21st November, 2013 TAIWAN 7th Day

Out at dawn and walked around the accommodation sites looking for birds coming to lights for moths. We then drove down to the entrance gate which was unfortunately still shut. We checked a couple of sites along the road and returned back to the Anmashan Dasyueshan Centre. We covered a number of sites at various altitudes which included driving to the top and walked to the summit lake and birded the general area. We also visited KM47 again during the late afternoon, and spent an hour at a nearby gully photographing Robins.
Highlights included the pair of Mikado Pheasants and exceptional views of both White-browed and Collared Bush Robins.

Views taken around the Anmashan Dasyueshan Forest Reserve.

Mikado Pheasant 1 pair again at KM47.

Grey Treepie 2

Nutcracker 2

Green-backed Tit 2

Yellow Tit 1

Black-throated Tit 12

Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler 1

Rufous-faced Warbler 2

Rufous-capped Babbler 2

White-whiskered Laughingthrush 15

Steere's Liocichia 6

Taiwan Barwing 7

Taiwan Fulvetta 2

Grey-cheeked Fulvetta 70

Taiwan Yuhina 2

White's Thrush 3

Eye-browed Thrush 6

White-browed Robin 1 male and 1 female

Collared Bush Robin 2 males and 1 female

Red-flanked Bluetail 1

Plumbeous Redstart 1 female

Vinaceous Rosefinch 4

Bevan's Bullfinch 2

It proved to be a mega day with the camera.

 

 

Steere's Liocichia around the accommodation block at dawn.

It was virtually dark when I took these pictures and I again

set the ISO to its maximum on the camera.

We were just about to walk down this trail.

 

White's Thrush around the accommodation block at dawn.

A roaming flock of 70 Grey-cheeked Fulvettas were seen near the entrance.

Green-backed Tits were with the flock of Fulvetta's.

(DC)

Yellow Tit

(DC)

7 Taiwan Barwings were with the flock of Fulvettas.

 

Adult female Plumbeous Redstart of the Taiwan endemic race 

affinis on a stream around Km40 at Anmashan Forest Reserve.

White-whiskered Laughingthrush coming into the Robin

Gully at around KM45.

 

Adult male White-browed Robin of the Taiwan endemic race

formosana which may be specifically distinct, in the Robin gully

at Km45.

Female White-browed Robins can be extremely difficult to separate

from the female Collard Bush Robin. The above pictures show the 

bird with a longer less unbroken supercillium, and a slightly different 

jizz which seems to fit White-browed Robin, but I may be wrong.

 

 

 

Adult male Collared Bush Robin in the Robin gully at Km45.

 

What I considered to be a female Collared Bush Robin in the

Robin gully at Km45.

Note the more broken supercillium than the White-browed Robin.

Spotted Nutcracker belonging to the endemic Taiwan race 

owstoni at the summit of  the Anmashan Forest Reserve road.

Female Vinaceous Rosefinch at the summit of the

 Anmashan Forest Reserve road.

Two Taiwan Fulvettas were seen at the summit of the Anmashan Forest Reserve road.

Back down to Km 47 during the evening, hopefully for another session

Mikados.

 

1stW Eye-browed Thrush feeding at dusk by the side of the road.

Adult male Vinaceous Rosefinch was also feeding by the side

of the road at Km47.

 

 

The Mikado's came out at dusk after all the other birders had gone, 

and we had them to ourselves, simply unforgettable.

(BK)

JFC photographing the Mikado's during the evening.

Squirrel in the Robin gully at Km 45.