TAIWAN FEB 2017

With our guide, a former race driver, it was harrowing being driven around.

At the Yangmingshan National Park, we had hoped to see the Taiwan Blue Magpie but that failed to materialise. The Taiwan Barbet was also elusive, preferring to hide among the leaves. The Crested Serpent Eagle made spectacular flights as it descended to feed. The Swinhoe Pheasant at Dasyueshan Forest was more obliging; however its mate (as many as three, preferred to feed on the lower slopes and hence was more challenging to photograph. Even more challenging was the Osprey at a river at Wantan. Took us 2 days to get some decent images and most of it was shot in pouring rain. Strangely, for a whole sunny day, the Osprey refused to dive for fish. The second day, it rained heavily and in the gloomy weather, it dived for fish!

At Chiayi, the Oriental Honey Buzzard ravenous appetite was revealed as it fought off swarming bees to get to the honey comb and honey. Word got around that the Japanese Thrush was in town but with bad weather and failing light, we only managed to get ‘document standard’ images.