Guandu Nature Park

Guandu Nature Park, Taipei City.

Greater Painted-snipe

I only had time for a brief visit to this excellent reserve and nature center in Taipei City.

On the northwest side of Taipei city it is best approached by MRT (metro) on the Danshui line, the nearest station is Guandu. Or take a taxi to 關渡自然公園. Alighting the MRT train, first follow the signs for 'Guandu Temple',  and then outside the bilingual signs to the park - a 15 minute walk away. Cross the large road (press button for crosswalk) in front of the Mercedez-benz dealership, and walk straight another 200 meters.

Guandu visitor center, 2nd floor.

The Park has a wide variety of habitats covering 57 hectares not far from the Danshui River. Good trails, hides and visitor facilities available. The main area around the visitor center is open 9-5 Tuesday - Sunday to the general public. The 'new wetland' is only accessable on a guided tour starting 4pm Saturday and Sunday - or by special application. The larger remaining wetland area is closed to the public. On Mondays visit the Botanical Garden and Huajiang Park instead.

This is a roundup of species seen. I’m sure there would have been more - with a bit more time, effort, less heat, and better note-taking!

Chinese Pond Heron
Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Egrets - Great, Intermediate, Little, Cattle
Black-Crowned Night-Heron
Ruddy-breasted Crake
Water Rail
Various Doves
Various Mynas
Common Kingfisher
Painted-Snipe
Common Magpie
Bulbuls - Black, and Light-vented.
Spot-billed Duck
Eurasian Hobby
Osprey
Lesser Coucal
Crested Goshawk
Taiwan Scimitar-babbler
Tree Sparrow
Japanese White-eye
Prinia - Plain, and Yellow-bellied
Greenshank
Black-winged Stilt
Common Moorhen

New Bird:
Eurasian Hobby    Falco subbuteo

Huajiang Wild Duck Park.

Huajiang Wild Duck Park.

Sacred Ibis

This is an excellent riverside area on the western side of downtown Taipei City - especially in winter. Behind a dike and busy road, and at the confluence of the Dahan and Xindian Rivers, it feels a long way from the bustling skyscrapers.

Easiest access is via the floodgates at Guilin Road - then walk west/south along the cycle path. Also possible to enter the area from Changshun Street. Some birders observe the area from the Huajiang bridge passing overhead.

The nearest MRT (metro) station is Longshan Temple. In Chinese the nature park is 華江雁鴨自然公園. Guilin Road is 桂林路.  Consider exploring the area (and further along the rivers) on the extensive bike trails. Bicycle rental possible.

***Other convenient locations to bird in downtown Taipei are the nearby Botanical Gardens, Guandu, and Daan Park, and the North/East/South edges of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial.***

Birds seen Wednesday late morning:

Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Sacred Ibis
Yellow Bittern
Great Egret
Small Egret
Black-Crowned Night-Heron
Spot-billed Duck
White-breasted Waterhen
Common Sandpiper
Spotted Dove
Common Magpie
Barn Swallow
Red Collared-Dove
Plain Prinia
Black Bulbul
Light-vented (Chinese) Bulbul
Yellow Wagtail
Crested, Javan, and Common Myna
Black-collared Starling
Tree Sparrow
Japanese White-eye
Scaly-breasted Munia
Brown Shrike

Also look out for winter/migratory ducks, sandpipers, plovers, and kingfishers.

As with many places in Taiwan rampaging feral dogs cause great disturbance to the bird life. Foreign visitors’ observations count for a lot - if you have an opinion on this (or other) issue, be sure to mention it to anyone with influence, it may prompt improvements.

Taipei Botanical Garden

Taipei Botanical Garden

Malayan Night-Heron (really this easy!)

If you only have an hour or two in Taipei for birding, I recommend visitors check out this small downtown park. Open from 4 am, the main entrance is on Nanhai Road. The nearest MRT (metro) station is Xiaonanmen, name of the park in Chinese is 台北植物園, Google Maps Link.

Other convenient locations to bird in downtown Taipei are the nearby Huajiang Wild Duck Nature Park, Guandu, Daan Park and the North/East/South edges of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial.

Near Taipei, I like Wulai.

On Wednesday I saw these birds:

Taiwan Barbet
White-breasted Waterhen
Oriental Turtle-dove
Barn Swallow
Malayan Night-heron
Grey Treepie
Black Drongo
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Tree Sparrow
Japanese White-eye
Common Moorhen
Common Kingfisher

Also usually present are:
Taiwan Scimitar-babbler, Black-naped Monarch...and if lucky other shrikes, pipits, thrushes and raptors.

Wulai

Maroon Oriole. Source below.

The warm weather brought out the birds in Wulai - but thankfully not too many people on St Patrick's Day. I was guiding some (not into early starts, or roughing it too much) bird photographers.

Wulai (烏來) is in a valley surrounded by high, well-forested, mountains less than an an hour south of Taipei. Usually excellent for self-guided forest birding. From Xindian (Sindian) MRT station take the bus to Wulai Village. If on foot, enter the busy village, as soon as you cross the narrow bridge turn left towards signposted Xiaoyi. After 100 meters you will be away from any weekend crowds. Either follow this road as far as you wish, or vere right uphill through the graveyard.

The road continues east toward Xiaoyi, alongside and across the Tonghou Stream.
 

The only new birds for me were the Black-throated Laughingthrush - an established escapee and the Japanese Bush-warbler. Other birds seen well included Formosan Magpie, Taiwan Scimitar Babbler, Varied Tit, Large-billed Crow, Rufous-capped Babbler, Maroon Oriole, Grey-throated Minivet, White-bellied Erponis, Taiwan Whistling Thrush, Plumbaceous Redstart, Crested Goshawk, Crested Serpent Eagle, Japanese White-eye, Black Bulbul, and Grey Treepie.

After Wulai and the Tonghou Stream, I reccommend taking the road south towards Fushan. After the minature railway and waterfall, cross the suspension bridge to the walking trail on the other side of the river that leads to Neidong Forest. Can be a good area for the Varied Tit.


New Birds:

Black-throated Laughingthrush Garrulax chinensis
Japanese Bush-Warbler    Cettia diphone

http://blog.yam.com/phdwhite/article/5926397

Tienliaoyang

Very busy guiding these few weeks. Will only post short notes for now (with gratuitous pictures) and will flesh out more tips later.

Tienliaoyang (田寮洋) Mid-March

Grey Lapwing

This is a nice bit of wet agricultural land either side of the north-link train line in northern New Taipei City (Formerly Taipei County). It is accessed from road 2C (2丙,bing), about 500 meters south of #2 near coastal Fulong. Consider taking the train to Fulong and renting bicycles - ride westwards out of town, turn left at the Formosa gas station, after 500 meters look out for the sign (in Chinese) on the right reminding birdwatchers not to block farmer’s access to their fields.

Visited twice in March. In winter it hosts a good variety of birds.

The nearby Magang Harbor can sometimes turn up rarities.

New Birds:

Swan Goose    Anser cygnoides
Eurasian Sparrowhawk    Accipiter nisus
Gray-headed Lapwing    Vanellus cinereus
Fork-tailed Swift    Apus pacificus
Rook    Corvus frugilegus

Gray-faced Buzzard    Butastur indicus

http://www.matsu.idv.tw/topicdetail.php?f=164&t=99831

Yilan and Shuanglienpi

Yilan

February 26th I made my excuses and escaped to Yilan County ahead of weekend holiday traffic for a day of intensive birding far from my usual haunts. Yilan, situated in Northeastern Taiwan, is mostly lush rugged mountains, the rest is very flat rice fields decorated with houses and tedious towns. The coastal wetlands are some of Taiwan’s most important bird habitats.

Link to Google map

The road tunnel (Freeway #5) through the Xueshan mountain range makes it  convenient to visit from Taipei - but remember, avoid times when millions of Taipei folk are doing the same thing. On this damp (Yilan seems to be always wet) and cool day I explored the wetland complex in the north-east area (east of #5), and north of the Lanyang River. The best locations were the various ponds, fields and drainage channels to the south of Toucheng Town and between roads #2 and #191.

Many shorebirds to be seen. Highlights for me: 8 Black-faced Spoonbills, 1 Hoopee, 10, Vinous-throated Parotbills, 2 Water Rail, 5 Northern Lapwing, 1 Eared Grebe, 2 Purple Herons, 3 European Starling, 1 Ruff...and 2 vagrant Hooded Cranes (yes, was an undeniable twitch; near km mark 143 Road #2).

Shuanglienpi

After enough of the damp and cool plains I went to scout out the road towards bio-diverse Fushan Botanical Gardens. I’ve had repeated bad luck getting the (required) permission to visit Fushan - instead I had a quick look around Shuanglienpi (雙連埤).



Mandarin Ducks - naturally occuring.

At 400 meters elevation, Shuanglienpi (Shuang-lien-pi) is a wetland and small lakes surrounded by well forested mountains. If unable to get permission for Fushan (must apply online early - avoid weekends) I can recommend the drive to, and the walk around these very pleasant ponds.

Various good birds around (Blue Magpies, Scimitar Babblers, Grey-throated Minivets, Maroon Oriole, Dusky Fulvetta, White-bellied Erponis)  the highlight was a pair of wintering Mandarin Ducks.

New Birds seen in Yilan - wetlands and Shuanglienpi:

Water Rail    Rallus aquaticus
Eared Grebe    Podiceps nigricollis
Ruff    Philomachus pugnax
Northern Lapwing    Vanellus vanellus
Hooded Crane    Grus monacha
Mandarin Duck    Aix galericulata
Silver-backed Needletail    Hirundapus cochinchinensis    "Endemic subspecies (H. c. formosanus)"
Yellow-throated Bunting    Emberiza elegans
European Starling    Sturnus vulgaris

Taipei City park

A Taipei City park

I met up with frisbee-throwing friends in a very, very busy, Danan Park, downtown Taipei City on Sunday afternoon. To some derision I sneaked away to look at the heavily photographed Black-naped Herons in the pleasant artificial pond. Some Taiwanese birders were focused on a Forest Wagtail in the NW corner of the park. Caught a glimpse of it - but not the Brown-headed Thrush also apparently loitering.

If unable to escape downtown Taipei for Guandu, Hua-jiang, or Wulai - Daan (Da-an) is not bad for bird-watching. Better is Taipei Botanical Garden. Common species to watch out for here include: Malayan Night-heron, Moorhen, White-breasted Waterhen, Tree Sparrows, Light-vented (Chinese) Bulbuls, Spotted Doves, Himalayan Treepie, Black Bulbul, Taiwan Barbet, Scimitar Babbler, Black-naped Blue Monarch, Little Grebe. If lucky, Crested Goshalk and various cagebirds escapees/Buddhist releasees may be spotted.



New bird seen in Daan Park, Taipei City:

Forest Wagtail    Dendronanthus indicus