Day 1
Thursday, November 13, 2003

Ted, Nathan, and I had arrived the previous night and settled into our hotel in Taipei. This morning we had breakfast at the hotel and met Jennifer, a Taiwanese lady who would show us around Taipei for the day.

We visited the Chiang Kai-chek Memorial first, which turned out to be much like the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. It has a parklike grounds surrounding it, where we found our first birds of the trip: Gray Treepies, a Black-browed Barbet, and Asian Glossy Starlings all were eating fruits in the same tree. Spotted Doves, Red Collared Doves, Chinese Bulbuls, House Swifts, Japanese Whiteyes, and Eurasian Tree Sparrows were common. A couple Little Egrets flew by, promising many more for the rest of the trip.

Next we stopped at various temples, one of which we went inside and watched people lighting incense and going about their routines. They didn't seem to mind a group of Americans wandering around, and we had Jennifer to tell us all about what was going on. The temples were interesting, but pretty much bird-free except for the occasional whiteye or tree sparrow in one of the few trees.

Then Jennifer took us somewhere unexpected, the Taipei Bird Market. She knew we were interested in birds, and this turned out to be one of the more incredible stops of the entire trip. We had no idea that such a place existed, but there we were, on a city street, three blocks long, completely filled with shops selling live birds. As we wandered in and out of storefronts, it quickly became apparent that many, or most, of the birds were caught in the wild, and that the sheer number of individual birds was overwhelming. We finally made an estimate of 200,000 birds in cages, and they ranged from the ever-common Japanese Whiteyes to such birds as Black-faced Bunting, Siberian Rubythroat, Lady Amber's Pheasant, Sultan Tit, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Bluethroat, various Sunbirds, Chestnut-flanked Whiteye, Green Magpie, Oriental Skylark, Red Collared Dove, Chinese Bulbul, Gray Wagtail, White-cheeked Starling, Vinuous-throated Parrotbill, and even Gambel's Quail and Altamira Oriole! Perhaps most surprising was a large mammal of some sort lurking in a dark cage near the back of one store. The whole experience, for a Westerner like me not typically immersed in such things, had an air of unreality about it. However, there was nothing we could do but study the myriad of birds represented, and hope we could see them in the wild later in the trip.

After seeing a couple more temples and having lunch (which included shark, squid, liver, and coconut juice), Jennifer decided it was time to go see some wild birds, so we visited the Kuan Tu Wetlands in the evening. Here we picked up a scattering of typical species, such as Brown Shrike, Common Kingfisher, Little Grebe, Plain Prinia, Gray Wagtail, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Gray Heron, Common Moorhen, and our only Spot-billed Ducks and Sacred Ibis of the trip.

We went to one more unnamed mangrove-fringed river edge before dinner and found a couple more birds, including Common Sandpiper and Common Greenshank.

After dark we rounded out the day by visiting a Night Market in Taipei, where we experienced more culinary tastes, including something called an "Iron Egg," apparently an egg that has been boiled for 12 hours in soy sauce. Dinner was on a second story restaurant with a view of the river, and numerous Black-crowned Night-Herons flying around.

Day 2
Friday, November 14, 2003

This morning Ted, Nathan, and I met our counterparts from England, Graham and Tom, who were also on the trip. After breakfast the five of us went to the offices of Saatchi and Saatchi and talked with our hosts for a while about birding in Taiwan, and the possibilities for a future birding tour there.

Then we went to the airport (and saw, from the airport windows, Eurasian Kestrel, Black-backed Wagtail, and Intermediate Egret) and flew to Tainan, at the southern tip of Taiwan (the whole island is about 250 miles long). We arrived there in the afternoon and met John Wu, a very good Taiwanese birder and author of the Field Guide to the Birds of Taiwan (which is only available in Chinese), who was to be our bird guide for the rest of the trip.

There wasn't much light left but we went to a marsh nearby and picked up a few new birds, such as Yellow Bittern, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Scaly-breasted Munia (also known as Nutmeg Mannikin), and Oriental Reed Warbler. After dark we had dinner and checked into our hotel.

Day 3
Saturday, November 15, 2003

John Wu took us to a huge complex of fish ponds near Tainan, known as the Tsu Zau wetlands. Here we found a diversity of waterbirds and shorebirds, including Wood Sandpiper, Kentish (Snowy) Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Garganey, White-cheeked Starling, Yellow Bittern, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Long-toed and Red-necked Stints, Marsh Sandpiper, Green-winged Teal, etc.

In the late morning we visited the Tseng Wen estuary to see the Black-faced Spoonbill flock that winters there. Indeed the spoonbills were right where they were supposed to be, over 500 of them, which comprises over half the world population of this species. Nearby on the mudflat was a Saunders' Gull, another rare bird (total world population is about 4,000). Also seen there were Greater Sandplover, Lesser Sandplover (also known as Mongolian Plover), Gray-tailed Tattler, Eurasian Curlew, Grey (Black-bellied) Plover, Pacific Golden-Plover, and Bar-tailed Godwit. A flashy Eurasian Oystercatcher flew in and landed among the shorebirds, and John got excited, saying it was only about the 6th record of this species ever for Taiwan.

For the afternoon excursion we took a boat trip to an offshore island. This part of the day wasn't very birdy, but we did add our only Great Cormorants and Osprey of the trip, and Graham and Tom found a Daurian Redstart on the island.

Day 4
Sunday, November 16, 2003

In the morning before breakfast we walked down the street from our hotel in Tainan to a small park, where there were a few birds active, including our only Eyebrowed Thrushes for the trip and excellent looks at Yellow-bellied Prinia. According to John Wu, Plain Prinia outnumbers Yellow-bellied Prinia by 5 to 1, and they use the same habitat.

We finally left the lowlands, after checking out of the hotel in Tainan, and got our first taste of the mountains of central Taiwan. Black Drongos were roadside birds when we got out of the city. As Mr. Li took our van higher and higher, the forest habitats changed, and we rose over the top of the perpetual haze (pollution?) that seems to sit over all the lower areas. The mountainsides were extremely steep in places, almost vertical, and the road often went through tunnels and "avalanche shelters" (to protect against landslides, especially during earthquakes).

We were stopped for about 45 minutes at a small village somewhere in the mountains where the road was blocked, apparently by a bus jacknifed on a tight turn. Mr. Li remained with the van and the rest of us got out and walked around. The road crossed a river on a high bridge, and around the river we saw a few birds: Crested Goshawk, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Pacific Swallow, Striated Swallow, Black-backed Wagtail, House Swift, Blue Rock Thrush, and Collared Finchbill.

Eventually the road cleared and we were able to continue on our way up the mountains. Roadside stops produced some nice birds. At another small village, we had a pair of Russet Sparrows, more Collared Finchbills, a Daurian Redstart, and John Wu heard a Chinese Bamboo-Partridge. A random stop produced a couple Steere's Liocichlas, Dusky Thrush, etc. Higher up, one roadside flock included Gray-chinned Minivet, Gray-cheeked Fulvetta, Green-backed Tit, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Taiwan (White-eared) Sibia, Taiwan Barwing, Taiwan Yuhina, and lots of Black-throated Tits. Nearby were Brown Bullfinches and a singing Pygmy Wren-Babbler.

In the afternoon we reached Alishan National Park, our destination for the night. Walking around outside the hotel, we were greeted by Collared Bush-Robins in the undergrowth, Flamecrests, Rufous-capped Babblers, a Streak-throated Fulvetta, a small flock of Olive-backed Pipits, and a pair of Plumbeous Water Redstarts at a small pond.

Owling after dinner brought no success but Nathan and I both heard a Collared Owlet from our hotel rooms as we were going to sleep.

Day 5
Monday, November 17, 2003

Everyone got up long before dawn and got on a small train, which took us up to a viewing platform where we could watch the sun rise on the highest mountain in Taiwan, in Alishan National Park. There were about 100 other people on the morning's excursion, who all pretty much stayed together in one bunch as they listened to a guy on a loudspeaker narrate the sunrise (in Chinese, of course, so we couldn't understand a word he was saying). We had elected to walk back down to the hotel rather than take the train back, so were slightly gratified when the sun had risen and everyone else disappeared back down the mountain on the train. Around the viewing platform we found Taiwan (White-whiskered) Laughingthrushes, Yellowish-bellied Bush Warblers, Streak-throated Fulvettas, a pair of Peregrine Falcons, Eurasian Nutcrackers, Red-flanked Bluetails, etc. The highlight of the morning was a singing Pygmy Wren-Babbler which we observed hopping around in the undergrowth and perching up on low branches.

After breakfast we met Jonathan Chou, who was to be our bird guide for the day (John Wu was taking a day off). He is a great birder (and photographer, as we later found out) and took us to several good sites. We birded Yu Shan National Park and saw a few things, including Brambling, Winter Wren, more Eurasian Nutcrackers, Large-billed Crows, and a Formosan Rock Monkey sitting on the shoulder of the road. However, the clouds rolled in, it got foggy, and started to rain, so Jonathan cut our time in Yu Shan short and headed down the mountain toward better weather. Stopped along the side of the road, we saw White-browed Shortwing and heard a Taiwan Hill Partridge calling (we never saw this elusive endemic species).

We spent over an hour at another roadside stop in the afternoon, where we racked up new species like Black Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, and a pair of Spot-breasted Scimitar-Babblers which Jonathan called out of hiding by playing a tape.

We arrived at the Chi Tou Forest Research Station in the late evening, and went owling after dinner, hearing a Mountain Scops-Owl near our hotel.

Day 6
Tuesday, November 18, 2003

A short walk near our hotel before breakfast produced Rufous-faced Warbler, Little Forktail, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Dusky (Gould's) and Gray-cheeked Fulvettas, and numerous Steere's Liocichlas, which seemed to be the most abundant of the endemic species. During breakfast a Bronzed Drongo perched on a wire outside the window.

After breakfast, guided by John Wu, we took a walk and saw Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, and Eurasian Jay. Then we headed on to the next place, which turned out to be the Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute (TESRI), situated in Ji Ji. After touring the collection of over 10,000 bird specimens (not to mention all the butterflies) kept in a back room, we walked around the parklike grounds and came across a Malayan Night-Heron standing on the path. It had a bad leg and didn't seem to be able to fly, but we were told that it was really a wild bird (as opposed to the Crested Serpent Eagle kept in a large cage nearby!). Other birds there included Gray Treepies, a Black-browed Barbet, Black-naped Monarchs, and our first looks at Gray-capped Pygmy-Woodpecker.

Time was getting short so we got back in the van and continued on our way, stopping briefly at a roadside stream where we found Taiwan Whistling-Thrush and White-bellied Yuhina, and more Plumbeous Water Redstarts (which seemed to be common near every mountain stream). In the afternoon we got to our destination, Tzuie Fung, better known among birders as a very good place to see both endemic Swinhoe's and Mikado Pheasants. We had about an hour to search for them before dark, and split up, the two Brits going one direction and we three Americans the other. The Brits found a stunning male Swinhoe's Pheasant, whereas we could only come up with a Eurasian Nuthatch. Oh well, there's always tomorrow!

Day 7
Wednesday, November 19, 2003

This morning we all got up early to go owling, then get an early chance at seeing the pheasants. Owling was successful, as we heard several Brown Hawk-Owls and saw one silhouetted as it flew over the road.

We went to a dirt road known among birders as the "Blue Gate" road (same place we were yesterday) to search for Swinhoe's and Mikado Pheasants. Eventually, almost everyone got to see both, even though we were split up into three groups. Nathan and I saw a female Swinhoe's then had an amazingly cooperative male Mikado Pheasant sit in the road 20 feet in front of us for about a minute and a half.

There were plenty of other birds along the "Blue Gate" road, including Scaly Thrush, White-backed Woodpecker, Vivid Niltava, and flocks of tits, nuthatches, fulvettas, and yuhinas.

After a productive morning, we hit the road, and gained elevation as we drove toward Wu Ling Pass, which is about 11,000 feet and the highest road in east Asia. A roadside stop along the way had tame Taiwan (White-whiskered) Laughingthrushes which fed on bits of bagel that John Wu tossed to them.

At Wu Ling Pass we found a pair of Alpine Accentors and two gorgeous male Vinaceous Rosefinches. Also at the pass were an Oriental Honey Buzzard, Eurasian Kestrels, and quite a few Winter Wrens.

Down the other side of the pass we finally caught up with a couple endemic Yellow Tits, after more than an hour of searching. Nearby, as it drew toward evening, we watched a tornado of hundreds of Asian House Martins coming in to roost under a bridge and a Little Forktail in the stream below.

Day 8
Thursday, November 20, 2003

This morning we awoke in a hotel in Taroko Gorge, a spectacular setting for some spectacular birding as we neared the end of our trip.

Around the hotel in the morning we found endemic Styan's (Taiwan) Bulbuls mixed with Chinese Bulbuls in a large flock in the hotel parking lot. Evidently this area is in a hybrid zone between the two species, and we saw a full range of variation in the amount of black and white coloration on the head of these birds.

Other birds around the hotel included Daurian Redstart, Green-backed Tit, Gray-chinned Minivet, Black-throated Tit, Brown Dipper, Taiwan Whistling-Thrush, Little Forktail, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Crested Goshawk, and Striated Heron. Graham and John Wu both saw a Japanese Paradise-Flycatcher that the rest of us missed. We were about ready to leave when Graham spotted some swifts circling high above us, and further inspection revealed that they were Silver-backed Needletails, a bird that has been seen in Taiwan before but no specimens have ever been taken (according to John Wu), so it's not on the official list. A little group of Formosan Rock Monkeys was thrashing around in the trees next to the hotel and there were some pretty fearsome spiders hanging out in various places.

We drove on down the gorge and spent about an hour walking through a scenic section, where a road had been hollowed out of the cliff alongside and blocked off for foot travel. There were almost no birds here (Taiwan Whistling-Thrush) but the scenery was dramatic; cliffs thousands of feet high projected straight down into the gorge, and a river flowed over large boulders below. It was interesting to note that although the cliffs were so steep, trees still clung to their edges, giving the whole scene a totally green appearance.

We made one more roadside stop as we neared the Pacific Ocean on the east coast of Taiwan, and found Black-naped Monarch, Yellow-browed Warbler, and the Brits saw a Black-faced Bunting. It started to rain and we moved on, back to the lowlands for some farmland birding before heading back north.

In some farm fields and an overgrown cemetery near Shin Cheng we cleaned up on quite a few new species for the trip. One field held Bright-headed Cisticolas, a Lesser Coucal, Blue-breasted Quail, Barred Buttonquail, Vinuous-throated Parrotbill, Oriental Skylark, and a Long-tailed Shrike. White-vented Mynas (an introduced species to Taiwan) sat overhead on lampposts and treetops. We flushed a Ring-necked Pheasant (not an introduced species in Taiwan), making three species of pheasants for the trip. I flushed a White-breasted Waterhen from a wet ditch which set down in an overgrown field and was never seen again. Scaly-breasted Munias fed nearby on seeds.

After so many new birds, we went to the town of Hualien and took a train up the Pacific coast north to get back to Taipei, where we spent our last night in Taiwan. The train ride was pleasant enough, although it soon got too dark to spot birds out the windows. John Wu told us that if it had been light, we could have seen Formosan Blue Magpies out the window on the inland side. There's always tomorrow...

Day 9
Friday, November 21, 2003

This was our last day in Taiwan. In the morning we went to a "stakeout" park near Taipei, where John Wu had given us a 95% chance of finding the endemic Formosan Blue Magpie, which we still had not seen. Indeed, after some searching, we found a group of about 8 of them (see photo at the top of this page). This was certainly my favorite bird of the trip!

We were on our own for the rest of the day, since our "tour" was officially over, but our plane didn't leave until 11pm. We split up and Graham, Tom, Nathan and I went to the Taipei Botanical Garden while Ted wandered along the river.

At the Taipei Botanical Garden, we found 3 different Malayan Night-Herons standing on the ground or in low trees (this is one of the most reliable places to see them in Taiwan), Arctic Warbler, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Black-naped Monarch, Common Moorhen, Black-crowned Night-Heron, etc. There were also lots of people touring the grounds, but the birds didn't seem to mind.

Ted, after we met back up with him, reporting finding a large flock of Zitting Cisticolas by the river and a White-headed Munia with a flock of Scaly-breasted Munias (Nutmeg Mannikins).

After an adventure with ordering dinner at a restaurant with only one menu in English, we headed for the airport. It had been a fantastic trip. I hope someday I may return!

Annotated Bird List