A Fairy, elusive tits, religious owls and a crane twitch!

Have added Fairy Pitta and a rather obliging Slaty Breasted Rail and two Taoist Collared Scops Owl. 

Hmmm...the sign for the trail that led to the Pitta was....Hmmmmm, luckily we had a tobacco chewing and smoking local guide...delightful! 

The Owls on the other required no guide - just a quick jump off the bus into the temple and point your bins at the gold ornate ceiling to see a couple of critters staring back with that 'Bugger off birders look - we trying to sleep' look! 

Sheepy things are still around but then it is the year of the Sheep or is it the Ram ? 

As well as Hello Kitty, seems the young bear also has a huge following in Taiwan

On the food front - Seaweed crisps...best left alone! 

Taiwanese also have an national obsession with monitoring their BP, you find hoards of them gathered around the auto BP machine in the local 7/11! According the machine I'm still alive ! 

Our second to last night found us in the city of Doluim. Quick supper (more things of a green variety - looked like grass this time) we sauntered back in a jolly fashion ......beer enhanced..,. to the bus..then someone said Savanna Nightjar calling - No can't be we are in the middle of huge city....must be the pedestrian crossing bleeping! German engineering in the shape of a torch came to the rescue and we caught a nightjar in its beam flying over the buildings...I could hear them calling from the room all through the night....tweets are most awesome ! 

Taiwan Tit - hurrah.Gave us the run around for quite some time at Basianshan National Forest...even though their picture is on every sign. 

Also spotted this sign

A - Restrooms for the small only ? 
B - Carpark for small cars ?
C - Carpark for small restrooms perhaps ! 

A final twitch on our last day - Siberian Crane, 1st record for Taiwan, not a lifer but an suitable way to end and excellent trip.

Hong Kong and G&T a here we come ! 

Bus Day....Bumblebee....is that dog for dinner

On the road again......Always knew the transformers were real!

Another long travel day between birding spots. Lunch...tables indoors...kitchen outdoors.

Finally arrived at Firefly B&B and whizzed off to sit in a hide for two hours in complete silence - a somewhat difficult task for me! It was however worth it with good views of Swinhoes Pheasant..crap iPhone photo.

Also brief views of some scatty Taiwan Partridge youngsters...scooting around...dare I say cute ! 

Back to the lodge.... things on the dinner menu are getting more alarming for the meat eaters!

Not really, this little chap was caged to stop him snaffling leftovers from guests, he'd gotten rather plump...Hmmm know how he feels!

Bit of night owling followed.....God knows why...never see anything...just lots of owl calls from trees. Though the fireflys were out in force and were mesmerising! 

Lanyu....Owls, Scooters & Dried Fish

Caught the hydrofoil over to Lanyu  - just over 2 hrs of swell - but managed to survive guts intactus! 

First real swell bought squeals from the lower deck of day trippers. Birders are not deterred and brave the elements! 

On the bird front - Pom Skua, Masked Booby, Wedge tailed and Streaked  shearwater. The island is about 80k of the coast of the mainland and looks like something out of Jurassic Park...yikes! 

Lots of day trippers...seems the Taiwanese have a thing about scooting around the island in packs.....it's like Margate but without the parkers and leather jackets.

On the island had a number of concerns...

Transport ! 

Accommodation!

Food! 

And for the meat-eaters a new one on the menu.....fish stomachs...YUM...oh got that wrong...overwhelming YUK ! 

Bagged all the island birds within the first 4hrs....spot the owl in this picture! 

We hoped for some migration fall...but weather too good! So much time spent sitting & chatting, with someone always on point duty looking up

Sea calm on return...

All in all a jolly good time ! 

Forecast heavy rain & 7 Eleven for lunch

We are back at the coast where the weather is hot and humid and the forecast is for heavy rain! 

At last we have moved onto bottles instead of tinnies on the beer front - but the size of the glass is a tad on the small side! 

I continue to eat all things green...which include the top of fern fronds!! 

New birds have been added to the list....Little Curlew x 3 today...Hurrah!!!!!

This nice little chap was lurking in the undergrowth Taiwanese Bamboo Viper...venomous...won't kill you but will probably lose a limb if he bites our guide told us as she smiled ! 

Lunch stop was a 7 eleven today - sushi, noodles, something vaguely resembling a hot dog, Ferrero Rocher and Doritos amongst the snacks purchased...even did mini Jagermeister....perhaps not a lunch time!  

Off to Lanyu Island tomorrow ......seasickness tablets at the ready....boat journey oh dear !

Sheep & Snicker Loving Buddha

Still the area of homage to all things Shaun the Sheep ! Have become such regular at the adjacent Starbucks that I had to pose for photographs with the Taiwanese baristas and their multiple smartphones! 

Some more sheep related pics...peeps from Hong Kong and Singapore also come to pay toursit homage to the sheep! 

So we said a fond fair well to the little wooly critters and embarked upon another travel day. On the bird front Siberian Rubythroat new today....stonking. 

Eventually drove over the highest point in SE Asia 3275 metres....with a little potter for Alpine Accentor, followed by some huffing and puffing! Did manage to get a iPhone shots of Whiskered Laughing Thrush...

Also discovered why the Buddha is happy...it's all those Snickers bars! 

Back down to warmer parts !

 

Sheep as a tourist attraction!

4 days into our trip and we are bagging the endemics - with the exception of Taiwan Tit...only heard! 
Back down the mountains and briefly on the plains hot & humid and then back up the mountains....to an area were being photographed with Sheep is the top tourist attraction - I kid you not. Shaun lovers and Shaun gifts in abundance. 

Added Taiwan Bamboo Partridge & Black-Necklaced Scimitar-Babler this am, afternoon birding a bit slow even our youngest member of the group stared into the undergrowth 

and found nothing!  

However there were other critters to be had....leeches....this one hitching a ride on Ste's  hat 

The tasty food continues - I think this is squid starting back at me.... YUK 

Rain....and a lot of it

Woke in the early hours to thunderous rain on the roof of the cabin....which continued till 10:00. 

Birders however are not deterred by a touch of inclement weather...up and out at 05:30 and back up the mountain! Adding to the rain was a good amount of mist.....you could hardly see past the end of your nose! Glum faces were heartened by the call of breakfast alfresco....under the porch of the visitors centre...fresh filter coffee, cereal, bread and jam...not forgetting the obligatory hard boiled egg.  I also get my own coffee cup for the trip! 

Despite the weather we bagged some excellent lifers...Mikado Pheasant, Collared Bush Robin, Flamecrest. The rain eventually subsided and we walked some misty trails....adding more ticks to the list! All in all a very good day.

The montane forest is wonderful and as the mist subsided the views are beautiful!