Birdwatching in Taiwan: 3To reach Meifeng and Tsuifeng from Taichung, take the Nantou Bus Co bus to Puli and from there the same company operates via Wushe to Tsuifeng; alight at Meifeng (about 90 minutes from Puli). There is limited accommodation at the Meifeng Mountain Farm (Ching Ching Farm), so reservations are needed; contact National Taiwan University Agriculture InstituteAssociated Mountain Experimental Farm at 886-2-2803148. There are also hotels in Wushe and Fushih (Lushan). There are two very obvious forestry trails leading off Highway 14 between Meifeng and Tsuifeng (altitude 2,100-2,200m) into the Reiyenshi Reserve. The first, the Rueiyan River Forest Road, is about 30 minutes walk from the farm; both follow the contour of west-facing hill slopes and are good for the pheasants and Taiwan Partridge. About 120 species have been recorded including White-browed Bush Robin Tarsiger indicus, Collared Bush Robin T. johnstoniae, Pygmy Wren Babbler Pnoepyga pusilla, Ashy Wood Pigeon Columba pulchricollis, White-throated Laughingthrush and Rusty Laughingthrush. The enigmatic Island Thrush Turdus poliocephalus is also found here.
While in the Puli area, another site for the Taiwan Blue Magpie and the rather local Varied Tit Parus varius is the Huisun National Forest Recreation Area (altitude 2502,000 m) located near Ren-ai village. It is part of Chung Hsing Universitys experimental farm; room and board may be reserved at the ecological vacation village contact Huisun Farm 886-49-2942000. The website has an English section giving bus times from Puli etc. By car from Taipei use Highway 3 to Tsaotun (Tsautun); leave here via Highway 14 and go to Kuohsing (Kuoshin) to access the area. From Puli follow Highway 21 to Kuohsing. Other species recorded here include Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis, Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus, Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata, Collared Finchbill Spizixos semitorques and Hwamei Garrulax canorus. Finding the Fairy Pitta
In Taoyuan County, the 10,000 hectare Shihmen Reservoir located
on the upper reaches of the Dahan River is another Fairy Pitta breeding
area. The forests along the public roads around the lake are dense,
and the dark, moist trails are good spots to look for feeding birds.
Buses
from Taoyuan and Hsinchu go to the reservoir, which is adjacent to
Highway 3. There are hotels and cabins in the area (contact the Shihmen
Reservoir
Scenic Area 886-3-4712247). Avoid the area at weekends and holidays
when it is busy with local tourists. Taitung
and Kenting On the western side of Taitung County, the Central Mountain Range rises
to 3,600 m, while on the east lies the lower coastal range. The narrow
East Rift Valley between them is a stronghold of Styans Bulbul. About
370 bird species have been recorded in the county, including all the
endemics and about 40 of the endemic subspecies and, thanks to the relative
lack of disturbance, Swinhoes Pheasant and Mikado Pheasant are widespread
at mid-elevations. Rare birds found in the mountains include Black Eagle,
Mountain Hawk Eagle Spizaetus nipalensis, and Tawny Fish Owl Ketupa
flavipes. Access is by the forest roads (up to 50 km long) that run
west steeply into the mountains, but some are impassable after a few
km except on foot, so that food and shelter must be carried, and not
all roads are open to the public. The Lijia, Wulu and Chihpen roads are
good choices. It is possible to drive south from Chihpen and cross the
island to reach the southern tip at Kenting (See Raptor watching
in Taiwan).There may be discoveries to be made in the area; Whistling
Green Pigeon Treron formosae can still be seen, notably at Sheding
Nature Park in Kenting National Park, while Japanese Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone
atrocaudata and Brown-eared Bulbul Ixos amaurotis may still
cling on. The seldom-seen Black-chinned Fruit Dove Ptilinopus leclancheri has
also been reported recently in Pintung County.
Appendix Brief data on the Taiwanese endemics Taiwan Partridge Arborophila crudigularis Common resident found in undergrowth of low- to mid-elevation thick evergreen broadleaf forests (700-2,000 m). Swinhoe's Pheasant Lophura swinhoii Uncommon resident, found in the undergrowth of low- to mid-elevation natural broadleaf forests (500-2,000 m). Mikado Pheasant Syrmaticus mikado Uncommon resident, found in the undergrowth of mid-elevation natural broadleaf forests of central Taiwan (2,000-3,000 m). Taiwan Blue Magpie Urocissa caerulea Uncommon resident found in mid- to upper levels of low-elevation broadleaf forests (400-1,000m). Taiwan Whistling Thrush Myophonus insularis Common resident throughout Taiwan from plains to mid-elevation mountain areas near streams and within forests (200-2,000 m). Collared Bush Robin Tarsiger johnstoniae Common resident found in the undergrowth and thickets of mid- to high-elevation open woodlands and areas with large trees in central Taiwan (2,000-3,200 m). Yellow Tit Parus holsti Uncommon resident, found in the canopy of mid-elevation broadleaf forests of central Taiwan (1,000-2,200 m). Flamecrest Regulus goodfellowi Common resident found in mid- to high-elevation coniferous and mixed broadleaf-coniferous forests of central Taiwan (1,000-3,000 m). Styan's Bulbul Pycnonotus taivanus Common but declining resident, restricted to eastern and southern Taiwan; found in the cultivated plains of Pingtung County, gardens, urban parks and low-altitude broadleaf forest (sea level-1,000 m). Taiwan Bush Warbler Bradypterus alishanensis Common resident found in open scrub and grass clumps in mid- to high-altitude forest (2,000-3,200m). White-whiskered Laughingthrush Garrulax morrisonianus Common resident found in thick undergrowth and scrub of high-elevation forests of central Taiwan (2,000-3,500 m). Steere's Liocichla Liocichla steerii Common resident found in roadside bushes and grassy scrub of mid- to high-elevation forests (2,000-3,500 m). Taiwan Barwing Actinodura morrisoniana Uncommon resident found in mid-levels of central Taiwans mid- to high-elevation broadleaf forests and mixed broadleafconiferous forests. Mostly eats arthropods obtained by probing the bark of trunks and branches (1,300-2,500 m). White-eared Sibia Heterophasia auricularis Common resident found in mid- to upper levels of mid-elevation natural broadleaf forests, but sometimes at low altitude in winter (<1,000-2,200 m). Taiwan Yuhina Yuhina brunneiceps Common resident found in mid- to upper levels of mid-elevation coniferous and mixed broadleaf coniferous forests (1,000-2,200 m). |
