Our last birding day, we only have the morning left at Star Resort. We woke up at around 6:30am and began birding around the resort. It was a fine morning with clear sky, a huge contrast with the rain the day before.
Wonderful sunrise at Star Resort
Mr. Liu accompanied us around the garden, where he heard the call of a Grey-capped Woodpecker, a burst of playback brought a pair in closer and we got a few good looks at them. This is the commonest Woodpecker species in Taiwan, so we were glad to at least have this one. The White-backed Woodpecker and Grey-faced Woodpecker are far less common.
Grey-capped Woodpecker
Mr. Liu gave us a few tips and left us to find our own birds, the first bird we went after was the Striated Prinia (endemic subspecies striata) which did not show up the day before. We went back to the same spot and played the recording Mr. Liu had given us. For a few minutes nothing replied, as we were about to give up we heard a call from not far off, sure enough there was one calling away on top of a bush! This Prinia species prefers higher altitude then it's other relatives. I have seen this species once in Sichuan, but getting a good look at it's Taiwan's cousin is still great.
Striated Prinia (striata)
We next went on to look for any Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babblers, but none were found. Only a few Taiwan Scimitar-Babblers (endemic) danced in the undergrowth, they were not the easiest species to photograph, I only managed a few obscured shots. Around the same area, we heard the call of the Dusky Fulvetta (endemic subspecies brunnea), after looking very hard for them we finally got one in view at the bottom of a ditch. It was quick and very inconspicuous.
Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler (endemic)
Dusky Fulvetta (brunnea)
When we headed back to the resort for breakfast, a Besra (endemic subspecies fuscipectus) glided past the morning sky. The good weather also attracted a Black Eagle, which we unfortunately were not quick enough to photograph. A lot of Crested Serpent Eagles (endemic subspecies hoya) were out calling and courting.
Besra (fuscipectus)
Crested Serpent Eagle (hoya)
We left the resort at around 10:30am because we plan to meet our uncle at Chiayi around lunch time. The weather was as good as it could be. Knowing that we didn't get the Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler, Mr. Liu tipped us off to stop at a location along the way where we could find them. We stopped over for a few bird waves, but most were common birds such as Grey-cheeked Fulvettas and Taiwan Yuhinas. One bird wave had a few Black Bulbuls (endemic subspecies nigerrimus) and Grey-chinned Minivets. At the supposed location, I played a recording of the Babbler for a few minutes and suddenly we heard a few coming down hill. We saw the grass and bushes moves but the birds did not want to show! We know this species is one of the shyest of Taiwanese Babblers, and they live up to their reputation indeed. All the while we caught glimpses of them gliding along, I saw the back and tail of one, but they never showed properly despite being at extremely close range. So in the end, we gave up on the pair and left them in peace.
Looking towards the house at Star Resort
Black Bulbul (nigerrimus)
Grey-chinned Minivet
The drive to Chiayi was not particularly eventful, we had lunch at my Uncle's cafe and we found ourself having a few hours to spare before dinner. Mr. Liu had mentioned a wetland near Chiayi call Aogu Wetland, just 40 minutes drive from the city. Having seen forest and montane birds for the last few days we thought it would be a nice change to see some wetland birds.
It was around 4:00pm when we arrived at Aogu Wetland, the area is huge. There are not much trails there, but a large loop on the outskirt can be done with the car. Since we didn't have a lot of time on hand, we decided to drive once around the wetland. The habitat is a little similar to that of Mai Po, where salt marshes are on the outside with freshwater marshes and various fish ponds on the inside. Everything was larger, many waders standing in the scrapes were too far for our reach.
Views at Aogu Wetland
First, Long spotted a Purple Heron from the car. Little, Great and Intermediate Egrets were all quite common here. Common Moorhens foraged along the water edge. Eurasian Coots and Little Grebes swam at close range. The positive thing to bird from the car is that it's like a moving hide, birds are far more approachable with car then on foot.
Purple Heron
Intermediate Egret
Common Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Little Grebe
There were quite a lot of Caspian Terns, they circle around the outskirt constantly. Many were flying against the wind at slow speed, it was a shame that light wasn't particularly great for photographs. Black-headed Gulls were also very numerous, but we only saw a single Saunder's Gull.
Caspian Tern
Black-headed Gull
Saunder's Gull
Ducks were also in high numbers, mainly Eurasian Wigeons and Northern Pintails, there were also Common Teals and Northern Shovelers.
Eurasian Wigeon
Northern Pintail
Common Teal
Northern Shoveler
Long-tailed Shrikes were commonly seen perched next to the road. Waders such as Pacific Golden Plover, Redshanks, Greenshanks and Black-winged Stilts were numerous. We also saw Grey Plovers, Common Sandpipers, Wood Sandpipers and Marsh Sandpipers.
Long-tailed Shrike
Pacific Golden Plover
Redshank
Greenshank
Black-winged Stilt
One of the more interesting find were a few flocks of Black-faced Spoonbills. Although I see them very regularly in Hong Kong, this was the first time I have ever seen them outside Hong Kong's wintering grounds! Taiwan is the stronghold for wintering Spoonbills, over 60% of the world's population winters in Taiwan.
Black-faced Spoonbill
As Lights dimmed, Black-crowned Night Herons became active. Here's a close portrait of one. As we were leaving, we saw three birds perched on the same wire, I initially thought they were all Red Turtle Doves, but at closer examination, one of them was in fact a Black-winged Kite! This one took me by complete surprise and was our last bird of the trip. Wonderful round up for our Taiwan trip!
Black-crowed Night Heron
Black-winged Kite
The next day, we drove all the way back up to Taichung from Chiayi and took an evening flight back to Hong Kong. Our trip had been overall successful, we connected with most of our targeted species including getting very good photographs for many of them. Birding in Taiwan was not difficult, infrastructure was excellent and things were relatively cheap. Although we missed several species and only seen or heard a couple of the target birds, the whole trip was still throughly enjoyable. We spent on average 5000HKD per person including air fares, accommodations and car rental for a total of 9 days in Taiwan. Although weather had not been in our favour for a few days, it had been much better then anticipated. Hopefully, it won't be long before we can visit this amazing birding destination again in the near future!
| Species | Location | Notes | Endemic | Endemic Subspecies | Total | Lifers |
| Eurasian Wigeon | AG | 1 | ||||
| Northern Shoveler | AG | 1 | ||||
| Northern Pintail | AG | 1 | ||||
| Teal | AG | 1 | ||||
| Tufted Duck | AG | 1 | ||||
| Taiwan Partridge* | GXY | Few observed at Star Resort's bird hide, very skittish, ran from the first sound of loud speaker from afar | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Taiwan Bamboo Partridge* | GXY | heard only, early morning | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Mikado Pheasant* | DSS | Seen at Dasyueshan 45K on 2 days, presumably the same pair | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Swinhoe's Pheasant* | DSS, SLX, GXY | Singles observed at DSS 23K, one at Sun Link Sea trail, finally a lot at Star Resort's bird hide | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Little Grebe | AG | 1 | ||||
| Great Cormorant | AG | 1 | ||||
| Black-crowned Night Heron | AG | 1 | ||||
| Little Egret | ER, AG, XT | 1 | ||||
| Cattle Egret | ER, AG | 1 | ||||
| Intermediate Egret | AG | 1 | ||||
| Great Egret | ER, AG | 1 | ||||
| Grey Heron | AG | 1 | ||||
| Purple Heron | AG | One at Au Gu Wetland | 1 | |||
| Black-faced Spoonbill | AG | Around 50 birds in total observed at Au Gu Wetland | 1 | |||
| Black-shouldered Kite | AG | Single bird observed perched before dusk | 1 | |||
| Black Eagle | SLX, GXY | 2 singles observed at Sun Link Sea, another single observed at Star Resort | 1 | |||
| Oriental Honey Buzzard | DSS, SLX | Heard calling enroute near Dasyueshan, one pale morph juvenile seen perched high on a conifer at Sun Link Sea | 1 | |||
| Crested Serpent Eagle | DSS, SLX, GXY | Common | 1 | 1 | ||
| Besra | GXY | Heard calling near Star Rsort's bird hide | 1 | 1 | ||
| Crested Goshawk | XT, GXY | one observed perched at Xitou, another observed at Star Resort | 1 | 1 | ||
| Kestrel | ER | 1 | ||||
| Peregrine Falcon | ER | 1 | ||||
| Common Moorhen | AG | 1 | ||||
| Eurasian Coot | AG | 1 | ||||
| Black-winged Stilit | AG | 1 | ||||
| Pied Avocet | AG | 1 | ||||
| Grey Plover | AG | 1 | ||||
| Pacific Golden Plover | AG | 1 | ||||
| Kentish Plover | AG | 1 | ||||
| Common Sandpiper | AG | 1 | ||||
| Wood Sandpiper | AG | 1 | ||||
| Dunlin | AG | 1 | ||||
| Redshank | AG | 1 | ||||
| Greenshank | AG | 1 | ||||
| Marsh Sandpiper | AG | 1 | ||||
| Saunder's Gull | AG | One bird amongst numerous flying Black-headed Gulls | 1 | |||
| Black-headed Gull | AG | 1 | ||||
| Caspian Tern | AG | 1 | ||||
| Ashy Wood Pigeon | DSS, SLX | Fly by views at Dasyueshan and Sun Link Sea only | 1 | |||
| Rock Dove | 1 | |||||
| Oriental Turtle Dove | SLX, XT, AG | 1 | ||||
| Spotted Dove | ER | 1 | ||||
| Red Turtle Dove | ER, AG | 1 | ||||
| Mountain Scops Owl | GXY | heard only | 1 | 1 | ||
| Collard Scops Owl | GXY | heard only | 1 | 1 | ||
| Northern Boobook | GXY | One bird observed at Star Resort's garden, supposedly a regular winter visiter there | 1 | |||
| Collard Owlet | GXY | heard only | 1 | |||
| House Swift | ER | 1 | ||||
| Common Kingfisher | AG | 1 | ||||
| Grey-capped Woodpecker | GXY | A pair observed at Star Resort | 1 | |||
| Taiwan Barbet | DSS | One at Dasyueshan 23.5K and a few observed enroute near Dasyueshan | 1 | 1 | ||
| Grey-chinned Minivet | DSS, GXY | 1 | ||||
| Brown Shrike | GSY | One at Star Resort | 1 | |||
| Long-tailed Shrike | ER, AG | 1 | ||||
| Black Drongo | ER | 1 | 1 | |||
| Black-naped Monarch | GXY | 1 | 1 | |||
| Common Magpie | AG | 1 | ||||
| Eurasian Jay | DSS, SLX, XT | Commonly heard, seen a few times at various locations | 1 | 1 | ||
| Eurasian Nutcracker | DSS | Only seen around Dasyueshan 50K, quite common there | 1 | 1 | ||
| Large-billed Crow | SLX, XT | 1 | ||||
| Asian House Martin | SLX, XT, GXY | 1 | ||||
| Striated Swallow | ER | 1 | ||||
| Pacific Swallow | ER, XT, GXY | 1 | ||||
| Barn Swallow | ER | 1 | ||||
| Eurasian Wren | DSS | One observed at 50K car park | 1 | 1 | ||
| Eurasian Nuthatch | DSS | Seen a few times around Dasyueshan, follow bird waves | 1 | |||
| Brown Dipper | DSS, SLX | A pair observed at Dasyueshan 15K near the stream below police station, another pair observed just above 石井磯 | 1 | |||
| Collard Finchbill | DSS, XT, GXY | 1 | 1 | |||
| Light-vented Bulbul | ER, GXY | 1 | 1 | |||
| Black Bulbul | GXY | 1 | 1 | |||
| Flamcrest* | DSS | One observed around viewing platform at Dasyueshan 49K | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Rufous-faced Warbler | DSS, SLX, XT, GXY | 1 | ||||
| Striated Prinia | GXY | One observed near Star Resort | 1 | 1 | ||
| Plain Prinia | ER, AG | 1 | 1 | |||
| Taiwan Fulvetta | DSS | One observed at Dasyueshan 22K | 1 | 1 | ||
| White-bellied Epornis | DSS | 1 | ||||
| Taiwan Yuhina | DSS, SLX, XT, GXY | Very common, active near flowering cherry trees | 1 | 1 | ||
| Japanese White-eye | GXY | 1 | ||||
| Taiwan Wren Babbler* | SLX, XT | Numerous heard along road at Sun Link Sea, not too responsive to play back at this time of the year | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Rufous-capped Babbler | DSS, SLX, XT, GXY | 1 | 1 | |||
| Taiwan Scimitar Babbler | GXY | A few paris observed at Star Resort | 1 | 1 | ||
| Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler* | GXY | A pair observed and heard along route 159, not seen well but voice is unmistakable, responded well to playback and showed moderate interest but remained in cover | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Dusky Fulvetta | GXY | A few near Star Resort | 1 | 1 | ||
| Grey-cheeked Fulvetta | DSS, SLX, XT, GXY | Common all around | 1 | 1 | ||
| Steere's Liocichla | DSS, SLX, XT, GXY | A few observed at Dasyueshan and Sun Link Sea, but extremely common at Xitou, individuals there are fearless of human and will actively beg for food. | 1 | 1 | ||
| Taiwan Barwing* | DSS, SLX, XT | Quite common around flowering cherry trees, usually in large flocks | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| White-whiskered Laughingthrush | DSS | Very common above Dasyueshan 48K mark, fearless of human and will actively beg for food | 1 | 1 | ||
| Taiwan Hwamei | GXY | heard only at Star Resort | 1 | 1 | ||
| White-eared Sibia | DSS, SLX, XT | Quite common all around, large numbers especially congregate around fruiting trees | 1 | 1 | ||
| Black-throated Tit | DSS, SLX, XT, GXY | 1 | ||||
| Yellow Tit | DSS, SLX | Regularly seen around bird waves at Dasyueshan and Sun Link Sea, but usually only in pairs of singles | 1 | 1 | ||
| Green-backed Tit | DSS, SLX, XT, GXY | The most common Tit species | 1 | 1 | ||
| Coal Tit | DSS | Only a pair observed at Dasyueshan on a foggy afternoon from afar | 1 | 1 | ||
| Vivid Niltava | DSS, SLX, XT | Common around 23.5K birding platform at Dasyueshan, but also commonly seen at other locations, usually following bird waves | 1 | 1 | ||
| White-tailed Robin | DSS, GXY | One observed in the car at Dasyueshan, very skittish, a few other males observed in the bird hide of Star Resort | 1 | 1 | ||
| Red-flanked Bluetail | DSS, SLX | One female at Dasyueshan 50K and one male at Medicine Garden of Sun Link Sea | 1 | |||
| White-browed Bush Robin* | DSS | One male at Dasyueshan 22K, very active and not afraid of human | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Collared Bush Robin | DSS, SLX | Quite commonly seen at Dasyueshan and Sun Link Sea, but easiest to observe at Dasyueshan 50K car park | 1 | 1 | ||
| Daurian Redstart | GXY | Commonly seen enroute, one male stationed near feeding stations at Star Resort | 1 | |||
| Rubythroat | GXY | Come regularly to feeding station of Star Resort, only female observed | 1 | |||
| Plumbeous Redstart | DSS, SLX, XT, GXY | Extremely common around water bodies | 1 | 1 | ||
| Little Forktail* | SLX, XT | One observed at stream near Songlongyan bus station at Sun Link Sea, also on top of Shijingji waterfall, finally one at stream of Xitou | 1 | 1 | ||
| White-browed Shortwing* | XT | heard only at Xitou | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Taiwan Whistling Thrush | SLX | One seen near medicine garden of Sun Link Sea | 1 | 1 | ||
| White's Thrush | DSS, GXY | Many observed along roads | 1 | |||
| Pale Thrush | GXY | A few fly by while driving | 1 | |||
| Dusky Thrush | DSS | at least 3 birds observed around Dasyueshan 50K | 1 | |||
| Javan Myna | ER, AG | 1 | ||||
| Common Myna | AG | A few at Ao Gu Wetland | 1 | |||
| Plain Flowerpecker | GXY | A few individuals observed around Star Resort | 1 | 1 | ||
| White Wagtail | GXY | 1 | ||||
| Grey Wagtail | SLX, XT, GXY | 1 | ||||
| Olive-backed Pipit | GXY | 1 | ||||
| Taiwan Rosefinch | DSS | Single females observed at various locations | 1 | 1 | ||
| Tree Sparrow | ER | 1 | ||||
| White-rumped Munia | DSS | 1 | ||||
| Scaly-breasted Munia | GXY | 1 | ||||
| 21 | 25 | 122 | 11 | |||
| Endemic | AG = Aogu Wetland and Forest Park | |||||
| Endemic Subspecies | DSS = Dasyueshan National Forest and Recreation Area | |||||
| SLX = Shanlinxi / Sun Link Sea | ||||||
| XT = Xitou Forest Nature Education Area | ||||||
| GXY = Guanxingyuan / Star Resort |
