After dawn spent watching the birds leave roost next to our hotel again we had planned on a morning return to Hehuanshan Pass but suffered our first really bad day of weather with thick fog even combined with icy roads and falling snow at the mountain pass. We did enjoy some Siberian winterers at the Km18 car park but thereafter did little birding until reaching the spectacular Taroko Gorge where a Little Forktail was seen and the flock of mainly hybrid Bulbuls located in the town square. In order to find some pure Taiwan Bulbuls we drove c.8km south of Taroko River that proved far enough. We then drove north for c.100km until finding a hotel in a hot springs town.
Chinese Bamboo Partridge h
Eastern Cattle Egret 5
Great White Egret 10
Crested Goshawk 2
Red Turtle Dove 10
Taiwan Barbet 2
Black Drongo 6
Jay 1
Large-billed Crow 4
Pacific Swallow 50 including an albino individual above Taroko gorge
Asian House Martin 10
Black-throated Tit 12
Plain Prinia 1
Chinese Bulbul 25
TAIWAN BULBUL 15
Korean Bush Warbler 1
Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler 2
Rufous-capped Babbler 2
Taiwan Hwamei 2
White-whiskered Laughingthrush 1
Steere's Liocichla 8
Taiwan Fulvetta 4
Taiwan Sibia 2
Taiwan Yuhina 10
Vinous-throated Parrotbill 20
Japanese White-eye 10
Taiwan Whistling Thrush 2
White's Thrush 1 ex.
Eye-browed Thrush 4
Siberian Rubythroat 1
Collared Bush Robin 1 male
Red-flanked Bluetail 1 female
Daurian Redstart 6
Plumbeous Redstart 6
Little Forktail 1 ex.
Blue Rock Thrush 1 male
Tree Sparrow 10
White-rumped Munia 3
Grey Wagtail 2
White Wagtail 2
Olive-backed Pipit 1
Vinaceous Rosefinch 3
Black-faced Bunting 1
Vinous-throated Parrotbill at Wushe (JFC)
Taiwan Hwamei at Wushe (JFC)
Korean Bush Warbler at Wushe
White's Thrush above Wushe (lower ten JFC)
Female Red-flanked Bluetail at Km18 (JFC)
Taroko Gorge (JFC)
Male Plumbeous Redstart at Taroko Gorge (JFC)
Male Amur Wagtail at Taroko Gorge (JFC)
Flock of presumed mainly Taiwan x Chinese Bulbul hybrids at Taroko Gorge (JFC)
One of the more convincing Taiwan Bulbuls at Taroko Gorge (lower two JFC)
Taiwan Bulbul c.8km south of Taroko River (JFC)
The Taroko River is estimated to mark the boundary of the hybrid swarm, so as with birders before, we travelled c.8km south in an attempt to guarantee seeing pure birds
