West by southeast
Asian Glossy Starling (D. Fettes)
I’ve been back in the UK for four days since coming back from Taiwan. I hit the ground running with wall to wall writing deadlines, talk designing and meetings. I managed to spend some quality time at The Scrubs, but more about that tomorrow, especially seeing that I am leading a London Natural History Society walk there tomorrow morning.
Anyway, I have had a few requests for a species list of the birds I saw whilst in Taiwan. For those of a less listy disposition please look away now:
[denotes an escaped species]
((denotes heard))
Dabchick
[Sacred Ibis]
Black-faced
Spoonbill
Spoonbill
Yellow Bittern
Cinnamon Bittern
Malayan Night Heron
Black-crowned
Night Heron
Night Heron
Chinese Pond Heron
Eastern Cattle
Egret
Egret
Great White
Egret
Egret
Intermediate
Egret
Egret
Little Egret
Pacific Reef
Heron
Heron
Grey Heron
((Taiwan Hill
Partridge))
Partridge))
((Chinese
Bamboo Partridge))
Bamboo Partridge))
Swinhoe’s Pheasant
Ring-necked
Pheasant
Pheasant
Eastern Spot-billed Duck
Peregrine
Oriental Honey Buzzard
Osprey
Black-shouldered
Kite
Kite
Black-eared Kite
Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Goshawk
Poss. Chinese
Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk
Besra
Poss. Eastern
Buzzard
Buzzard
White-breasted
Waterhen
Waterhen
Common Moorhen
Black-winged
Stilt
Stilt
Avocet
Pacific Golden
Plover
Plover
Kentish Plover
Little Ringed
Plover
Plover
Lesser Sand
Plover
Plover
Pheasant-tailed
Jacana
Jacana
Whimbrel
Curlew
Redshank
Marsh Sandpiper
Greenshank
Terek Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Grey-tailed Tattler
Turnstone
Great Knot
Red-necked Stint
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Dunlin
Oriental
Pratincole
Pratincole
Black-tailed Gull
Little Tern
Whiskered Term
White-winged
Black Tern
Black Tern
Feral Pigeon
Oriental Turtle Dove
Red Turtle Dove
Spotted Dove
Emerald Dove
Oriental Cuckoo
Lesser Coucal
((Savanna
Nightjar))
Nightjar))
Silver-backed Needletail
House Swift
Common
Kingfisher
Kingfisher
Taiwan Barbet
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
Fairy Pitta
Grey-chinned Minivet
Brown Shrike
Long-tailed Shrike
Black Drongo
Bronzed Drongo
((Black-naped
Monarch))
Monarch))
Taiwan Blue Magpie
Grey Treepie
Black-billed
Magpie
Magpie
Large-billed Crow
Yellow Tit
Grey-throated Martin
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Pacific Swallow
Asian House Martin
Striated Swallow
Oriental Skylark
Zitting
Cisticola
Cisticola
Yellow-bellied Prinia
Plain Prinia
Collared Finchbill
Chinese Bulbul
Himalayan Black Bulbul
Rufous-faced Warbler
Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler
Taiwan Scimitar Babbler
Rufous-capped Babbler
White-whiskered Laughing Thrush
Steere’s Liocichla
Dusky Fulvetta
Grey-cheeked Fulvetta
Taiwan Sibia
Taiwan Yuhina
Japanese White-eye
Asian Glossy Starling
[Great Myna]
Crested Myna
[Jungle Myna]
[Common Myna]
[Black-collared Starling]
[Asian Pied Starling]
Taiwan Whistling Thrush
Johnstone’s Robin
[Oriental Magpie Robin]
[White-rumped Shama]
Plumbeous Redstart
White-tailed Robin
Blue Rock Thrush
Brown Dipper
Tree Sparrow
White-rumped Munia
Scaly-breasted Munia
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
White Wagtail
Vinaceous Rosefinch
117 species (excluding exotics)
61 lifers
Impressive list. I wish I had your skill in birding. I find myself looking at birds and noticing little differences now and then. Maybe in due time, I will know their names. But I love hearing them sing and it's always nice to note little differences, one from the other.