Birding in Taiwan 2024 - I

We're back in Taiwan!!

It's for the first time since 2015 and we took the THSR (Taiwan High Speed Rail) from Taoyuan to Taichung to be picked up by our friend & bird-guide, Ko-san.

It took only half an hour from the airport to Taichung and the train ride was really comfortable👍

We headed for Guguan 谷關, a famous hot spring town at about 700-1000m above sea level, to stay the night and do some morning birding next day. 

It was a pleasant morning in Guguan in spite of the terrible thunderstorm the previous evening.

Black-crowned night herons (goisagiゴイサギ) were everywhere along with some Little egrets (kosagiコサギ).

Brown dippers (kawagarasuカワガラス) were foraging.

Grey wagtails (kisekireiキセキレイ) and Common kingfishers (kawasemiカワセミ) were seen well too.

A female Plumbeous redstart (kawabitakiカワビタキ) was sitting on the rock but didn't move much... 

In the trees on the other side of the river, we spotted a Crested goshawk (kammuri-ootakaカンムリオオタカ) and a Crested serpent eagle (Kammuri-washiカンムリワシ, both of which were a bit too far for clear pictures..

We managed to see/hear quite a few species by the river even before breakfast.