TAIWAN 24 May–6 June 2009 Extension to 9 June 2008 Leaders: Simon Liao and Vaughan Ashby

Taiwan is a safe, friendly country with a good infrastructure and a strong conservation movement. At its closest, it is some 110 miles from the coast of China. The island’s diverse habitats, the most prominent of which are the lush forests along its jagged, mountainous spine, home to fifteen endemic species and more than 60 endemic subspecies, several of which are on track to be elevated to full species status.

Day 1 Overnight flight from London to the capital, Taipei.

Day 2 We will begin by driving south, then east, climbing up to the Dasyueshan National Forest Recreation Area in the Anmashan mountain range, birding along Mount Tahsueh Road on the way. At Dasyueshan, at an elevation of approximately 7500 feet, we will walk trails looking for the stunning Swinhoe’s Pheasant, the elegant Mikado Pheasant, Collared Bush-robin, Taiwan Barwing, Brown Bullfinch, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker and Green-backed, Varied and Black-throated Tits. Two nights at Snow Mountain Resort, Dasyueshan.

Day 3 We will drive even higher today, to Hsiaolaishan, where, at around 8,500 feet, we will spend all day looking for White-whiskered Laughingthrush, Vinaceous Rosefinch, Grey-headed Bullfinch and several other high elevation species.

Day 4 Our destination today is Huisun Forest Station, which is at a much lower elevation. We will break our journey at Wufeng to look for Collared Finchbill, Formosan Whistling-thrush, Black-browed (Muller`s) Barbet, Grey-capped Woodpecker and the beautiful Fairy Pitta, which will require luck if we are to be successful. At Huisun we will have another opportunity to search for the unforgettable Swinhoe’s Pheasant. We will also look for Malayan Night-heron, a forest heron which often forages on the lawns of the Forest Station, Formosan Magpie, Maroon Oriole, Ashy Wood-pigeon, Black-browed Barbet, Grey-chinned Minivet, Grey Treepie, Black Bulbul, Rufous-capped Babbler, Rufous-faced Warbler and White-bellied Yuhina. After dark we will try for Mountain Scops-Owl. Night at Huisun Forest Station.

Day 5 Early morning birding around Huisun Forest Station will give us the opportunity to see any species, which may have eluded us yesterday. We will also keep a lookout for raptors, including the distinctive Crested Serpent-eagle, Crested Goshawk and Besra. Leaving Huisun after breakfast we will backtrack somewhat, then continue eastwards through Puli, the geographic centre of Taiwan, and begin to climb again via Wushe, with birding stops on the way, to Chingjing, where we will spend the night.

Day 6 Before leaving Chingjing we will look for Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Vinaceous Parrotbill and other species of brushy habitat. Then we will drive higher still, to the Hehuanshan Forest Recreation Area, and reach the highest elevation of the tour, 10750 feet. Here, just inside the western edge of Taroko National Park, we will look for Flamecrest, Yellow Tit, Alpine Accentor and Coal Tit (Periparus ater ptilosus) of the crested Taiwan endemic sub-species. We will continue eastwards through the Taroko Gorge with birding stops along the way. In the late afternoon we will visit the spectacular Taroko “Marble Gorge.” This is one of the scenic wonders of Asia, created by immense tectonic forces combined with erosion by the Liwu River. We will watch for Brown Dipper and the rare Little Forktail at the river and Fork-tailed Swift among the hundreds of House Swifts. Night at Tienshiang.

Day 7 After early morning birding in the Tienshiang area we will exit through the Taroko National Park’s east gate, turn south to Hualien and drive along Taiwan’s scenic east coast, crossing the Tropic of Cancer to Taitung city. Styan’s Bulbul is common on east side of the mountains, but we must be wary of hybrids between White-vented and Styan’s Bulbuls! Near Chihshiang, we will look for the endemic Taiwan subspecies of the familiar, but native and wild, Ring-necked Pheasant. Night at mid elevation in Chihpen Forest Recreation Area.

Day 8 The morning will be spent birding locally. New birds might include Dusky Fulvetta, Oriental Cuckoo, White-bellied Pigeon, Ferruginous Flycatcher and Emerald Dove. We must also be alert for the introduced Javan and Jungle Mynas, which are becoming common and, unfortunately, are gradually displacing the native Crested Myna. Around midday we will transfer to Taitung Airport and board a twenty-minute flight to Lanyu (Orchid) Island, which lies about 56 miles to the east of the southern tip of Taiwan. Most of Lanyu’s inhabitants are aboriginal Yami people, whose culture is closer to that of the Philippines than that of Taiwan. After transferring to our accommodation, we will spend the rest of the day birding on this fascinating island. The birds of Lanyu Island are very different from those of its large neighbour and we will concentrate on looking for the specialities: Philippine (Brown) Cuckoo-dove, Japanese (Black) Paradise-flycatcher, Brown-eared Bulbul and Lowland White-eye. After dark we will search for the endemic Lanyu Island subspecies of Ryukyu Scops-owl. Overnight in the village of Hungtou.

Day 9 Most of the morning will be spent birding on Lanyu Island, and then we will catch the midday ferry back to Taiwan. The two-and-a-half hour crossing will give us the opportunity to seawatch, with Streaked and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters being the most realistic targets and Bonin Petrel, Bulwer’s Petrel and Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel requiring a large slice of luck. After docking at Pingtung we will reunite with our bus and proceed to Taiwan’s tropical ‘far south’, where we will spend the night in Kenting.

Day 10 Early morning local birding at Long Luan Tan Lake, which is part of Kenting National Park, could produce Ruddy-breasted Crake, White-breasted Waterhen and other wetland species. Late northward-bound migrants are also possible in this area, as they are attracted from a great distance by the distinctively-shaped mountain, Taichien Shan. To the north, in the Tainan-Chiku area, we may find a few lingering Black-faced Spoonbills, although most of the wintering flock will have departed for the breeding grounds. Chinese Egret is also possible here; it is a rare transient in Taiwan. Night in Tainan.

Day 11 We will drive northeast to Kwantien, to a small reserve where several pairs of Pheasant-tailed Jacanas reside. Next we will head for the mountains again. Our destination is Kwanghua village, where both Swinhoe’s Pheasant and the very shy Taiwan Partridge may be found in a privately-owned broadleaf forest. Birding there from late afternoon to dusk will give us our best opportunity of the tour to find the elusive partridge. Overnight in Kwanghua.

Day 12 Today we will continue to climb, up to Alishan Forest Recreation Area. Here we will search for any montane habitat species we may have missed so far. Night in Alishan village.

Day 13 If we have not already seen Mikado Pheasant we will make a very early start to search for one. Our best chance is to find one feeding along the roadside before traffic becomes heavy. We will then drive higher still, to the Tataka Recreation Area in Yushan National Park for additional high mountain specialties. Yushan National Park is known as “the ridge of the roof of Taiwan.” From here we will be able to see Yushan Peak, also called Jade Mountain, which, at just under 13,000 feet, is the highest mountain in East Asia. We will look here for the secretive Taiwan Bush-warbler as well as Yellowish-bellied and Brownish-flanked Bush-warblers, Eurasian Nutcracker, the shy Pygmy Wren-babbler and White-browed Shortwing. By late morning we will have to leave the high mountains and return to the lowlands for the drive back north. In the late afternoon we will return to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for the flight home.

Day 14 Arrival in London at the end of the tour.

Extension

Day 13 In the late afternoon we will return to Taipei, where we will spend the night.

Day 14 We will depart from Taipei’s Shungshan Airport at 11:00am for the 50-minute flight northeast to Nangan Island in the Matsu Archipelago. Matsu, which takes its name from a popular Sea Goddess, is made up of many small islands and islets. The closest of these is situated only 6 km from the Chinese mainland. We will board a boat to go the Matsu Tern Reserve to look for the near-mythical and critically-endangered Chinese Crested Tern. We will also watch out for other terns, which may include the common Great Crested, Black-naped, Roseate and Bridled Terns and also the less common Whiskered, Gull-billed, Caspian and Little Terns, as well as for Black-tailed Gull. Night on Nangan Island.

Day 15 Today is a bad weather back-up day for the tern search so we will have another opportunity to take a boat out if necessary. We return to Taipei on the 16:10 flight from Nangan, which arrives at Shungshan Airport at 17:00. The summer months are the typhoon season here and also the season of coastal fog. Flights between Matsu and Taipei could, therefore, be delayed so we have allowed an extra night in Taipei to cover this eventuality. Overnight in Taipei.

Day 16 We will spend the morning at leisure in Taipei, where we can visit the Botanical Gardens, a well-known site for Malaysian Night-heron. In the afternoon we will transfer to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for the return flight.

Day 17 Arrival in London at the end of the tour.

General Information At this time of the year, Taiwan can be warm to hot and humid at low elevation and chilly at altitude, especially at night. Some rain is likely. We will sample Taiwanese cuisine and, although this is primarily a birdwatching tour, we will, on occasion, dip into Taiwanese culture. There are some health requirements for trips to Taiwan, so please consult your doctor. Only a general degree of fitness is needed for this holiday, although the heat can be tiring at times in the lowlands and the far south and there will be occasional steep steps and paths to negotiate at altitude.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 6; maximum group size: 12 with 2 leaders.

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