CMP Travels Asia (Part 1?)

[CMP]

As you can see from the title, I have started on a trip, by far the most ambitious thing I've done yet, intended a direct clone of a certain ' Marsh tern's ' travels- (No not really, I had planned this before I saw @Chlidonias was returning to the continent . I'm also not really going to the same places. Technically I'm in the same country for a bit, and the government of said country will claim I'm there even longer, if you can piece those clues together...).

Prior to this trip, about the farthest place I'd ever been was the San Francisco bay area- so lets rewind it back there then, shall we!

Like any true birder, I chose the longer 9-hour layover from Chicago over a number of faster connections, because why would I pass up he opportunity for bay-side birding? The SF bay had been my favorite birding location ever prior to this trip (I have some contenders from the past few days), and I was eager to get birding after my 10 am flight from O'hare.

The best hotspot closest to the airport seemed to be Coyote Point Recreation area, so that's where I went as soon as I could get out of the airport. I decided to bite the bullet and pay for an expedited journey- bay area ubers are ridiculous prices, I thought the roughly 25 minute round-trip was nearly as much as SDZ charges but I checked and they hiked their prices again. I saved about $5 each way placing my pickup pin outside the airport at the Grand Hyatt tram spot. Still too much though.

The uber driver was an interesting fellow, who I correctly guessed was from The Gambia, given his clue was 'a small country next to Senegal'. He was quite happy I knew to say THE Gambia, and proceeded to have a conversation with me about how ridiculous that border with Senagal is and how silly it was that he had to have a passport to cross over a few km to his grandparent's house. I somewhat agreed with him.

I asked to be let off at the gate by the Poplar Creek Golf Course, and right away was greeted with the sounds of beautiful male Anna's Hummingbirds. I'd seen one just over a month prior, a vagrant in Northern Illinois, but these had the gorgeous gorgets, a brilliant rosy red when the sun hit them right.

Anna's Hummingbird

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

Containing through the open fields to the bayside, I saw some California Towhees, Golden-Crowned Sparrows, and up a dead tree, a feisty pair of Nuttall's Woodpeckers. Along the bay were the regular host of SF area waterbirds, many Amercian Coots, Buffleheads, a Western Grebe, California, Western, and Short-billed Gulls, along with a quartet of Willets making their way down the exposed mudflats to the west.






Coyote Point is a peninsula that juts out into the San Francisco bay, with the tip including some mature stands of trees along with the 'CuriOdyssey' nature center which is paid, so I skipped. Around here is where I got great views of Pygmy Nuthatch, one individual came quite close.

Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

Out from a far pile of rocks, a lifer Black Oystercatcher erupted and flew hurriedly down the shore.

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

I made my way around the point and to the harbor, where I picked up horned and Eared Grebe, and looked out the vast mudflats to the east. It was evening and very low tide, which meant I missed a lot of possible shorebirds that were way too far out. A consolation was a Black Skimmer feeding way out on the bay.



I returned to SFO at dusk and got ready for my 14 hour flight.

 

[Tigeanderson]

As you can see from the title, I have started on a trip, by far the most ambitious thing I've done yet, intended a direct clone of a certain ' Marsh tern's ' travels- (No not really, I had planned this before I saw @Chlidonias was returning to the continent . I'm also not really going to the same places. Technically I'm in the same country for a bit, and the government of said country will claim I'm there even longer, if you can piece those clues together...).

Prior to this trip, about the farthest place I'd ever been was the San Francisco bay area- so lets rewind it back there then, shall we!

Like any true birder, I chose the longer 9-hour layover from Chicago over a number of faster connections, because why would I pass up he opportunity for bay-side birding? The SF bay had been my favorite birding location ever prior to this trip (I have some contenders from the past few days), and I was eager to get birding after my 10 am flight from O'hare.

The best hotspot closest to the airport seemed to be Coyote Point Recreation area, so that's where I went as soon as I could get out of the airport. I decided to bite the bullet and pay for an expedited journey- bay area ubers are ridiculous prices, I thought the roughly 25 minute round-trip was nearly as much as SDZ charges but I checked and they hiked their prices again. I saved about $5 each way placing my pickup pin outside the airport at the Grand Hyatt tram spot. Still too much though.

The uber driver was an interesting fellow, who I correctly guessed was from The Gambia, given his clue was 'a small country next to Senegal'. He was quite happy I knew to say THE Gambia, and proceeded to have a conversation with me about how ridiculous that border with Senagal is and how silly it was that he had to have a passport to cross over a few km to his grandparent's house. I somewhat agreed with him.

I asked to be let off at the gate by the Poplar Creek Golf Course, and right away was greeted with the sounds of beautiful male Anna's Hummingbirds. I'd seen one just over a month prior, a vagrant in Northern Illinois, but these had the gorgeous gorgets, a brilliant rosy red when the sun hit them right.

Anna's Hummingbird

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

Containing through the open fields to the bayside, I saw some California Towhees, Golden-Crowned Sparrows, and up a dead tree, a feisty pair of Nuttall's Woodpeckers. Along the bay were the regular host of SF area waterbirds, many Amercian Coots, Buffleheads, a Western Grebe, California, Western, and Short-billed Gulls, along with a quartet of Willets making their way down the exposed mudflats to the west.

View attachment 759759

View attachment 759721


Coyote Point is a peninsula that juts out into the San Francisco bay, with the tip including some mature stands of trees along with the 'CuriOdyssey' nature center which is paid, so I skipped. Around here is where I got great views of Pygmy Nuthatch, one individual came quite close.

Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

View attachment 759758

Out from a far pile of rocks, a lifer Black Oystercatcher erupted and flew hurriedly down the shore.

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

I made my way around the point and to the harbor, where I picked up horned and Eared Grebe, and looked out the vast mudflats to the east. It was evening and very low tide, which meant I missed a lot of possible shorebirds that were way too far out. A consolation was a Black Skimmer feeding way out on the bay.

View attachment 759757

I returned to SFO at dusk and got ready for my 14 hour flight.

What part of Asia are you going to if you don’t mind me asking.

 

[birdsandbats]

What part of Asia are you going to if you don’t mind me asking.

The original post provides some good hints, as do some of CMP's recent posts on other parts of the forum.

 

[Enzo]

As you can see from the title, I have started on a trip, by far the most ambitious thing I've done yet, intended a direct clone of a certain ' Marsh tern's ' travels- (No not really, I had planned this before I saw @Chlidonias was returning to the continent . I'm also not really going to the same places. Technically I'm in the same country for a bit, and the government of said country will claim I'm there even longer, if you can piece those clues together...).

Prior to this trip, about the farthest place I'd ever been was the San Francisco bay area- so lets rewind it back there then, shall we!

Like any true birder, I chose the longer 9-hour layover from Chicago over a number of faster connections, because why would I pass up he opportunity for bay-side birding? The SF bay had been my favorite birding location ever prior to this trip (I have some contenders from the past few days), and I was eager to get birding after my 10 am flight from O'hare.

The best hotspot closest to the airport seemed to be Coyote Point Recreation area, so that's where I went as soon as I could get out of the airport. I decided to bite the bullet and pay for an expedited journey- bay area ubers are ridiculous prices, I thought the roughly 25 minute round-trip was nearly as much as SDZ charges but I checked and they hiked their prices again. I saved about $5 each way placing my pickup pin outside the airport at the Grand Hyatt tram spot. Still too much though.

The uber driver was an interesting fellow, who I correctly guessed was from The Gambia, given his clue was 'a small country next to Senegal'. He was quite happy I knew to say THE Gambia, and proceeded to have a conversation with me about how ridiculous that border with Senagal is and how silly it was that he had to have a passport to cross over a few km to his grandparent's house. I somewhat agreed with him.

I asked to be let off at the gate by the Poplar Creek Golf Course, and right away was greeted with the sounds of beautiful male Anna's Hummingbirds. I'd seen one just over a month prior, a vagrant in Northern Illinois, but these had the gorgeous gorgets, a brilliant rosy red when the sun hit them right.

Anna's Hummingbird

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

Containing through the open fields to the bayside, I saw some California Towhees, Golden-Crowned Sparrows, and up a dead tree, a feisty pair of Nuttall's Woodpeckers. Along the bay were the regular host of SF area waterbirds, many Amercian Coots, Buffleheads, a Western Grebe, California, Western, and Short-billed Gulls, along with a quartet of Willets making their way down the exposed mudflats to the west.

View attachment 759759

View attachment 759721


Coyote Point is a peninsula that juts out into the San Francisco bay, with the tip including some mature stands of trees along with the 'CuriOdyssey' nature center which is paid, so I skipped. Around here is where I got great views of Pygmy Nuthatch, one individual came quite close.

Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

View attachment 759758

Out from a far pile of rocks, a lifer Black Oystercatcher erupted and flew hurriedly down the shore.

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

I made my way around the point and to the harbor, where I picked up horned and Eared Grebe, and looked out the vast mudflats to the east. It was evening and very low tide, which meant I missed a lot of possible shorebirds that were way too far out. A consolation was a Black Skimmer feeding way out on the bay.

View attachment 759757

I returned to SFO at dusk and got ready for my 14 hour flight.

My guesses are Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

I am excited to read more from you in the future.

 

[CMP]

As you can see from the title, I have started on a trip, by far the most ambitious thing I've done yet, intended a direct clone of a certain ' Marsh tern's ' travels- (No not really, I had planned this before I saw @Chlidonias was returning to the continent . I'm also not really going to the same places. Technically I'm in the same country for a bit, and the government of said country will claim I'm there even longer, if you can piece those clues together...).

Prior to this trip, about the farthest place I'd ever been was the San Francisco bay area- so lets rewind it back there then, shall we!

Like any true birder, I chose the longer 9-hour layover from Chicago over a number of faster connections, because why would I pass up he opportunity for bay-side birding? The SF bay had been my favorite birding location ever prior to this trip (I have some contenders from the past few days), and I was eager to get birding after my 10 am flight from O'hare.

The best hotspot closest to the airport seemed to be Coyote Point Recreation area, so that's where I went as soon as I could get out of the airport. I decided to bite the bullet and pay for an expedited journey- bay area ubers are ridiculous prices, I thought the roughly 25 minute round-trip was nearly as much as SDZ charges but I checked and they hiked their prices again. I saved about $5 each way placing my pickup pin outside the airport at the Grand Hyatt tram spot. Still too much though.

The uber driver was an interesting fellow, who I correctly guessed was from The Gambia, given his clue was 'a small country next to Senegal'. He was quite happy I knew to say THE Gambia, and proceeded to have a conversation with me about how ridiculous that border with Senagal is and how silly it was that he had to have a passport to cross over a few km to his grandparent's house. I somewhat agreed with him.

I asked to be let off at the gate by the Poplar Creek Golf Course, and right away was greeted with the sounds of beautiful male Anna's Hummingbirds. I'd seen one just over a month prior, a vagrant in Northern Illinois, but these had the gorgeous gorgets, a brilliant rosy red when the sun hit them right.

Anna's Hummingbird

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

Containing through the open fields to the bayside, I saw some California Towhees, Golden-Crowned Sparrows, and up a dead tree, a feisty pair of Nuttall's Woodpeckers. Along the bay were the regular host of SF area waterbirds, many Amercian Coots, Buffleheads, a Western Grebe, California, Western, and Short-billed Gulls, along with a quartet of Willets making their way down the exposed mudflats to the west.

View attachment 759759

View attachment 759721


Coyote Point is a peninsula that juts out into the San Francisco bay, with the tip including some mature stands of trees along with the 'CuriOdyssey' nature center which is paid, so I skipped. Around here is where I got great views of Pygmy Nuthatch, one individual came quite close.

Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

View attachment 759758

Out from a far pile of rocks, a lifer Black Oystercatcher erupted and flew hurriedly down the shore.

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

• CMP
• 2 Jan 2025

Coyote Point, San Mateo co. California, Dec 2024

I made my way around the point and to the harbor, where I picked up horned and Eared Grebe, and looked out the vast mudflats to the east. It was evening and very low tide, which meant I missed a lot of possible shorebirds that were way too far out. A consolation was a Black Skimmer feeding way out on the bay.

View attachment 759757

I returned to SFO at dusk and got ready for my 14 hour flight.

The flight from SFO to Taipei was quite exciting for me, as I'd never crossed an ocean before. The route took us north, around alaska, the sourthern end of the Bering Sea, and down past the Kuril islands. It was cloudy, turbulent, and around 4am back in CST. I used this overnight flight to offset the jetlag. I woke up right as we approached Japan, the clouds had let up and I could see a continent other than North America for the first time. Farther south, the fishing boats of the East China Sea were lit up in a grid to the horizon.

I landed in Taipei around 5am. It was my first time out of North America, only time outside USA besides Canada. Already was greeted with full doors for bathroom stalls- something I knew about but it was a reward for leaving the states.

After fumbling around for a bit I got on the airport train to Taipei Main station. The scenery was quite surreal along the way, a mix of wild areas and highrise buildings, both new and old. Taking the train in itself was a delight, I'd only ever taken the amtrack to Chicago a couple times. I transferred at the main station and headed for the Guandu area to start birding straight away.


View from the train (With the Taipei 101 in the background)

One thing I noticed was that people spoke a fair bit less English than I had anticipated. Not sure if this is because I initiated with the very little Mandarin I learned, if I didn't necessarily look like I spoke english, or most people just not speaking it regularly there. I'm inclined to think the latter, most of the responses when I asked 'Ni hwei shou ingwen ma?' were 'Bu hwei'

Getting off at Guandu was quite the shock. Right away, I spotted some Eurasian Tree Sparrows, Asian Glossy Starlings, and some Common Mynas. My route took me straight onto the small streets that are about wide enough for one vehicle- a vehicle that won't as much as slow for you so one needs to be constantly alert and hug the edges of the road. The streets were bustling, and I experienced a bit of culture shock walking down the road.


Streets of the Guandu district

I walked past the Guandu temple, an incredibly ornate structure, complete with some Oriental Magpies flying overhead. I quickly found that the endemic subspecies of Light-vented Bulbul were the most prevalent species here, calling and hopping from tree to tree.


Guandu Temple

I made my way down to the Guandu Harbor, spotting Grey Heron, Eastern Spot-Billed Duck, and most excitingly, a Common Kingfisher, who caught a fish and picturesquely landed at the tip of a fishing boat docked in the Harbor.



An Eastern Yellow Wagtail was prancing around a grassy field, while a White-Breasted Waterhen dove into the mangroves across a small channel.

What I wasn't enjoying, however, wad the prevalence of unleashed dogs wandering around, seemingly without an owner. One walked up to me as I was switching camera lenses and it gave me quite the startle, to say the least.

I continued along the Guandu Embankment Trail, which is on the edge of a large swath of mangrove to the south. I peered in and found a mudskipper and some crabs darting into their holes in the mud.


Guandu harbor and embankment trail

To the north is a large, reedy, wetland area, with many Eastern Spot-billed Ducks, Black-crowned Night Herons, and also a pair of Little Grebes. There are some trees on the edge of this wetland, and from here I found a Taiwan Scimitar-babbler, some Black Bulbuls, and a noisy flyover Grey Treepie. Best of all was a absolutely splendid Taiwan Barbet that perched wonderfully in a tree, making the name 'Wuseniao' (Five-colored bird) obvious.



Further along, the reeds and wetlands gave way to larger mudflats, where a hunting Eastern Marsh Harrier flushed a group of Common Snipe, and later a huge flock of resting Black-winged Stilt.

I backtracked to the harbor and went to the main Guandu Nature Park area. Oops, closed on Mondays! Oh well, most of the birds seen here should be gettable elsewhere. Off to the next area, labled the 'Beitou Zhongyi Trail' on ebird, but seemingly just some side-streets through the middle of some agricultural fields.

 

[Enzo]

The flight from SFO to Taipei was quite exciting for me, as I'd never crossed an ocean before. The route took us north, around alaska, the sourthern end of the Bering Sea, and down past the Kuril islands. It was cloudy, turbulent, and around 4am back in CST. I used this overnight flight to offset the jetlag. I woke up right as we approached Japan, the clouds had let up and I could see a continent other than North America for the first time. Farther south, the fishing boats of the East China Sea were lit up in a grid to the horizon.

I landed in Taipei around 5am. It was my first time out of North America, only time outside USA besides Canada. Already was greeted with full doors for bathroom stalls- something I knew about but it was a reward for leaving the states.

After fumbling around for a bit I got on the airport train to Taipei Main station. The scenery was quite surreal along the way, a mix of wild areas and highrise buildings, both new and old. Taking the train in itself was a delight, I'd only ever taken the amtrack to Chicago a couple times. I transferred at the main station and headed for the Guandu area to start birding straight away.

View attachment 761798
View from the train (With the Taipei 101 in the background)

One thing I noticed was that people spoke a fair bit less English than I had anticipated. Not sure if this is because I initiated with the very little Mandarin I learned, if I didn't necessarily look like I spoke english, or most people just not speaking it regularly there. I'm inclined to think the latter, most of the responses when I asked 'Ni hwei shou ingwen ma?' were 'Bu hwei'

Getting off at Guandu was quite the shock. Right away, I spotted some Eurasian Tree Sparrows, Asian Glossy Starlings, and some Common Mynas. My route took me straight onto the small streets that are about wide enough for one vehicle- a vehicle that won't as much as slow for you so one needs to be constantly alert and hug the edges of the road. The streets were bustling, and I experienced a bit of culture shock walking down the road.

View attachment 761799
Streets of the Guandu district

I walked past the Guandu temple, an incredibly ornate structure, complete with some Oriental Magpies flying overhead. I quickly found that the endemic subspecies of Light-vented Bulbul were the most prevalent species here, calling and hopping from tree to tree.

View attachment 761802
Guandu Temple

I made my way down to the Guandu Harbor, spotting Grey Heron, Eastern Spot-Billed Duck, and most excitingly, a Common Kingfisher, who caught a fish and picturesquely landed at the tip of a fishing boat docked in the Harbor.

View attachment 761803

An Eastern Yellow Wagtail was prancing around a grassy field, while a White-Breasted Waterhen dove into the mangroves across a small channel.

What I wasn't enjoying, however, wad the prevalence of unleashed dogs wandering around, seemingly without an owner. One walked up to me as I was switching camera lenses and it gave me quite the startle, to say the least.

I continued along the Guandu Embankment Trail, which is on the edge of a large swath of mangrove to the south. I peered in and found a mudskipper and some crabs darting into their holes in the mud.

View attachment 761810
Guandu harbor and embankment trail

To the north is a large, reedy, wetland area, with many Eastern Spot-billed Ducks, Black-crowned Night Herons, and also a pair of Little Grebes. There are some trees on the edge of this wetland, and from here I found a Taiwan Scimitar-babbler, some Black Bulbuls, and a noisy flyover Grey Treepie. Best of all was a absolutely splendid Taiwan Barbet that perched wonderfully in a tree, making the name 'Wuseniao' (Five-colored bird) obvious.

View attachment 761806

Further along, the reeds and wetlands gave way to larger mudflats, where a hunting Eastern Marsh Harrier flushed a group of Common Snipe, and later a huge flock of resting Black-winged Stilt.

I backtracked to the harbor and went to the main Guandu Nature Park area. Oops, closed on Mondays! Oh well, most of the birds seen here should be gettable elsewhere. Off to the next area, labled the 'Beitou Zhongyi Trail' on ebird, but seemingly just some side-streets through the middle of some agricultural fields.

Those were surely some great species! Especially the barbet, which is stunning to say the least. Are you visiting the city zoo? It is a holder of aye-aye, which I am assuming you might have seen from visiting other US zoos.

 

[Chlidonias]

Already was greeted with full doors for bathroom stalls- something I knew about but it was a reward for leaving the states.

I like little personal experiences like this in travel threads - this one at first makes you go "huh?" and then I remember the Ryan George skit about what American bathroom stalls are like. An entire door? That's madness.

What I wasn't enjoying, however, wad the prevalence of unleashed dogs wandering around, seemingly without an owner. One walked up to me as I was switching camera lenses and it gave me quite the startle, to say the least.

Dogs are my biggest worry when travelling. So far on my trip in China all the dogs have been extremely polite, but in some countries they really are an absolute danger.

 

[CMP]

Those were surely some great species! Especially the barbet, which is stunning to say the least. Are you visiting the city zoo? It is a holder of aye-aye, which I am assuming you might have seen from visiting other US zoos.

I've actually already been twice, and just landed in a 'third' new country. Not sure how other travelers manage to keep updated threads.

I like little personal experiences like this in travel threads

That's great to hear! I fully intend to keep in these tidbits (Although please let me know if my ramblings get to be too much)

Anyways, off to get out of this airport and start birding with the daylight left!

 

[Philipine eagle]

I like little personal experiences like this in travel threads - this one at first makes you go "huh?" and then I remember the Ryan George skit about what American bathroom stalls are like. An entire door? That's madness.


Dogs are my biggest worry when travelling. So far on my trip in China all the dogs have been extremely polite, but in some countries they really are an absolute danger.

You need one of these. It hardly weighs anything, is legal and cheap, and it is very efficient against dogs, as I was allowed to experience high in the mountains of Svaneti and upper Kakheti (Georgian Caucasus), trying to hold off the large and very aggressive dogs that guarded the sheep herds

 

[birdsandbats]

You need one of these. It hardly weighs anything, is legal and cheap, and it is very efficient against dogs, as I was allowed to experience high in the mountains of Svaneti and upper Kakheti (Georgian Caucasus), trying to hold off the large and very aggressive dogs that guarded the sheep herds

What is it?

 

[Philipine eagle]

It's called a Dazer and available in camping and outdore stores. By pressing a button it produces a high frequency sound heard by dogs and its efficient up to 10-15 metres. Dogs running towards you stop abruptly on hearing the sound.

 

[Chlidonias]

You need one of these. It hardly weighs anything, is legal and cheap, and it is very efficient against dogs, as I was allowed to experience high in the mountains of Svaneti and upper Kakheti (Georgian Caucasus), trying to hold off the large and very aggressive dogs that guarded the sheep herds

It's called a Dazer and available in camping and outdore stores. By pressing a button it produces a high frequency sound heard by dogs and its efficient up to 10-15 metres. Dogs running towards you stop abruptly on hearing the sound.

I might need one of those. Not "cheap" though, unless it costs a lot less in Europe than I'm seeing with my NZ results - almost NZ$100.

 

[CMP]

The flight from SFO to Taipei was quite exciting for me, as I'd never crossed an ocean before. The route took us north, around alaska, the sourthern end of the Bering Sea, and down past the Kuril islands. It was cloudy, turbulent, and around 4am back in CST. I used this overnight flight to offset the jetlag. I woke up right as we approached Japan, the clouds had let up and I could see a continent other than North America for the first time. Farther south, the fishing boats of the East China Sea were lit up in a grid to the horizon.

I landed in Taipei around 5am. It was my first time out of North America, only time outside USA besides Canada. Already was greeted with full doors for bathroom stalls- something I knew about but it was a reward for leaving the states.

After fumbling around for a bit I got on the airport train to Taipei Main station. The scenery was quite surreal along the way, a mix of wild areas and highrise buildings, both new and old. Taking the train in itself was a delight, I'd only ever taken the amtrack to Chicago a couple times. I transferred at the main station and headed for the Guandu area to start birding straight away.

View attachment 761798
View from the train (With the Taipei 101 in the background)

One thing I noticed was that people spoke a fair bit less English than I had anticipated. Not sure if this is because I initiated with the very little Mandarin I learned, if I didn't necessarily look like I spoke english, or most people just not speaking it regularly there. I'm inclined to think the latter, most of the responses when I asked 'Ni hwei shou ingwen ma?' were 'Bu hwei'

Getting off at Guandu was quite the shock. Right away, I spotted some Eurasian Tree Sparrows, Asian Glossy Starlings, and some Common Mynas. My route took me straight onto the small streets that are about wide enough for one vehicle- a vehicle that won't as much as slow for you so one needs to be constantly alert and hug the edges of the road. The streets were bustling, and I experienced a bit of culture shock walking down the road.

View attachment 761799
Streets of the Guandu district

I walked past the Guandu temple, an incredibly ornate structure, complete with some Oriental Magpies flying overhead. I quickly found that the endemic subspecies of Light-vented Bulbul were the most prevalent species here, calling and hopping from tree to tree.

View attachment 761802
Guandu Temple

I made my way down to the Guandu Harbor, spotting Grey Heron, Eastern Spot-Billed Duck, and most excitingly, a Common Kingfisher, who caught a fish and picturesquely landed at the tip of a fishing boat docked in the Harbor.

View attachment 761803

An Eastern Yellow Wagtail was prancing around a grassy field, while a White-Breasted Waterhen dove into the mangroves across a small channel.

What I wasn't enjoying, however, wad the prevalence of unleashed dogs wandering around, seemingly without an owner. One walked up to me as I was switching camera lenses and it gave me quite the startle, to say the least.

I continued along the Guandu Embankment Trail, which is on the edge of a large swath of mangrove to the south. I peered in and found a mudskipper and some crabs darting into their holes in the mud.

View attachment 761810
Guandu harbor and embankment trail

To the north is a large, reedy, wetland area, with many Eastern Spot-billed Ducks, Black-crowned Night Herons, and also a pair of Little Grebes. There are some trees on the edge of this wetland, and from here I found a Taiwan Scimitar-babbler, some Black Bulbuls, and a noisy flyover Grey Treepie. Best of all was a absolutely splendid Taiwan Barbet that perched wonderfully in a tree, making the name 'Wuseniao' (Five-colored bird) obvious.

View attachment 761806

Further along, the reeds and wetlands gave way to larger mudflats, where a hunting Eastern Marsh Harrier flushed a group of Common Snipe, and later a huge flock of resting Black-winged Stilt.

I backtracked to the harbor and went to the main Guandu Nature Park area. Oops, closed on Mondays! Oh well, most of the birds seen here should be gettable elsewhere. Off to the next area, labled the 'Beitou Zhongyi Trail' on ebird, but seemingly just some side-streets through the middle of some agricultural fields.

I walked through the Guandu district to get to the Beitou Zhongyi birding area. Along the way are some stately buildings, with Mercedes-Benz, some loval television company, and other corporate headquarters. Despite the seeming opulence of the area, when I walked into a 7-11 on the corner, I found a bottle each of water and guava juice for a total of $1.5 USD for the both. That's pretty good, in the US just the guava juice would cost twice or three times that, and I've since been told I could get both for much cheaper still. So much of Taipei is surprisingly affordable, despite it being a large, modern, developed city.



Stately buildings of the Guandu District

Right off this area, past some local style carwashes and a long line of work trucks, was a bridge over a small canal, next to some plantations and ag fields. And more dogs, but I suppose in my whole Taipei visit the dogs were mostly well behaved and at most barked behind fences.

This whole area was rather old and full of ramshackle and decrepit buildings- I certainly wouldn't pull out my large lens or even a camera at all, really, would I be in a place of similarly seeming disrepair back stateside. A lack of weapons and cultural differences meant I most likely could (somewhat) rest easy birding along this area, although I was still on alert. Most of the inhabitants were older folks who seemed to be farmers behind on maintenance and repairs, and the numerous bird reports and photos I had found while researching beforehand meant it was probably just fine. Better be paranoid then sorry, I guess.

A freindly motorcyclist stopped to show me a photograph of a Common Kingfisher taken here, the first of many such freindly folks. Sure enough, I spotted one along the canal. There were large fish in the canal and also Black Drongo perched in some trees above. Further on, I spotted a Black-faced Bunting and Western Cattle Egret were in the fallow fields.


Plantations and fallow fields with mountains as a backdrop

I took a turn past a small but ornate temple down a popular road on eBird. Sure enough, ended up meeting some Taiwanese birders (Which there are a lot of, and some with just binoculars out rather than cameras, unlike what is purported for Asian birders). I stopped to see what one lady was photographing, sure enough, along with Black-collared Starlings on the ground in front of us was a Richard's Pipit!


Along the Zhongyi Trail

Perhaps more exciting to less compulsive birders was a soaring Black-winged Kite, a quite sharp looking bird, joining the Hen Harrier and Black Kite on the list of soaring raptors for the day. Both Oriental Magpie and Oriental Magpie-robin (a fun name pairing as Oriental-magpie robin could very well be its name) were common in the area, and I spotted a Brambling up a tree, not a bird I expected to get this trip.

After correcting my terrible attempt at Mandarin, where I said 'jingwen' (Sounds like ingwen, english) instead of 'jongwen' (Chinese), I spoke to a very kind Taiwanese man who explained to me (in perfectly serviceable English) that these plantations are actually an area protected from development, and only traditional farming methods that can coexist with wildlife are allowed.


Path towards Guizikeng Drainage Canal

I continued to meet more Taiwanese birders as I backtracked, seeing another Taiwan Barbet, and headed down the path to the main canal, 'Beitou Guizikeng Drainage Canal' on ebird. Along the way, I noticed an increasing number of dogs hanging around, becoming increasingly audible. I glanced over and saw a large group seemingly behind a fence, all loudly barking at me. I must've rubbed them the wrong way. Worse still, I started to realize there wasn't really anything actually stopped them from getting me. The barking continued to get louder, a chain having been set off, until finally an elderly Taiwanese man came out to hush the dogs. I gave my thanks and apologies and continued walking, slightly unnerved.


A little past the dogs

The Beitou Guizikeng Drainage Canal also proved an excellent birding area. It was here that I managed to picked up Scaly-breasted Munia, Yellow-bellied Prinia, and best of all, a Ruddy-breasted Crake! Peeking down the side canals and drainage areas had paid off, as I watched this elusive railid feed.


Canal path


Next to the canal


Still not done with this very long first day outside the US, but thought I'd post here. I have a lot more adventures to write about (Many of them mis-adventures) and a little over one last day left in Asia (with a layover in LA ) so hopefully the posts will be more frequent, and animal photos to come as well. Let me know about the length and photo inclusions, as I'm quite new to making travel threads like this one, I'm very open to any suggestions.

 

[Lafone]

Excellent thread, enjoying another of these in depth travelogues!

 

[birdsandbats]

Western Cattle Egret

Surely in Taiwan that would be Eastern Cattle-Egret? I figure this is just a typo, but noting it in case you didn't realize this was a lifer.

 

[Chlidonias]

Let me know about the length and photo inclusions, as I'm quite new to making travel threads like this one, I'm very open to any suggestions.

Photos help break up the text, and add interest, so if you've got them it's good to use them.

But as for length - write for yourself. If you're not writing for yourself then you'll lose interest in it because it will become a chore. If you like writing about anecdotes and details then do so, but if you prefer shorter broader posts then do that. There is interest for readers in both approaches, so settle into whichever writing method suits you.

 

[CMP]

Surely in Taiwan that would be Eastern Cattle-Egret? I figure this is just a typo, but noting it in case you didn't realize this was a lifer.

Muscle memory haha. I'm well aware they were lifers!

Photos help break up the text, and add interest, so if you've got them it's good to use them.

But as for length - write for yourself. If you're not writing for yourself then you'll lose interest in it because it will become a chore. If you like writing about anecdotes and details then do so, but if you prefer shorter broader posts then do that. There is interest for readers in both approaches, so settle into whichever writing method suits you.

Thanks for the commentary! I do enjoy writing in depth, sometimes I feel I could be writing even more.

 

[CMP]

I walked through the Guandu district to get to the Beitou Zhongyi birding area. Along the way are some stately buildings, with Mercedes-Benz, some loval television company, and other corporate headquarters. Despite the seeming opulence of the area, when I walked into a 7-11 on the corner, I found a bottle each of water and guava juice for a total of $1.5 USD for the both. That's pretty good, in the US just the guava juice would cost twice or three times that, and I've since been told I could get both for much cheaper still. So much of Taipei is surprisingly affordable, despite it being a large, modern, developed city.

Stately buildings of the Guandu District

Right off this area, past some local style carwashes and a long line of work trucks, was a bridge over a small canal, next to some plantations and ag fields. And more dogs, but I suppose in my whole Taipei visit the dogs were mostly well behaved and at most barked behind fences.

This whole area was rather old and full of ramshackle and decrepit buildings- I certainly wouldn't pull out my large lens or even a camera at all, really, would I be in a place of similarly seeming disrepair back stateside. A lack of weapons and cultural differences meant I most likely could (somewhat) rest easy birding along this area, although I was still on alert. Most of the inhabitants were older folks who seemed to be farmers behind on maintenance and repairs, and the numerous bird reports and photos I had found while researching beforehand meant it was probably just fine. Better be paranoid then sorry, I guess.

A freindly motorcyclist stopped to show me a photograph of a Common Kingfisher taken here, the first of many such freindly folks. Sure enough, I spotted one along the canal. There were large fish in the canal and also Black Drongo perched in some trees above. Further on, I spotted a Black-faced Bunting and Western Cattle Egret were in the fallow fields.

Plantations and fallow fields with mountains as a backdrop
I took a turn past a small but ornate temple down a popular road on eBird. Sure enough, ended up meeting some Taiwanese birders (Which there are a lot of, and some with just binoculars out rather than cameras, unlike what is purported for Asian birders). I stopped to see what one lady was photographing, sure enough, along with Black-collared Starlings on the ground in front of us was a Richard's Pipit!

Along the Zhongyi Trail
Perhaps more exciting to less compulsive birders was a soaring Black-winged Kite, a quite sharp looking bird, joining the Hen Harrier and Black Kite on the list of soaring raptors for the day. Both Oriental Magpie and Oriental Magpie-robin (a fun name pairing as Oriental-magpie robin could very well be its name) were common in the area, and I spotted a Brambling up a tree, not a bird I expected to get this trip.

After correcting my terrible attempt at Mandarin, where I said 'jingwen' (Sounds like ingwen, english) instead of 'jongwen' (Chinese), I spoke to a very kind Taiwanese man who explained to me (in perfectly serviceable English) that these plantations are actually an area protected from development, and only traditional farming methods that can coexist with wildlife are allowed.

Path towards Guizikeng Drainage Canal
I continued to meet more Taiwanese birders as I backtracked, seeing another Taiwan Barbet, and headed down the path to the main canal, 'Beitou Guizikeng Drainage Canal' on ebird. Along the way, I noticed an increasing number of dogs hanging around, becoming increasingly audible. I glanced over and saw a large group seemingly behind a fence, all loudly barking at me. I must've rubbed them the wrong way. Worse still, I started to realize there wasn't really anything actually stopped them from getting me. The barking continued to get louder, a chain having been set off, until finally an elderly Taiwanese man came out to hush the dogs. I gave my thanks and apologies and continued walking, slightly unnerved.

A little past the dogs
The Beitou Guizikeng Drainage Canal also proved an excellent birding area. It was here that I managed to picked up Scaly-breasted Munia, Yellow-bellied Prinia, and best of all, a Ruddy-breasted Crake! Peeking down the side canals and drainage areas had paid off, as I watched this elusive railid feed.

Canal path
Next to the canal

Still not done with this very long first day outside the US, but thought I'd post here. I have a lot more adventures to write about (Many of them mis-adventures) and a little over one last day left in Asia (with a layover in LA ) so hopefully the posts will be more frequent, and animal photos to come as well. Let me know about the length and photo inclusions, as I'm quite new to making travel threads like this one, I'm very open to any suggestions.

Taiwan Day 1, Part 3 (Trip Day 2)

I continued down the raised path next to the road, with the canal running down the middle, until I reached a side trail that led towards the Beitou station.


Cultivated Evergreens

This path led up a slight hill, where to one side there was a grove of very interesting evergreen trees. Among the grove was a lone leafless deciduous tree, with some white-eyes and an Arctic Warbler flitting between its branches. I was quite excited to see my first Phylloscopus warbler. They may be far more drab than our Neotropical Parulids, but I can see their subtle appeal.

Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025

Guandu District, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

Farther down this path, I met two more local birders, each with a massive lens and scope. One pointed out a soaring Eurasian Sparrowhawk to me, while the other pointed out a Chinese Pond-Heron in a field a little further down. Also feeding above were many House Swifts along with some Eastern Red-Rumped Swallows.

Chinese Pond-heron (Ardeola bacchus)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025

Guandu District, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

Having had my fill, I continued to the Beitou MRT stop. Another canal followed along the short distance remaining, where I saw a Manchurian Bush-Warbler amongst the grasses, and later a Little Egret feeding.

Manchurian Bush-warbler (Horornis canturians)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025

Guandu District, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

It was getting rather late, with sunset in a bit more than an hour, so I once more took the Tamsui-Xinyi (The red line), this time towards the Da'an district. For having never taken a metro before (Only regional Chicagoland trains and the Amtrak twice each) there had been a bit of a learning curve, but I figured my way around them quickly. I'm happy to report in the five metros of the five countries I visited, not once did I get lost or go the wrong way. Having google maps and signs in English everywhere certainly helped.


View from the Red Line


Da'an Station (Interior)


Da'an Station (Exterior)


Da'an Park in the heart of Taipei is quite the nice place for an evening stroll. The Red Line has a stop right at the north end of the park, and upon existing I was greeted with my very first mammal of the trip, an excitable pair of Pallas's Squirrels. Needless to say I was quite happy to see a new squirrel species, and they proved quite common on the park grounds.

Pallas' Squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025
• 2
• squirrel

Da'an Park, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

Da'an Park Ecological Pond

The main target there that evening was the Malayan Night Heron. I later had a conversation with some Malay birders about how a much more fitting name for Gorsachius melanolophus would be Taiwan Night Heron, as it is a common and easily seen bird on this island, rather than a much rarer and sulky bird on its eponymous peninsula. Being an overachiever, I've now seen one in both places .

Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025
• 2
• night heron

Da'an Park, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

Lastly, right before sunset, I saw a small vesper bat species. I really wish I had a bat detector with me on the trip, as I saw a number of unidentifiable bat species. Likely a Japanese Pipistrelle: Japanese Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus abramus) from Taipei, TW-TP, TW on December 30, 2024 at 03:14 AM by Yusuf Jassim · iNaturalist

That was it for my first day outside North America, and a fairly successful one at that. I was pretty tired from a full day of birding and international flight right before, so I won't write about what I ate, because it ended up not being much of anything. I suppose the on-flight meals and some energy bars I had packed were enough sustenance. I picked up some odds and ends at the 7-11 right next to my hotel, the 'Bouti City Capsule Inn', and was out cold for the night.

I have an updated species list for the day up on the Big Year 2024 thread:

Oops, didn't update this thread in time. Here it is anyways:

Mammal
Dec 30, Da'an Forest Park, Taipei, Taiwan
28. Pallas' Squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus) (Lifer)

Taiwan Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista grandis)* (Heard Only)
​

Birds

Dec 30, Guandu District, Taipei, Taiwan​

305. Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) (Lifer)
306. Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) (Lifer)
307. Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) (Lifer)
308. Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) (Lifer)
309. Oriental Magpie (Pica serica) (Lifer)
310. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) (Lifer)
311. Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) (Lifer)
312. Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) (Lifer)
313. Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) (Lifer)
314. Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) (Lifer)
315. Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (Lifer)
316. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) (Lifer)
317. Eastern Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha) (Lifer)
318. White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) (Lifer)
319. Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis) (Lifer)
320. Gray Treepie (Dendrocitta formosae) (Lifer)
321. Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) (Lifer)
322. Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) (Lifer)
323. Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) (Lifer)
324. Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) (Lifer)
325. Taiwan Barbet (Psilopogon nuchalis) (Lifer) (Endemic!)
326. Pacific Swallow (Hirundo javanica) (Lifer)
327. Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus) (Lifer)
328. Swinhoe’s White-eye (Zosterops simplex) (Lifer)
329. Taiwan Scimitar-babbler (Pomatorhinus musicus) (Lifer) (Endemic!)
330. White-rumped Munia (Lonchura striata) (Lifer)
331. Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) (Lifer)
332. Black-collared Starling (Gracupica nigricollis) (Lifer)
333. Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) (Lifer)
334. Eastern Cattle-egret (Ardea coromanda) (Lifer)
335. Black Kite (Milvus migrans) (Lifer)
336. Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) (Lifer)
337. Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata) (Lifer)
338. Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) (Lifer)
339. Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) (Lifer)
340. Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) (Lifer)
341. Ruddy-breasted Crake (Zapornia fusca) (Lifer)
342. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) (Lifer)
343. Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) (LIfer)
344. House Swift (Apus nipalensis) (Lifer)
345. Eastern Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) (Lifer)
346. Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) (Lifer)
347. Chinese Pond-heron (Ardeola bacchus) (Lifer)
348. Manchurian Bush-warbler (Horornis canturians) (Lifer)

Da'an Forest Park, Taipei, Taiwan​

349. Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus) (Lifer)

Dec 31, Erbazi Botanical Garden, Taipei, Taiwan
350. Taiwan Blue-magpie (Urocissa caerulea) (Lifer) (Endemic!)
351. Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus ruficeps) (Lifer) (Endemic!)
352. White-eared Sibia (Heterophasia auricularis) (Lifer) (Endemic!)
353. Taiwan Vivid Niltava (Niltava vivida) (Lifer) (Endemic!)
354. Pale Thrush (Turdus pallidus) (Lifer)
355. Maroon Oriole (Oriolus traillii) (Lifer)

Taipei Zoo, Taipei, Taiwan​

356. White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) (Lifer)


Reptile
12. Common Thread Turtle (Mauremys sinensis) (Lifer)


Fish
17. Shuttles Hoppfish (Periophthalmus modestus) (Lifer)


Inverts
331. Two-spotted Grass Bug (Stenotus binotatus)
332. Taiwan Dark cerulean (Jamides bochus formosanus) (Lifer)
333. Common Mapwing (Cyrestis thyodamas) (Lifer)
334. Bowed fiddler crab (Tubuca arcuata) (Lifer)
335. Taiwan marsh crab (Parasesarma insulare) (Lifer)
336. Okinawa Pale Grass Blue (Pseudozizeeria maha okinawa) (Lifer)
337. Rustic (Cupha erymanthis) (Lifer)
338. Lake pondskater (Aquarius paludum) (Lifer)
339. Joro Spider (Trichonephila clavata) (Lifer)


I may have a few more additions from the year yet, but that's what I've sorted out so far.

Birds
357. Dusky Thrush (Turdus eunomus) (Lifer)
358. Brown-headed Thrush (Turdus chrysolaus) (Lifer)
359. Garganey (Spatula querquedula) (Lifer)
360. Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) (Lifer)
361. Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) (Lifer)
362. Siberian Rubythroat (Calliope calliope) (Lifer)
363. Siberian Pipit (Anthus japonicus) (Lifer)
364. Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) (Lifer)
365. Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) (Lifer)

All from December 30th. Almost certainly my last post. Quite late in saying this, but it was a great year with a fantastic finish, and I've enjoyed reading along with everyone else's finds and adventures. Let's hope this year (2025) continues with some great wildlife watching for us all.

Final totals:
Birds- 364
Mammals- 28
Reptiles- 12
Amphibians- 12
Fish- 17
Inverts- 339

 

[CMP]

Some more Animal pictures from the day:

Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025

Guandu District, Taipei, Dec 30 2024

Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025

Guandu District, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025

Guandu District, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

Taiwan Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis formosae)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025

Guandu District, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025

Guandu District, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

• CMP
• 26 Jan 2025

Da'an Park, Taipei, Dec 30, 2024

 

[CMP]

Taiwan Day 1, Part 3 (Trip Day 2)

I continued down the raised path next to the road, with the canal running down the middle, until I reached a side trail that led towards the Beitou station.

This path led up a slight hill, where to one side there was a grove of very interesting evergreen trees. Among the grove was a lone leafless deciduous tree, with some white-eyes and an Arctic Warbler flitting between its branches. I was quite excited to see my first Phylloscopus warbler. They may be far more drab than our Neotropical Parulids, but I can see their subtle appeal.



Farther down this path, I met two more local birders, each with a massive lens and scope. One pointed out a soaring Eurasian Sparrowhawk to me, while the other pointed out a Chinese Pond-Heron in a field a little further down. Also feeding above were many House Swifts along with some Eastern Red-Rumped Swallows.



Having had my fill, I continued to the Beitou MRT stop. Another canal followed along the short distance remaining, where I saw a Manchurian Bush-Warbler amongst the grasses, and later a Little Egret feeding.



It was getting rather late, with sunset in a bit more than an hour, so I once more took the Tamsui-Xinyi (The red line), this time towards the Da'an district. For having never taken a metro before (Only regional Chicagoland trains and the Amtrak twice each) there had been a bit of a learning curve, but I figured my way around them quickly. I'm happy to report in the five metros of the five countries I visited, not once did I get lost or go the wrong way. Having google maps and signs in English everywhere certainly helped.



Da'an Park in the heart of Taipei is quite the nice place for an evening stroll. The Red Line has a stop right at the north end of the park, and upon existing I was greeted with my very first mammal of the trip, an excitable pair of Pallas's Squirrels. Needless to say I was quite happy to see a new squirrel species, and they proved quite common on the park grounds.



The main target there that evening was the Malayan Night Heron. I later had a conversation with some Malay birders about how a much more fitting name for Gorsachius melanolophus would be Taiwan Night Heron, as it is a common and easily seen bird on this island, rather than a much rarer and sulky bird on its eponymous peninsula. Being an overachiever, I've now seen one in both places

.



Lastly, right before sunset, I saw a small vesper bat species. I really wish I had a bat detector with me on the trip, as I saw a number of unidentifiable bat species. Likely a Japanese Pipistrelle: Japanese Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus abramus) from Taipei, TW-TP, TW on December 30, 2024 at 03:14 AM by Yusuf Jassim · iNaturalist



That was it for my first day outside North America, and a fairly successful one at that. I was pretty tired from a full day of birding and international flight right before, so I won't write about what I ate, because it ended up not being much of anything. I suppose the on-flight meals and some energy bars I had packed were enough sustenance. I picked up some odds and ends at the 7-11 right next to my hotel, the 'Bouti City Capsule Inn', and was out cold for the night.



I have an updated species list for the day up on the Big Year 2024 thread:

Taiwan Day 2 (Trip day 3)

I didn't quite wake up as early as I'd like, so to make up for this, I ended up getting an Uber to Erbazi Botanical Gardens. This site, in the foothills just south of the city, looked quite good on ebird, and a friend that had been there when he visited Taiwan had recommended it as well.


Viewing deck with signage at the top of Erbazi

One thing that always surprises me when I travel outside Central Illinois is how hilly other places are. It’s something I understand in theory, yet this always catches me off guard in reality. When looking at satellite maps, I normally see them through my flat Midwestern lens, and I end up quite pleasantly surprised by rolling hills. I knew Erbazi was at a higher elevation than the city and was in the foothills, but to me at least, topography is one of those things that you really have to just be somewhere to appreciate. It may be nothing to write home about for most, so perhaps this is my way of getting across how truly flat it is where I come from.


View from the top

Erbazi has two paths downslope, a main one with stone steps and a side path. There was a raucous group of Taiwan Blue Magpies right at the fork at the top of the hill by the parking lot. Excellent, one of my main targets right away! They are quite spectacular birds with a bright red legs and bills, contrasting with their deep blue body, and topped off with a fantastic tail and eyes that give off a crazed appearance.

Taiwan Blue-magpie

• CMP
• 10 Feb 2025

(Urocissa caerulea), Erbazi botanical garden, New Taipei, Dec 31

Amongst them were the smaller and more drab Grey Treepies. Just then, I noticed a large commotion from above. I turned and was quite surprised to see a flock of Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush! Quite the good bird and not one I expected to get, as a range-restricted submontane endemic.

Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus ruficeps)

• CMP
• 10 Feb 2025

Erbazi botanical garden, New Taipei, Dec 31

I took the main pathway down. Along the way were some nice insects, the enormous Joro Spiders, and some noisy but impossible to see frogs that had me thinking I was right on top of some hidden bird for an embarrassing amount of time. Past a small clearing I came upon a flock of White-eared Sibias, where I had excellent views of the beautiful endemic. In the nearby grass was a Pale Thrush, and just a bit further down I caught a quick glimpse of a Taiwan Vivid Niltava, a bird that is a fair bit smaller than I expected. It seemed that the concentration of birds in this small area was due to a water tank with a small pool behind it. I went slightly off trail to have a peek, and flushed a Malayan Night Heron.

White-eared Sibia (Heterophasia auricularis)

• CMP
• 10 Feb 2025

Erbazi botanical garden, New Taipei, Dec 31

Walking through the submontane forest was quite interesting, but peering into the undergrowth looking for birds was quite difficult. I had hoped to see the Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler here, but it proved true to its reputation for being quite a skulky bird. I did, however, see plenty of the other endemic Scimitar-babbler.

Taiwan Scimitar-babbler (Pomatorhinus musicus)

• CMP
• 10 Feb 2025

Erbazi botanical garden, New Taipei, Dec 31

On the return uphill, I noticed a rustling in the leaves. I was quite pleased when out popped a Maroon Oriole. This had been one of the targets that I wasn't quite sure I'd see, but quite nice as it was the rather distinctive crimson type found on the island and central Vietnam apparently.

Maroon Oriole (Oriolus traillii)

• CMP
• 10 Feb 2025

Erbazi botanical garden, New Taipei, Dec 31

Passing a flock of Swinhoe’s White-eyes, that I scanned for erpornis and other passerines, I made my way back up to the entrance and headed to the Taipei zoo, where I'd be meeting up with @RatioTile for what proved to be a great first zoo visit of the trip.



The 'side path' downhill