Scottish grouse

Ptarmigan on Cairngorm Mountain, Red Grouse at Lochindorb

Taiwan Day 3 Part 2

We rose into the hill country, including Mount Hehuan and caught up with some special high altitude birds, including the endemic Flamecrest (like a bright yellow-bellied Firecrest/Goldcrest hybrid), and a lovely flock of the amazing Golden Parrotbill. Here are the best of my photos from altitude.

Alpine Accentor of the Taiwan endemic subspecies fenelli

Beavan's Bullfinch of the Taiwan endemic subspecies, erythaca, aka Owston's Bullfinch

Johnstone's Robin

White-whiskered Laughingthrushes

We ended the day with an unscheduled garage stop at the city of Taizheng, where the standout highlight was the vast number of insect eating bats, mixed with Pacific Swallows and House Swifts. Just about sundown I even witnessed a Kestrel plucking a bat from mid-dair with its talons, and trying to eat it, Hobby-style.

Brown Shrike, Taizheng

Richard's Pipit, Taizheng

Taiwan Day 3 Part 1

Our third day brought a rich crop of endemic bird delights. We started at a car-park, where we bagged the follwing brids, plus such intriguing little lovelies as White-bellied Erpornis. My favourite bird in the whole of Taiwan was the Yellow Tit! Later we rose up into the rich forested mountains, where we bumped into a flock of Steere's Liocichla and a few female Fire-breasted Flowerpeckers at a bizarre coffee-stop at a 'Sacred Tree' where we were given honey on a cocktail stick on the way into the loo...

Yellow Tit, Taroko Gorge Visitor Centre

Varied Tit, of the Taiwan endmeic subspecies castraneoventris, Taroko Gorge Visitor Centre

Yellow Tit and Varied Tit, Taroko Gorge Visitor Centre

Male Grey-chinned Minivet, Taroko Gorge Visitor Centre

Taiwan Yuhina, Taroko Gorge Visitor Centre

The ropey bridge and view from which we had views of our first Taiwan Whistling-thrush Taiwan Whistling-thrush

Taiwan Day 2

Day two took us on a long drive east and south. In fact it was too rainy to do any birding at all for most of the day. Hence, not so many photos, but a few nice birds added. In the afternoon, I was able to find our guide Kuen-Dar Chiang a new bird for his taiwan list, in Ashy Drongo (no photo).

Taiwan Scimitar Babbler, Shipai Boundary

Our first encounter with a flock of about 10 Formosan (Taiwan) Blue Magpies, on the rainy roadside

Grey-streaked Flycatchers, by Nanao Gardens

Butterfly sp

Gecko

Tawain Bulbul, Hualien area

Long-tailed Duck, Deeping High Bank

I remember the 5th of November, 2004, when young William Bowell found a Long-tailed Duck at what was then called Welland Bank Pits, S Lincs, and is now called Deeping Lakes LWT. That apparent first-winter drake relocated later to Prior's Fen in Cambs, in january 2005, where it was discovered by local birder Phil Todd. A couple of years later, on 23rd December 2006, Josh Jones found a Long-tailed Duck on The Ocean, Baston & Langtoft pits. This was the last LtD in the PBC area until saturday when Tony Rowe ahd his new-to-birding mate Phil found this apparent female on the Welland a mile or two from Deeping Lakes LWT.