Taiwan and Okinawa April 24th - May 9th 2004 On Taiwan we were rewarded with scarce migrants notably Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Asiatic Dowitcher and Pechora Pipit. We were also fortunate to find a flock of Black-faced Spoonbills as the main wintering flock had departed at least a week before our arrival. On the Ryuku Islands of Japan we encountered both Okinawa Rail and Okinawa Woodpecker....Adam Rowlands reports for Birdwatching Breaks

Taiwan 3-12 June 2009

• Walking the Tataka area, we saw a pair of  Beavan’s Bullfinches fly over the road, and had unsatisfying views of several Golden Parrotbills. We drove the road slowly, looking for Mikado Pheasants...Douglas Futuyma reports.

Taiwan, February 16-April 3, 2008

• The end of March and the start of April seems to be a good period for visiting Taiwan: The weather is usually good, Black-faced Spoonbill and Saunders's Gull are still present and Taiwan Bush-Warbler starts singing. I managed to see or hear all 18 endemics, 5 out of 7 possible splits and all 19 well marked subspecies..Sander Bot reports.

Taiwan, May 7-20th, 2007

• Stopping at the park gate, we located Maroon Oriole and Formosan Magpie; a month earlier, both species were tending nests there.  We also saw the first of many [Taiwan] Black-browed Barbets...Jo Ann MacKenzie reports
  

Taiwan November 7-19, 2006 We had a productive morning birding along the Lichia Trail near Chihpen, with superb views of a sub-adult Black Eagle.  We also saw [Taiwan] Hwamei (endemic-to-be), Crested Serpent-Eagle, Maroon Oriole, Emerald Dove, Chinese Bamboo-Partridge, Yellow-browed Warbler, and Black-naped Monarch...Jo Ann MacKenzie reports

Fairy Pitta - Taiwan May 12, 2006 - How to find the Fairy Pitta....... 

Birding in Taiwan May 1-14th, 2006

• Near Tonglin, we had lunch on the broad covered porch of the rural, riverside Yufeng Leisure and Recreation Area, and watched for more birds as we ate.  A White-backed Woodpecker flew by, alighting on a distant dead tree, where we were able to get a telescope view...Jo Ann MacKenzie reports

Taiwan November 7-16, 2005

• We headed west toward the coast, with a stop at the Puzih (Putzih) River, where there were Pacific Golden Plover, Snowy Plover, Redshank, Greenshank, Terek and Common Sandpipers, Black-necked Stilt and many Black-crowned Night-Herons.....Jo Ann MacKenzie reports

Northern Taiwan 25th September to 2nd October 2005 At the beginning of 2005 I saw a competition in Birdwatch magazine with the prize of an ‘all-expenses paid’ birding trip for two to Taiwan. I don’t normally enter competitions but the location sounded excellent and I could answer the questions, so I thought to myself ‘for the price of a stamp, let’s give it a go’...Alan Millar reports.

Lanyu (Orchid) Island, Taiwan, May 12-14, 2005

• I had long been interested in visiting Lanyu Island, 65 km east of the southern tip of Taiwan and about 110 km north of the Batan Islands of the Philippines...Jo Ann MacKenzie reports

Taiwan for Fairy Pitta May 2 -11, 2005

• We made an early start for the hot, lush, dense lowland forest of Mango Valley.  We walked a short distance along the small, quiet stream that flows through the valley bottom.  After a while, we saw a beautiful Fairy Pitta...Jo Ann MacKenzie reports.

Taiwan April 2005

• Wayne Hsu and I managed to see all 15 of Taiwan's endemic bird species in 4 days - a pair of Mikado Pheasants being the last of the endemics, which was seen by about 6 a.m. on the morning of the fourth day....Peter J. Shen reports

Taiwan 15 – 22 January 2005

• We spent a week in Taiwan in January 2005. Taiwan is a destination for the connoisseur - you won't rack up a huge list here, but it has a relatively large number of endemic species, most of which are easy to see, and this combined with some stunning scenery has put it on my "want list" for several years...Gruff Dodd reports

Taiwan 22-26 Nov 2004

• This report will briefly detail a visit to central Taiwan aimed at finding the Brown Dipper and then as many Taiwan and E. Asia specialties as possible. Having seen the other dippers in Oregon, Venezuela, Spain, and Argentina respectively, it was time to get the last one. The Wushe area seemed to combine access and habitats in a workable manner....Dennis Rogers reports

Birding in Taiwan Nov. 8-17th 2004

• Moments after leaving the bus, we saw our first Taiwan endemics, two Formosan Magpies, in the trees beside the parking area.  Within a few more minutes, we spotted a Malayan Night-Heron under small trees at the edge of the forest on the mountainside.  That was followed by Daurian Redstart.....Jo Ann MacKenzie reports.

Lanyu (Orchid Island), Taiwan July 4 – 6, 2004

• This is a report on a summer visit to Lanyu, an island off the southeast coast of Taiwan. It is of interest because its biology, as well as the culture of its inhabitants, is closer to the Philippines than Taiwan. It is also one of the best places to see several specialties: Ryukyu Scops-owl, Japanese Paradise-Flycatcher, Whistling Green Pigeon and Philippines Cuckoo-dove, all of which we saw without much difficulty....Gary Babic reports..

Taiwan December 2 - 7, 2003

• Taiwan is a great birding location that I heartily recommend. However, unless wintering shorebirds are the target species, I do not know if I would recommend December as a prime time to visit. The birds are quiet, the days are short, and the weather can be cold.....Gary Babic reports.

Taiwan November 10–19, 2003

• Taiwan is a mountainous island in the South China Sea, about 140 km (90 miles) off the Chinese mainland.  The forested beauty of the island led Portuguese sailors in 1590 to name it Ilha Formosa, meaning "Beautiful Island." This trip was similar to our very successful trip last March, in that it took us to varied habitats.  However, most destinations were different from our previous trip, and we saw more bird species...Jo Ann MacKenzie reports.

Taiwan 20-28 March 2003

• This trip was designed to maximize birding opportunities and acquaint participants with a variety of habitats in a short period of time.  As the government of Taiwan presently wishes to promote eco-tourism, this was also a prototype for a Taiwanese-organized and led tour.  At the conclusion of the week, our group of twelve met with government officials for a summary of our thoughts and experiences...Jo Ann MacKenzie reports.

Taiwan 26 October - 5 November 2001

• Because we had still some free days we decided to visit Taiwan during a one week trip. When you are lucky it is possible to see all the endemics in such a short period. Autumn is probably not the best period of the year. A lot of birds are very quiet but you have a bonus like wintering Black-faced Spoonbills and Saunders' Gulls....Peter Collaerts reports.

Taiwan Feb 19 - March 1 2001

• Taiwan is 160 km across the Taiwan Straits from Mainland China and in the North-South migration path between Japan and the Philippines.  Though the island is relatively small, its mountains are extremely high reaching 3952m at Yushan (Jade Mountain). The mountains rise straight out of the sea on the east coast, while the west side of the island is a flat and fertile plain...Garry George reports
  

Birds of East Asia (Helm Field Guides), Eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Eastern Russia. Mark Brazil: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk This is the first single volume guide devoted to the eastern Asian avifauna. Birds endemic to this region include representatives of many of the major families, from the world's largest eagle - Steller's Sea Eagle - to the tiny Formosan Firecrest. The guide features the most up-to-date text available, which, in conjunction with extensive colour plates throughout, facilitates the field identification of all of the species known from the region. Colour distribution maps enhance the text by providing a visual analysis of the summer, winter and migratory ranges of all species.

A Field Guide to the Birds of China John MacKinnon, Karen Phillipps (Illustrator), Dave Showler (Illustrator): Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk This is a comprehensive, taxonomically modern, and illustrated field guide to the birds of China. Over 1300 bird species are illustrated in 128 original colour paintings, by Karen Phillipps and Dave Showler. The species accounts stress the key points for field recognition and give a full description of the plumage, voice, range, distribution, status, and behavioural characteristics for every bird, with additional descriptions provided for hundreds of subspecies.

Where to watch birds in Asia Wheatley, Nigel: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk This guide to birdwatching in Asia deals with over 250 sites in detail, and more in passing, from Turkey to Thailand and India to Indonesia. It is designed as much for pre-planning birding trips as for use in the country or countries on the itinerary. The countries are dealt with alphabetically and after a general introduction, there are site details, which include a list of birds to be seen, organized under the headings "Endemics", "Specialities" and "Others"; a list of "Other Wildlife" is also included where there is something of particular interest.

Recommended travel books forTaiwan:

Taiwan Insight Guide Buy from Amazon.co.uk Taiwan now features a more comprehensive 'Places' section providing detailed information on cities & regions; All guides have been fully revised and updated and include over 100 new colour photographs