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Dave 2x
Well-known member
Wow....what a find and again great photos!!!! I really need this bird.
Yesterday we went to Jinshan, nothing unusual but not bad for summer, 38 species including Siberian Crane (as expected), a dark morph of Little Egret, Oriental Cuckoo, Lesser Coucal, Common Pheasant, Golden-headed Cisticola, White-eared Starlings, Painted Snipe. Lots of Whiskered and White-winged Terns around.
Cheers
Dave
Dave 2x
Well-known member
13 June 2015
As the North of Taiwan is extremely quiet now, David and myself decided to make a trip to Wei Wu Ying in Kaohsiung to try and photograph the Vinous-breasted Starlings and Zebra Doves. Turned out it was pretty easy and we had both birds within 10 minutes of arriving.
Have included some photos from the previous weekend taken in Jinshan.
Cheers
Dave
As the North of Taiwan is extremely quiet now, David and myself decided to make a trip to Wei Wu Ying in Kaohsiung to try and photograph the Vinous-breasted Starlings and Zebra Doves. Turned out it was pretty easy and we had both birds within 10 minutes of arriving.
Have included some photos from the previous weekend taken in Jinshan.
Cheers
Dave
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Dave 2x
Well-known member
21 June 2015
Really not much around at the moment in this heat, so I resorted to trying to photograph another exotic/introduced/escaped cage bird/invasive species in Taipei Botanical Gardens. The White-rumped Shama was pretty easy to find as you just follow the bird call and the photographers doing continuous really bad impressions of the bird call.
Nothing else of real interest in the Gardens at this time of year, for anyone visiting it is still a great place to see Malayan Night Heron, Taiwan Blue Magpie, Black-naped Monarch, Taiwan Barbet and Taiwan Scimitar-babblers.
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23988963
Wednesday I fly to Matsu....really can't wait!
Cheers
Dave
Really not much around at the moment in this heat, so I resorted to trying to photograph another exotic/introduced/escaped cage bird/invasive species in Taipei Botanical Gardens. The White-rumped Shama was pretty easy to find as you just follow the bird call and the photographers doing continuous really bad impressions of the bird call.
Nothing else of real interest in the Gardens at this time of year, for anyone visiting it is still a great place to see Malayan Night Heron, Taiwan Blue Magpie, Black-naped Monarch, Taiwan Barbet and Taiwan Scimitar-babblers.
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23988963
Wednesday I fly to Matsu....really can't wait!
Cheers
Dave
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Paul Rhodes
Well-known member
Dave 2x
Well-known member
Thanks Paul!
We had 3 days arranged for Matsu to do bird surveys at Nangan, Beigan, Xiju and Dongju islands. The last day was supposed to be at Beigan for the Chinese Crested Tern but as the weather was better the first day we re-arranged our itinerary.
The flight from Taipei to Nangan was delayed due to fog however the delay turned out to be just minutes. On arrival at Nangan we dropped our luggage off at the hotel and then caught the next passenger ferry to Beigan. Our Captain for the day picked us up and took us to the other side of the island to board his boat. Within 20 minutes we were at our first stop, one of four small islets that we surveyed that all held breeding terns. The first islet held mainly Bridled Terns and after 10 minutes we moved on to our second stop and straight away picked up our first Chinese Crested Tern. In total we saw what we believed to be 13 different individuals at this islet with at least one of them on the nest. The previous month the survey team had found 9 Chinese Crested Tern nests so hopes are high for a successful breeding season.
Overall totals for the first day:-
Osprey - 1
Oriental Honey-Buzzard - 1
Eurasian Oystercatcher - 1
Black-tailed Gull - approx. 50
Bridled Tern - approx. 500
Roseate Tern - approx. 500
Black-naped Tern - approx. 50
Great Crested Tern - approx. 1,500
Chinese Crested Tern - 13
Apart from terns and gulls, birding is really slow around Matsu in the summer, however other highlights over the following couple of days included:-
Lots more Roseate, Black-naped, Bridled and Great Crested Terns;
Common Buzzard - 1 (Nangan)
Himalayan Swiftlet - very surprising discovery on Xiju Island - with between 30 and 40 individuals hawking a playing field. I will add photos later as this is an unusual record.
Blue Rock Thrush - still fairly common;
Crested Myna - common
Blue-whistling Thrush - 1 (Dongju);
Oriental Greenfinch - 2 (Dongju)
Overall a very successful trip with hundreds of photos of my most wanted bird, some great food and great company. I will start processing the photos in a few days.
Cheers
Dave
Cracking photos, Dave. It's always a 'weak at the knees' experience seeing Chinese Crested Tern. The benefits of having your own boat as opposed to taking the tourist one (five minutes to look at the world's rarest bird - how soul-less is that?) are also pretty obvious from these photos!
Your swiftlet record is very interesting. The last time I attempted a year list and found myself on Matzu (and on Kinmen) in the summer months, I also saw 'Himalayan' Swiftlets on both islands, only singles in my case. I also find one or two annually on passage through Qi Gu. The big question for me has always been are they actually Himalayan, which seems to have been assumed (on the basis of it being 'the only one in the book') rather than proven, or some more tropical/southern species expanding its breeding or wintering range? Any evidence of nesting?
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Dave 2x
Well-known member
Thanks Steve, you are right this was based on the "only option in the book" technique of ID. There was no sign of breeding/nesting. These birds were hawking for insects with a few barn swallows over a small playing field. I will add some photos this week but I doubt they will eliminate that element of doubt.
Cheers
Dave
