Few of Taiwan’s endemics are as splendid as this Blue Magpie. Photo: David Fisher
Early Portuguese sailors dubbed Taiwan “Isla Formosa”—the beautiful island—and although the title was abandoned some time ago in favor of the Chinese name, Taiwan is still a strikingly attractive island. Less than 250 miles from north to south and 100 miles wide, Taiwan boasts impressive geographic and ecological diversity with a dramatic mountain range as its backbone and a broad coastal plain on both sides.
Although it has been overlooked by most Western birders, Taiwan has a rich avifauna, and many Asian species are far easier to see here than elsewhere. Moreover, the island has an exceptional array of endemic species—Taiwan Yuhina, White-collared Bush Robin, White-eared Sibia, and Steere’s Liocichla, for example—but endemic birds are not all that it has to offer. The island is the winter home of the bulk of the tiny world population of Black-faced Spoonbill, and we expect to see a few lingering birds. The tour’s timing at the height of the northbound spring migration means that we’re sure to see a decent number of East Asian migrants, including perhaps that most elusive of Asian birds, Fairy Pitta.
Finally, Taiwan is an affluent nation with an excellent tourist infrastructure and road network, making travel genuinely easy.
Day 1: The tour begins this evening in Taipei, Taiwan. Night in Taipei.
Day 2: After breakfast we’ll travel a short distance to the Taipei Botanical Gardens for an introduction to Taiwan’s more common birds. These are sure to include Taiwan Barbet, our first Taiwanese endemic, as well as Japanese White-eye and Light-vented Bulbul. These small gardens are also one of the best sites for Malayan Night Heron, and we should be able to find one stalking earthworms. A pair of Crested Goshawks also breeds in the park most years. From here we’ll drive southwest, away from the hustle and bustle of Taipei and up into the foothills, making stops along the way, including at a site for the vociferous Taiwan Blue Magpie. We should arrive at Da Syue Shan Forest Recreational Area in time to explore this excellent forest reserve, which covers a remarkable altitudinal range and harbors all of Taiwan’s 23 endemic birds except Styan’s Bulbul. Here we’ll be able to see such lowland species as Taiwan Hwamei on the same day as higher-elevation birds such as Taiwan Bush Warbler. Night at Da Syue Shan.
Days 3–4: We’ll spend two full days at Da Syue Shan (literally “Big Snow Mountain”) searching for endemic species such as Taiwan Whistling Thrush, the startled-looking Yellow Tit, noisy Steere’s Liocichlas, White-eared Sibia, Taiwan Yuhina, and the ever elusive but very attractive Rusty Laughingthrush. We’ll also pay heed to the endemic subspecies of White-browed Shortwing, Vivid Niltava, and Dusky Fulvetta as well as regional specialties like Little Forktail. However, Da Syue Shan’s primary attraction is the pheasants, and both Swinhoe’s and Mikado (arguably Taiwan’s two most alluring endemics) are relatively easy to see. Both species are used to people and can be found walking along the edge of the road, so if we’re quiet and careful, we should be rewarded with outstanding views. Taiwan Partridge, the island’s most difficult endemic, is also occasionally seen at Da Syue Shan. Nights at Da Syue Shan.
Day 5: After another busy morning at Da Syue Shan we’ll transfer into the mountains near Cingjing for a one-night stay. Cingjing, at just over 5,000 feet, is ideal as a base from which to search for Taiwan’s higher-elevation specialties. While the area doesn’t hold anything that Da Syue Shan lacks, several species are easier here, including White-whiskered Laughingthrush, the enigmatic Taiwan Wren Babbler, and Taiwan Barwing.
We’ll drive up the Central Cross Island Highway over the Hehuanshan Pass, which at 10,000 feet is the highest road pass in East Asia. Target species here include Collared Bush Robin, Flamecrest, and the relatively recently described Taiwan Bush Warbler. Vinaceous Rosefinches frequent the lower-altitude scrub around the pass, and we’ll make a special effort to see these birds, an endemic Taiwanese form that a recent paper has proposed elevating to specific rank. The higher-elevation patches of bamboo hold good numbers of Taiwan Fulvettas and a few Golden Parrotbills, though we’ll need a fair amount of luck to connect with the latter. Other target species include the endemic form of Alpine Accentor and both Brown and Grey-headed Bullfinches. Night in Cingjing.
Day 6: We’ll leave Cingjing early today and drive back up the Hehuanshan Pass, stopping to search for any species we may have missed. Descending the eastern side, we’ll travel slowly through Taiwan’s premier tourist attraction, the spectacular Taroko Gorge, before reaching the coast near Hualien. Along the way we’re sure to see Styan’s Bulbul, Taiwan’s most threatened endemic, before we reach our hotel, just south of Hualien. Night near Hualien.
Day 7: We’ll leave our hotel early this morning and drive south to Taitung, where we’ll take a 20-minute flight to Lanyu, or Orchid, Island, a volcanic jewel located off Taiwan’s southeastern corner. Still inhabited by some 2,000 Yami aborigines, whose culture is closer to that of the Philippines and Pacific islands than China, Lanyu is radically different from mainland Taiwan; for example, the natives’ traditional homes are underground in order to offer safe refuge from the typhoons that ravage the area every autumn. Birds we’ll be looking for on Lanyu include the endemic forms of Elegant Scops Owl, Whistling Green Pigeon, Brown-eared Bulbul, and Lowland White-eye, and the island is also home to small numbers of both Philippine Doves and Japanese Paradise-flycatchers. In addition we’re sure to come across numerous migrants, including anything from a Little Curlew to a gorgeous Narcissus Flycatcher. Night on Lanyu.
Day 8: We’ll spend the morning and early afternoon on Lanyu before taking a three-hour journey on a large passenger ferry back to the Taiwanese mainland, looking out for Streaked Shearwaters and Long-tailed Jaegers among other species on the way. Night in Taitung.
Day 9: After some more birding close to Taitung we’ll drive around the southern portion of Taiwan, past its second-largest city, Kaohsiung, to Tainan, where if time permits we’ll start searching for waders, gulls, and terns. The main species we’ll be looking for is Black-faced Spoonbill, as most of the minuscule world population of this endangered species winters in Taiwan and a few lingering birds should still be present. Other species here should include a host of waders such as Eastern Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler, Great Knot, Long-toed Stint, and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. With luck we might be able to find Chinese Egret or Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Night in Tainan.
Day 10: In the morning we’ll continue searching for birds along the coast, hoping for a sighting of Chinese Crested Tern, as there have been a few records from this area in recent years. In the late morning we’ll head inland to another range of hills, this time at Alishan. The owner of our hotel has constructed a blind that’s become the best place on the planet to see the previously nearly impossible Taiwan Partridge, and our chances of encountering one or more (we saw a remarkable 13 birds in April 2012!) are excellent. Other birds we’ve seen in this area include Swinhoe’s Pheasant and both Mountain and Collared Scops Owls. Night at Alishan.
Day 11: Returning to the coast, we’ll spend more time looking for some of Taiwan’s rarer waders before heading north in the afternoon to Douliou. Night in Douliou.
Day 12: Accompanied by a local naturalist, we’ll make an early morning visit to Pillow Hill near Douliou with the aim of finding the gorgeous and elusive Fairy Pitta, a few pairs of which breed here. With the help of this knowledgeable scientist, we should be able to find at least one individual before we head back to Taipei, stopping for any birds we might see along the way. Night in Taipei.
Day 13: The tour concludes this morning in Taipei.
Updated: 06 May 2012
Prices
- 2012 Tour Price : $5,000*
- Single Occupancy Supplement : $440
- 2013 Tour Price Not Yet Available : *
Notes
This tour is limited to 10 participants with one WINGS and one local leader.
* Tour invoices paid by check carry a modest discount. Details here.
* This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird. Please review the explanation of our Sunbird pricing here.