Two surprises.
Haven't spent too much time around the Fairy Temple of late.With trips to some of the Taiwan Strait islands,work and three typhoons in the last eight weeks it was great to spend the whole afternoon walking around the local patch.The Fairies have headed south for their wintering grounds in Borneo.The forest seems incomplete without their distinct double whistle.
I arrived in rather overcast weather and the sound of distant thunder echoing through the mountains confirmed that rain was on the way.There seemed to be a lot of small insects about and the Pacific Swallows were gorging themselves.I headed up a small track and Bronzed Drongos were buzzing between the bamboo.I had not been going long when I spotted a dull light brown bird amongst some fallen bamboo.I studied him for awhile and was a little puzzled as to what it was.Next,it flew out of the bamboo and landed on a bamboo stump.It could see it clearly,it was a Brown Shrike.It was a young male and the first I've seen this autumn of this common winter resident.I guess being this far inland he would be a winter resident and not just passing through.Each spring and autumn I always watch the "flocks"of Brown Shrike in the brush along the coast,as the create mayhem as they pass through the island on their way north or south.I was rather surprised seeing him there because one normally starts to see them in late September.
I continued back down the track and onto the main track.There was lots of activity in the trees and I saw a number of Grey-cheeked and Gould's Fulvetta mixing with White-bellied Yuhina,Japanese White-eye and Red-headed Tree Babbler.In this noisy mob I had my second surprise,an Arctic Warbler,again I wasn't expecting to see one for about a month.I carried on walking and saw a Grey-headed Pygmy Woodpecker,Black-naped Blue Monarch,Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler,Tawny-flanked Prinia,White-backed and Nutmeg Mannikin,Grey Treepie,Chinese Bulbul,Collared Finchbill,Black-browed Barbet and a Chinese Bamboo Partridge.As I headed back towards the Temple I noted a large shape in a tree on the opposite riverbank.When I glassed it,it turned out to be a Formosan Macaque.Nice to see one as they are not that common around the temple.As I approached my bike in the temple grounds I saw an Oriental Cuckoo.I guess that may well be the last one I'll see this season as they've probably started leaving already.As I got on my bike the rain started.It was kind of nice heading home in the rain after a rewarding afternoon.