B2A Taiwan birding tour report.
Endemic birds and Black-faced Spoonbills, 23 - 31 March 2026

Participants; Paul Steventon & Gillie York (UK)
Stijn De Win (Belgium)

Anmashan-Dasyueshan, Huisun Forest Reserve, Kenting,
Guantian Jacana Reserve, Yongan + Quiding Wetlands, Pingtung county,
Tsengwen Estuary, Yushan National Park, Huben, Wushe area.

We were constantly ahead of schedule on target birds... 19 years of birdwatching tours to Taiwan, and this was an easy trip for me. Just a good spring I guess and good weather throughout. Birds were active and showy, many goodies popped up without even using tape. Of course we were in the right spots at the right time throughout, otherwise it wouldn't have worked, and amazingly we really only needed 7 of the 9 tours days to see all the endemic birds and a load of specialties. A couple keen participants on a relaxed and enjoyable trip; this is the way to go! I wanna do this again.

See you in 2027; stijndewin@hotmail.com

Day 1; It's overcast and gloomy by the start in Taipei. As so often the weather over the northern tip of Taiwan is different from the rest of the island. But just an hour into our drive south to Anmashan/Dasyueshan it starts to clear, and we're set for nice sunny weather for the rest of trip! After a short stop for breakfast and fresh coffee (with Blue Rock Thrush!) we make our first birding stop. Crested Finchbill looks great to start with and a number of the low elevation species make an appearance incl. Taiwan Scimitar Babbler, Taiwan Barwing, White-bellied Pigeon, Rufous-faced Warbler... and we're lucky with a first encounter with Taiwan Bamboo Partridge.
Further up the mountain, at km 23, of course Swinhoe's Pheasant oh this male, but also Formosan Whistling Thrush, Taiwan Vivid Niltava, White-tailed Robin and Steere's Liocichla, we're going good but no Taiwan Tit yet, maybe luckily so, as it turned out to be our only major target left for the 3rd day on Anmashan... need something... and surely found without much problem on day 3.
Just beyond the Dasyueshan forest recreation area entrance gates we get lucky again as 2 Taiwan Partridge pose well by the side of the road. We kind of surprised them rounding a corner and the pair just froze for prolonged close up views. Until another car passed which proved too much. The birds flushed downhill but still we got some brief views as the birds used their camouflage well in the leaf litter. Now I can't leave it to note this is my third tour in a row to find the elusive Taiwan Partridge on the first day. (Note the photographers feeding era has long passed, these birds are once again difficult to find.)
Checked in at the lodge and we still have time for a first spot of birding at the high elevation km 50. Good to enjoy some of the easier targets here which also creates more time for the important stuff (Mikado!) tomorrow morning; Taiwan Bush Warbler, White-whiskered Laughingthrush, the Coal Tit (crested!!) Nutcracker and Collared Bush Robin. Reeve's Muntjac on the trail is a nice bonus to get the mammal list going.
After an authentic Taiwan hot pot dinner and the weather still clear although a bit chilly by now, we set out on a night drive. I'm confident finding the Red-and-White Giant Flying Squirrel, it takes a while, I mean spotting one ok, but to comprehend the length of its tail?!
Two Taiwan Serow show, another Muntjac, and we get close to Mountain Scops Owl but no views (not unexpected!) as they soon stopped calling.

Day 2; Big day, start at the top at 2600 masl. Taiwan Bullfinch first, then Taiwan Barwing, and pressure off on Mikado Pheasant as we run into a pair. Black-throated Tit entertain and Yellowish-bellied Bush-Warbler shows well in the end. Endemic Flamecrest, more Bullfinch, another female Mikado, Taiwan Fulvetta, Oriental Cuckoo, Sibias, Cichlas, Yuhinas... we're on a roll. After a good start at the top the plan for today is to bird our way back down to the low elevation. And it works well for the important target birds at km32, Rusty Laughingthrush, a fine group Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush and White-backed Woodpecker.
Thick fog rolls in as we enter the good area for Taiwan Tit, but in hindsight I think it was a blessing leaving this target for tomorrow and instead hit some great bird activity lower down at sites it is usually very quiet in the afternoon. An Oriental Turtle sat out meters away and the Striped Prinia responded and showed well as opposed to an earlier no-show in sunny and windy conditions. Finally, below the fog, we score another endemic at a stake-out, Taiwan Hwamei, together with a fine Vinous-throated Parrotbill.

Day 3; Relaxed day. Because we are such ahead on the important target species for Anmashan/Dasyueshan. Only Taiwan Tit left and it showed well at our third stop by mid-morning. After this we have the luxury to just hang around and look for whatever comes our way. You can be sure this included a Taiwan Japalure, a Pantropical Huntsman and some fine endemic butterflies. Best bird find for the afternoon, a Chestnut-bellied Tit, but eh we will see those tomorrow at Huisun forest reserve,  so again we're ahead of schedule on the good target birds. What a luxury.

Day 4; Huisun Forest Reserve is a beautiful area and never fails to deliver on one of the top Taiwan endemic birds, the Formosan Blue Magpie. Sure enough a first bird appeared before we even got out of the car. First bird out of a group of 15+ it was, a delight. Taiwan Bamboo Partridge out in the open got our attention next, then Malayan Night Heron. Then Chestnut-bellied Tit, a good target species at Huisun but sometimes not too easy to find, except we saw one yesterday already. So we added another 3 sightings without an effort.
We moved on a bit earlier than usual, did the Crested Mynas in Puli, quick look at the famous sun moon lake, an early afternoon stroll at Jiji endemic garden, all just to realize we still have some time left. So I mention I have seen Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler at the Pitta site in Huben. Let's go. We arrived late afternoon and of course everything is quiet there. But just as we are walking back to the car, the Babbler calls. We walk back up but the bird doesn't respond, they are always difficult. When we finally make another attempt to walk back to the car, a stroke of luck, I see another Babbler fly a few meter through the scrub across the stream. It then lands and starts to forage in the leaf litter. Ok, one less we need at Wushe area later on, we're ahead of schedule once more.

Day 5; Yushan NP, we hit the right spot straight away, with Taiwan Shortwing and Taiwan Bush-Robin simply hopping by the side of the road. The Shortwing doesn't do this, it's super elusive, and it played us around a bit in the bush but then check the picture below. It's on the asphalt! We enjoy more Taiwan Bullfinch and Barwing in the cherry blossoms before we find the hoped for Golden Parrotbills. Then more Flamecrest, Taiwan Fulvetta etc... I shorten this up but I should mention our second male Mikado Pheasant for the trip and we win the game with a Taiwan Cupwing. It shows!
We then have to drive a few hours to the Guantian Jacana reserve. It marks the start of our weekend in the lowlands while half of Taipei will visit the mountains in big coaches. You need to plan this right! The Jacana reserve and surroundings are always productive; Pheasant-tailed Jacana- of course, Grey-throated Martin, Red-necked Phalarope (my first at this location), Avocet, Pacific Golden Plover, Oriental Pratincole, Oriental Skylark, wild Ring-necked Pheasant, Chestnut-tailed Starling etc.

Day 6; We first go for a nice stroll in Pingtung for Taiwan Green Pigeon and Red Oriole, both such good additions to the tour. Then a long drive to Longluan Lake in Kenting, needed for the Taiwan Bulbul but we also get 4 Falcated Duck, Oriental Reed Warbler and Lesser Coucal and we watch an Osprey make its catch.

Day 7; We have the Sunday for the coastal wetlands. At Yongan a group of 100+ Black-faced Spoonbills is the highlight. Long-toed Stint, Great Knot, Yellow Bittern...
At Quiding Wetlands we pick out a Greater Scaup from the other ducks, a rarity in Taiwan.
The Tsengwen lagoon is good for adding a few more wader species, more Black-faced Spoonbills etc. birding is easy here and we kind of breeze through, so by mid-day we realize we aren't adding much to the list anymore. And nothing to target either. So we move on and get a head start at Wushe with enough time left to do the Brown Dipper in the late afternoon. Two birds show on the river together with Plumbeous Redstart, Formosan Whistling Thrush and a Malayan Night Heron.

Day 8; In the Wushe area we start with the Blue Gate track. Not a lot of birds left to find that would be new for the trip. We know Brown Bullfinch would be possible with luck but instead we get Snowy-browed Flycatcher and a Taiwan Cupwing which appears to be nest building. Usually an extreme skulker it popped right up for a show. It wasn't calling and we didn't use tape, just luck. More Barwing etc...
On the Hehuan Pass we had to work hard for finding our main target, Taiwan Rosefinch. Before we found a fine male we bumped into Golden Parrotbills again. Group of maybe 40 or 50, impossible to count these guys as they buzz around the bush like mosquitoes.
Back down near the Chung Yang tea farm we would like to see only 1 bird that has eludes us so far, Brownish-flanked Bush-Warbler, no other target species left. But I have the Bush-Warbler on stake-out and despite a spot of rain in the late afternoon we get a brilliant performance of this perfectly small and brown bird... luckily it has a fine song too.

Day 9; This tour has been such successful... what are we going to add to the list on this last morning????? Clients opt for an early drop in Taichung for a spot of city sightseeing and culture. Fair enough.