Birding in Taiwan 2024 - III

After leaving Guguan谷關 behind, we headed for Dasyueshan大雪山, one of the high mountains in the middle of the island. 

It was above 30 degrees celsius in the lowlands but in the mountains it became chillier. That's the interesting factor for birding in Taiwan because you can see birds living in the subtropical climate and in the high mountains within a short space of time.

It didn't take long till we spotted a gorgeous male Swinhoe's pheasant (sankeiサンケイ) foraging on the edge of the mountain road.

The pheasants are one of the reasons why lots of birders come to Taiwan. So gracious! 

Birds on the wires over the valley

They are Eastern house martins (iwatsubameイワツバメ)!

Many many of house martins were flying under the bridge over the valley.

a mountain view

A Taiwan barbet (goshikichoゴシキチョウ) was in a tree when we looked down over the edge of the road. We couldn't see much of the red part on its body, maybe it was a young one? or just an angle? 

A flock of White-eared sibia (mimijiro-tsumedoriミミジロツメドリ) enjoyed the fruits in trees.

The weather wasn't great for photo-taking but we saw more than I could show here in the posts.

Roost

Tree Sparrows started gathering on the other side of a stream flowing into the lake well before sunset. The number was soaring to a few thousand or possibly over ten thousand. It's a pity that we couldn't quite capture the number and the noise in the video as we were unable to reach their roosting site.

Egrets were flying in in all sort of flock sizes alongside the stream before and after sunset. Many of them were Eastern cattle egrets (Amasagiアマサギ) and Intermediate egrets (Chusagiチュウサギ) but we saw Great egrets (Daisagiダイサギ) and Little egrets (Kosagiコサギ) mixed with them. Grey herons (Aosagiアオサギ) and Black-crowned night herons (Goisagiゴイサギ) seemed loners (and not many in numbers), flying on their own freely:)
 

Although it was time for sunset, there weren't as many swallows as we had hoped. 

Just one here, one over there, flying over our heads. We nearly gave up and headed back home.

But! 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, here they came. 

Hundreds or even thousands of them were everywhere, over the water, over the reeds, high in the sky, literally all around us.

 

 

 

 

The light was so dim my camera couldn't capture the spectacle quite as well as I hoped but you may be able to get the gist. 

We were happy to experience this seasonal wonder of nature again💓

Summer 2021

As we decided to move, and as we found a house we liked sooner than we had thought, our summer was quite busy, no, hectic rather! So, there wasn't time to go birding at all during the ridiculously hot months (and the pandemic situations, family situations and work, etc, etc...). 

Finally, our stuff has been kind of put in the cupboards/bookshelves/chest of drawers and we found a little time to explore the area.

One of the biggest heronries in Chiba-shi is only 10 minute walk from our new home!

A single Black-crowned night heron (goisagiゴイサギ) chick sitting quietly on its rather messy😆 nest

Young Grey herons (Aosagiアオサギ) brothers/sisters

Squabbling Great egrets (Daisagiダイサギ) 

We will come down to this pond regularly to find out more👍

Spring!

Nobody ever thought the beginning of the year of 2020 would be like this. I'm really sorry for those who are suffering. In these strange times, spring has come just as usual. Barn Swallows (Tsubameツバメ) have arrived in Chiba!

A pair of them were working together hard to build their nest from scratch. (Some kind person has put the tray for their nest under their shop's canopy)👍

Swallow Roost

Thousands of Barn Swallows gathered to roost in the reedbeds by North Imbanuma Lake. This spectacle can be seen only at this time of year just before they head south for winter.

Spain VII

The Northern Bald Ibis (Hooaka-tokiホオアカトキ) was reintroduced into Andalucia and the project has been successful. One of the breeding sites the Ibis chose (apparently they didn't like the site humans chose for them!!) is on a cliff by a busy road.

Their plumage was very beautiful and their faces were ... yes, very bald!

They were sharing the cliff with the Western Jackdaw (Nishi-kokumarugarasuニシコクマルガラス).

On the way to the Strait of Gibraltar, we stopped by a lake to check if there was something interesting to see.

Vicent spotted an Osprey (Misagoミサゴ) sitting on a pole in the lake.

resident

Barn Swallows (Tsubameツバメ) and Red-rumped Swallows (Koshiaka-tsubameコシアカツバメ) were flying around and male Stonechats (Yoroppa(Europe)-nobitakiヨーロッパノビタキ) were singing on top of their singing posts.

Barn Swallow - resident

Stonechat - resident

We ended our 2-day birding trip with the Spanish Imperial Eagle.

We really enjoyed every moment of the two days with Vicent. If you have a day or even half a day in Andalucia to spare, we highly recommend to contact him.
Thanks Vicent!

Click here for Vicent's Doñana Wings

Breeding Season

4 Little Grebe (Kaitsuburiカイツブリ) chicks have hatched in a pond where a pair has bred every year for the last few decades. (It doesn't mean it's been the same pair though).

The pair had 5 eggs and one of them was swallowed by a snake only a day or two before it would have hatched.

10 days later, one of the biggest chicks grew big enough to eat a dragonfly!

A couple of weeks later, all the four chicks were well looked after and they were no longer chicks.

They seemed independent and I guess it wouldn't be long before they left or were expelled from the pond where they were born and the pair would try for the second brood.


A pair of Grey Starlings (Mukudoriムクドリ) were busy carrying food for their chicks.

The Grey Starlings are famous for building their nest in all sorts of nooks and crannies.

Chicks started calling very loudly when a parent arrived at the door (well, there's no door, I know!).  A few days later, they seemed to have fledged as there was no sound coming from the hole.

Grey Starling fledglings foraging in a flock

There are not so many Barn Swallows' (Tsubameツバメ) nests around where we live. I found this in an indoor carpark.

A male Eastern Great Tit (Shijukaraシジュウカラ) was singing in a tree carrying a bit of a caterpillar (it seems) and went into a tree hole.

And then came back with the same bit for some reason.

And went back inside. Is it a nest hole or he did he go in just to find something tasty?

Everyone seems very busy looking after their chicks and partners at the moment:)

Second Brood

The Tree Sparrow (Suzumeスズメ) living around our place seem to have had a successful second brood and the fledglings follow the adults begging for food.

I put some grains of rice in my pot and of course they ate it all and the aphids on my herbs too! Thanks, guys!

The fledglings seemed never to lose their appetite and the adults were patiently feeding the young ones.

The second brood of the Barn Swallow (Tsubameツバメ) has fledged successfully too.

 I know there were 6 eggs but only half of them hatched.

It is great all three fledged:)

They were fed by their parents on the wire for a few days and I heard them flying around for another 3 or 4 days being fed even in flight, but they are gone now. Hope they'll survive the long journey and come back next year again.

Fledglings

5 Barn Swallow (Tsubameツバメ) chicks fledged one morning from a nearby nest and one of them perched just outside our flat.

A parent perched right next to him/her calling loudly.

They were sitting there for a while and all went towards the park.


Many Grey Starling (Mukudoriムクドリ) families were feeding on the ground.

The young ones were rather bold (or careless) and came very close towards me.

This mummy's boy was still begging for food.

Thick-billed Crow (Hashibutogarasuハシブトガラス) fledglings were quietly sitting in a tree, watching me cautiously watching him:)

 

This one got bored?

or hungry?

Young birds are everywhere at the moment. I know their survival rate is not so high but still I do hope they will do well.

Inage Yacht Harbour

2 years ago just after we moved into Chiba, we went to Inage Yacht Harbour to see Eastern House Martins.

http://birdinginjapan.blogspot.jp/2013/05/inage-yacht-harbour.html

But last year I didn't see any martins' nests on the same building and sadly there are none this year again.

There were a couple of pairs of Barn Swallows (Tsubameツバメ) flying around the building this year.  They looked like they were refurbishing the old nests.

 

This one looked completed but empty??

 Then, I saw 2 yellow mouths in the nest when a parent came back!!

It looked almost like the chick was swallowing its mum!

Although there were no martins' nests, I was happy I was able to have a close look at the Swallows' nests. The Barn Swallows have been having a tough time in Japan (probably in many other countries as well) and I do hope these guys will do well to raise their chicks.