I went on this Chinese New Year birding trip with my former biology teacher Dr. Waltner. We initially planned a four day trip to Anmashan, Taichung, and Tatu River Estuary, Changhua, for the first two days and Hsitou and Sun Link Sea for the remaining time. However, we ended up only staying for two days and visiting Anmashan, Tatu River Estuary, and Hanbou, a nearby marsh. We did not make reservations this time and the lodges were all full, so we packed our own meals and slept in the car. Nevertheless, this was a great trip because we saw 11 of the 12 endemic species found at Anmashan (missed the Formosan Whistling Thrush).
 

We left Taipei early afternoon on Chinese New Years Day (Wednesday) and arrived in Taichung after a painstaking five hours in the traffic jam. After eating dinner at one of the few restaurants still open, we headed up towards Ta-Huseh-Shan ("Big Snow Mountain") Forest Recreation Area, known to birders by its old name Anmashan, in Tungshih district, Taichung county. On the road, we had good looks at what appeared to be a leopard cat, Felis bengalensis chinensis, also known as the Chinese money cat or the Chinese tiger cat.

Jan 29, Thursday

We slept at the entrance of forest trail 210, listening as the rain brought by a cold front pounded noisily on the roof. Around 6:30, the rain had lightened and visibility was slightly better despite the dense fog, so we headed quietly into the forest trail. The mist was still heavy and we were not able to see any birds except a couple flocks of FORMOSAN YUHINAS. Then we saw our first MIKADO PHEASANT; a male that walked along the forest trail for a hundred meters or more as we followed close behind. This bird was unusually bold and acted as if it was accustomed to human presence. We walked 8 km into this trail, seeing two more male MIKADO PHEASANTS that ran off as soon as we saw them. Returning, we saw some COLLARED BUSH ROBINS, a small flock of FORMOSAN LAUGHING THRUSHES, and a dozen or so FORMOSAN BARWINGS. We also heard PYGMY WREN BABBLERS and BEAVAN'S BULLFINCH.

I had hoped that the mist would clear up later in the day, but it never did. We visited Tien-chih (sky-pond) at a higher elevation, which was named after a small lake there. The fog was still dense and there were hoards of tourists, so we did not see any birds. We then took a long afternoon nap at the entrance of forest trail 220 but did not go in because it had begun to rain again.

Jan. 30, Friday

We woke up before sunrise, and I was overjoyed to see the Big Dipper right above us! As soon as the sky lightened up a little around 6:15, we entered the forest trail. There was no fog this time and we got quite a good long look at a female SWINHOE'S PHEASANT on the forest trail. After the sun came out, a gorgeous male SWINHOE'S PHEASANT crossed our path, its beautiful feathers enhanced by the sunlight on its back. This old forest was replaced by young pine trees at a point on this forest trail, so we did not go further and turned back. Right before turning back, around 60 ASHY WOOD PIGEONS flew out from the trees above us. Fog set in as we turned back, so we walked fast hoping to get out of the fog. Another female SWINHOE'S PHEASANT flew across the forest trail. I also caught a glimpse of a FORMOSAN HILL PARTRIDGE as it flew into the brush. Other birds around included some large flocks of FORMOSAN YUHINAS, WHITE-EYED NUN BABBLERS, WHITE-THROATED FLYCATCHER-WARBLERS, GRAY-THROATED MINIVETS, and RED-HEADED TITS mixed with YELLOW and GREEN-BACKED  TITS, RED-HEADED TREE BABBLERS, WHITE-BELLIED YUHINAS, WHITE-EARED SIBIAS, EURASIAN JAYS, a GRAY TREEPIE, STEERE'S BABBLERS, FORMOSAN FIRECRESTS, COLLARED BUSH ROBINS, and heard GOULD'S FULVETTAS, JAPANESE GREEN PIGEONS, MULLER'S BARBET, THICKET FLYCATCHER, WHITE-BACKED WOODPECKER, FIRE-BREASTED FLOWERPECKERS, PYGMY WREN BABBLERS, COAL TITS and EURASIAN NUTHATCHES.

As we left the forest trail and traveled to a higher elevation, we could see that there was a layer of cloud beneath us, which was what we were walking through in the forest trail. Lots of tourists were stopping on the side of the road to see this marvelous "see of clouds." As we left Anmashan, there were so many tourists going towards Anmashan that there was an incredibly long line of cars waiting to buy tickets. A hint to future travelers: don't come during long holidays! Further down the mountain, we saw a photographer by the side of the road with his camera aimed at a fruiting tree covered with berries. On the tree were about a dozen VIVID NILTAVAS, FORMOSAN YUHINAS, and WHITE-EARED SIBIAS. The photographer said he was waiting to photograph the Island Thrush. We stopped to eat lunch half way down the mountain, where the slopes were covered with fruit and betel nut plantations. There, all the birds that were around around were CHINESE BULBULS, and heard BLACK BULBULS, JAPANESE WHITE-EYES, LESSER SCIMITAR BABBLERS, and a pair of CRESTED SERPENT EAGLES calling from somewhere.

When we reached the city again, we headed towards Tatu River on the boundary between Taichung and Changhua County. When we got to the estuary, the tide was high and it was not the right time to see birds, so we walked around the abandoned fish ponds and on the mud flat saw about thirty of the threatened SAUNDER'S GULLS, along with a couple hundred DUNLIN, some RUFOUS-NECKED STINTS, COMMON SANDPIPERS, GREENSHANKS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, KENTISH and MONGOLIAN PLOVERS, a LITTLE-RINGED PLOVER and BROWN-THROATED SAND MARTINS. As we left, we passed a pond with about 60 EURASIAN WIGEONS and two LITTLE GREBES floating in it.

We then went further south to Hanbou. We were lucky to meet a local birder who took us to see a pond that he said was full of Painted Snipes. When we arrived, another person was walking by the pond, so he had scared them all away. We waited a while and saw two RUDDY-BREASTED CRAKES, a WOOD SANDPIPER, two males and a female PAINTED SNIPE, and three COMMON SNIPE. Then he took us to another fish pond next to the dike where he said the waders, mostly Ruddy Turnstones, would gather during high tide. On the way, we saw two NORTHERN LAPWINGS in the field and a BLACK-HEADED SHRIKE and CRESTED MYNAS on the wire. But the tide had receded when we got there and the waders had scattered to feed on the outside of the dike. We stood on the dike and we could see the DUNLIN and a single RUDDY TURNSTONE on the mud flat outside the dike. The birder said that Black-faced Spoonbills occasionally show up here as well.

Returning, we got stuck in the New Year traffic and traveled less than 20 kilometers in more than two hours! We decided to go to Changhua city, where we ate dinner at a KFC and went on the freeway. The traffic there was also bad and we only reached Taichung after two more hours. We left Hanbou at 5:30 in the afternoon and reached Taipei at 3:30 in the morning, including the short dinner at KFC!
 

1. LITTLE GREBE
2. CATTLE EGRET
3. LITTLE EGRET
4. EURASIAN WIGEON
5. CRESTED SERPENT EAGLE *
6. FORMOSAN HILL PARTRIDGE !
7. MIKADO PHEASANT !
8. SWINHOE'S PHEASANT !
9. COMMON MOORHEN
10. RUDDY-BREASTED CRAKE
11. PAINTED SNIPE
12. KENTISH PLOVER
13. LITTLE-RINGED PLOVER
14. MONGOLIAN PLOVER
15. BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER
16. NORTHERN LAPWING
17. RUDDY TURNSTONE
18. DUNLIN
19. RUFOUS-NECKED STINT
20. COMMON SNIPE
21. COMMON SANDPIPER
22. WOOD SANDPIPER
23. GREENSHANK
24. SAUNDER'S GULL
25. ASHY WOOD PIGEON
26. RED TURTLE DOVE
27. SPOTTED DOVE
28. JAPANESE GREEN PIGEON *
29. MULLER'S BARBET *
30. WHITE-BACKED WOODPECKER *
31. PACIFIC SWALLOW
32. BROWN-THROATED SAND MARTIN
33. YELLOW WAGTAIL *
34. GRAY-THROATED MINIVET
35. BLACK BULBUL *
36. CHINESE BULBUL
37. BLACK-HEADED SHRIKE
38. PLUMBEOUS WATER REDSTART
39. COLLARED BUSH ROBIN !
40. FORMOSAN BARWING !
41. GOULD'S FULVETTA *
42. WHITE-EYED FULVETTA
43. FORMOSAN LAUGHING THRUSH !
44. WHITE-EARED SIBIA !
45. STEERE'S BABBLER !
46. PYGMY WREN BABBLER *
47. RED-HEADED TREE BABBLER
48. FORMOSAN YUHINA !
49. WHITE-BELLIED YUHINA
50. WHITE-THROATED FLYCATCHER-WARBLER
51. YELLOW-BELLIED PRINIA
52. FORMOSAN FIRECREST !
53. THICKET FLYCATCHER *
54. VIVID NILTAVA
55. RED-HEADED TIT
56. COAL TIT *
57. YELLOW TIT !
58. GREEN-BACKED TIT
59. FIRE-BREASTED FLOWERPECKER *
60. JAPANESE WHITE-EYE *
61. BLACK-FACED BUNTING
62. BEAVAN'S BULLFINCH *
63. TREE SPARROW
64. CRESTED MYNA
65. BLACK DRONGO
66. EURASIAN JAY
67. GRAY TREEPIE

* heard only
! endemic species