Birdingpals Trip Report

BIRDING IN DUBAI, UAR, HONG KONG, CHINA AND THAILAND 20 APRIL – 7 MAY 2006
submitted by Birdingpal Ron Bartlett

www.travelcollection.co.uk Pandas and the Orient cost £1099 + Single Supplement £247 leaving Gatwick on 19 April 2006. I took an extension called Bangkok and Beach for a further £249.
The fight with the excellent Emirates Air made a two and a half hour stop at Dubai early the next morning. I found a spacious uncrowded lounge with plush toilets and a view from windows. Bird flew close-by House Sparrow, Common Bulbul, Common Myna,, Laughing Dove and lifer – Arabian Babbler. The onward plane to Hong Kong had less legroom but the food and service were still good.. It arrived at 9pm and I got to bed at 11pm.
Next morning I had arranged to meet Birding Pal Andy Smith at University Station 15 minutes from Mong Kok, a short walk from the comfortable Metropole Hotel.Ron Bartlett Sure enough Andy’s car arrived as I exited the station. We went straight to Tai Po Kau, a woodland> As we walked up the steps, a local birder pointed out Asian Paradise Flycatcher (with short tail) along with a Japanese P>F> complete with long tail which was a lifer for Andy. We also had a good selection of woodland birds including a Red Throated Barbet and a stunning Scarlet Minivet. As we were leaving, we spotted Blue Winged Minla, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Fire Breasted Flowerpecker with Violet Laughing Thrushes by the stream. We went then to the “Golden Triangle” another patch of woodland with good raptors – Oriental Honey Buzzard, Crested Goshawk and Eurasian Sparrow Hawk. Back to University to pick up Maxine from Seattle, Andy is a very busy Birding Pal as there appears to be no organised tours in Hong Kong, then off to Long Valley, an area of paddy and agricultural fields. With shrikes, wagtails, prinias, waders, herons. A Large Hawk Cuckoo called, but we had Japanese Yellow Bunting a vagrant reported the day before, another Lifer for Andy. Lunch at a corrugated iron restaurant was excellent with beers, soft drinks and 2 lunches for £4!.
By now it was late afternoon, and too late to get into Mai Po, also the walk from the entrance was too long for a couple of old fellows. We decided to walk part of the entrance road, Koels and Azure Winged Magpies flew around the Visitor Centre while a Plaintive Cuckoo called. There were ponds on each side of the road and we were soon ticking waders and reed bed birds. One of the ponds was surrounded by wide grassy areas good for Red Throated Pipit but there was also a Richard’s and a Rosy Pipit another lifer for Andy! Dusk was now setting in so we made for a hillside for Savannah Nightjar which duly chirruped and flew for us.. This had been a great day’s birding with 75 species, many thanks to Andy who limped painfully towards the end of the day.
Next day, we were leaving by train for Guangshuo and Guilin but I got down to Kowloon Park to pick up another half dozen or so species and lose my digital camera.
2.
After a pleasant two hour train journey we did a city tour of Guangshuo including a bonsai park, where singing birds in cage competed with the wild Magpie Robins. Had local blackbird and Great Tit here along with Red Billed Leothrix and Chinese Bybax. We flew to Guilin arriving at the Hotel Osmanthus at 11 pm another long day.
A tour of Guilin including Fubo Hill and Reed Flute Caves was part of the trip but I could not manage either due to steps with no hand rail, but birded the parks outside.
Bought a very nice little automatic camera for £17 including film and batteries from helpful people who spoke no English.
After an evening at the theatre, we went on a 3 hour boat trip along the River Li to Yangshuo, but birds were few, but had Collared Crow, Slaty Backed Forktail and a Kingfisher, also a Plumbeous Water Redstart just where we docked. The scenery was fantastic.
Next morning it was an excursion to the countryside which was really beautiful but the birds were few, as they were in most of China.
After a lunch at the King’s Food of China , get it(?) following a Chinese painting lesson in the afternoon we attended a marvellous sound and light show on the river in the evening.
It rained most of the next morning but did get out to Yangshuo Park, which though large was very thin on birds. In the afternoon we left, to fly to Chengdu calling off at a tea plantation, with shrikes, Grey Faced Buzzard and Greater Coucal. arriving at the excellent Tibet Hotel at 11pm.
Next morning we were off on the 4 hour coach journey to Wolong along a rough road by a river with masses of construction work going on above a large dam.. After lunch we arrived at the Wolong Panda Sanctuary, the pandas were in pens which were mostly concreted with a single concrete walkway so few birds, they did however have 16 charming babies. Then followed a visit to the Panda Museum which was very interesting I picked up the beautiful Daurian Redstart in the evening. Was out again at 7am in the park in the middle of the village. 2 trees with feathery leaves provide the best birding in China so far, with yuhinas, tits and minivets etc in good numbers. Wolong is close to the Tibetan border so have done myself out of a trip to Tibet! After being scolded for being late for breakfast, we left for Chengdu calling at the brilliant Dujiangyan Irrigation Project built in 300 BC by a man and his son, had Red Billed Starling and Tibetan House Martin here. On arrival back in Chengdu, we called at the Bamboo Park with over 150 species, this was a good place for birds with more tits, hoopoe and laughing thrushes, had 15 lifers on this day.
3.
The rest of the party of 22 were either flying home or going on to Beijing, leaving at 12 noon. I was not flying to Bangkok until 1.25am, so decided to pay a visit to the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary getting back to see them off. The pandas were in a very large park, small buses were provided to take visitors from the main gate to the animals. I took a slow stroll up the road between bamboo and other trees, soon had Red Headed Trogon, more tits, Vinous Throated Parrotbill, white morph Asian Paradise Fl;ycatcher and Red Tailed Laughing Thrush among others. After spending a while with the pandas I made for the advertised lake but it was still under construction, noon had come and gone, I made my way to the restaurant, where they served up enough vermicelli to feed 4 people with a beer and a coffee was about £2. The waitresses were lovely, conversed with them using with my Travellers’ Aid from Aldi which among other things did an English/Chinese translation. Strolled back to the entrance and took a cab back to the hotel just in time to check out by my 4pm extension. This was a truly beautiful park and well worth a visit.
Sitting for 5 hours in the hotel lobby, school children approached the window smiling and waving, sometimes families too. English is taught in schools and there are always signs in English, there was an advertisement which proclaimed “Success in English, success in life”. A surprising number of people spoke English and there were many who wanted to try theirs out on visitors. My few words of Chinese went a long way also. The Chinese people were great but they did think that anyone who watched birds was mad.
All the hotels were excellent, clean and comfortable with well equipped bathrooms, with bottled water, tea and coffee facilities. All except 3 meals were provided but I am afraid the food did not agree with my stomach but managed to avoid using a floor level toilet in China anyway! I set a record for Imodium! Each meal was accompanied by Pepsi or beer, the beer was 11% so a little went a long way!
I arrived at the Hotel Arnoma in Bangkok at 3.45am, there was a miscalculation on the number of days here but Travel Collection arranged an extra night at no charge.
I decided to look for a digital camera to replace that lost in Hong Kong and went to the Big C department store next to the Hotel. Was directed to the 3rd floor where I bought a real beauty complete with 2 SD cards and a battery charger. I met Nina the Kuoni Rep, who kindly arranged with the hotel that I was leaving the next morning. All the local reps were excellent, Nina even spoke to Dem Kantamara, a Birding Pal who had arranged the next two nights in bungalows in the Kaeng Krachan National Park. I had been exchanging emails with Dem for some time thinking she was a fellow, she brought along friends Act and Bir as well.
Dem duly arrived at 8am the next morning and we were off on the 2 hour journey to the National Park stopping at a couple of birding spots, recording Asian Open Billed Stork.
It was May 1st – Labour Day and the Sunnee Resort was packed with life jacketed people enjoying the fast flowing but rather smelly river that flowed through. We went for lunch to a restaurant with a fantastic view across the 45 sq km reservoir lake. After lunch we set off in Dem’s car to bird this huge park, which contains tiger, elephant, wild dog and leopard. The latter was seen by others along the road. Birds were plentiful with 4.broadbills, woodpeckers and all manner of woodland birds, we returned after dark avoiding an Indian Nightjar sitting in the road.
Next day a jeep with driver was hired for £20 and we made for The Summit, near to the King’s Summer Palace. We also stopped for Red Bearded Beaeater and got good views of this stunning bird. Blue Winged Pitta was heard and Crested Serpent Eagles and a Mountain Hawk Eagle performed for us. Dem and the others left the jeep 3km before the camp ground, well into the park. I stayed on which was a wise decision considering the heat. After a drink, I birded around the camp ground with the driver, who showed me Sultan Tit and Forest Wagtail while Oriental Pied Hornbills flew across. I had missed Giant Hornbill earlier in the day and Brown Hornbill was seen by the others during their walk which took two and three quarter hours. We finished with a late lunch by the lake. We spent both evenings looking at Bir’s vast collection of photographs on his laptop some taken during the day.
Early next morning, I had a walk around the lake at the Resort, with Malay Night Heron, Lesser Coucal and Streak Eared Bulbul. A nice breakfast was provided free. The Sunnee Resort was clean, comfortable with really nice people.
Dem had to work in the afternoon, so she dropped me off at the Regent Hotel , Cha Am, half an hour from the National Park. It had been a great two days and a highlight of the holiday, proving that Birding Pal works.
The Regent Hotel is absolute luxury, spent most of the day on the shady balcony except for some seawatching with Lesser Sand Plovers flying onto the beach.
After an early night, I was up early to walk the nature area which though beautiful had few birds but did get Bar Bellied Cuckoo Shrike.
Spent the rest of the day on the beach, but the only seabirds were one Cormorant but had a pair of Saunders’ Terns.
Had a nice lunch at Wan’s which was Nee’s – www.the beachterrace@yahoo.com where two courses with drinks came to under a fiver. On the way back a man chased a 5ft lizard out of a toilet in the hotel grounds!
Repeated the action of the previous day with not a lot but went along to Wan’s for a last night dinner, on the way back there was a loud UHU, UHU, coming from a patch of shrubs!
After a last morning walk, I had to check out of the room by 12 noon, so after sitting around in the lobby, made my way along to Wan’s at 3pm for a late lunch, by the time I left and had a manicure on the beach it was well after 6pm, and just had time to get changed in the changing room provided before the Kuoni coach arrived at 7pm. The people at Wan’s were really nice, even the bouncer who was throwing people IN.
5.
The Regent is a lovely hotel with great people and just the place to relax after a hectic tour. I never left the grounds, the excursion to Hua Hin was cancelled due to lack of people although the hotel ran a shuttle bus which looked full, but I did not want to spend 5 hours in there with nothing arranged. I had a massage at the hotel which was supposed to be hands and feet but it seemed to be most of the body and was brutal rather than soothing, but I did feel good after, even though the masseuse did not seem to understand about my replacement knee.
Wan’s is refurbishing rooms over the restaurant with sea views available shortly.
The Thai people were very nice with smiles and helpfulness everywhere. It was a three hour run to Bangkok airport and had to queue for an hour at check-in with other waits at passport control and security, it took a quarter of an hour to convince them of the metal in my knee!.
1.25am arrived and we took off, all the planes on the holiday were on time. There was 3 hours to wait in Dubai, I could not find the nice lounge used on the way out. Had a stroll around Duty Free and was directed to a toilet at the end in a corridor behind the stairs which seemed little used and was being cleaned as I left. Sat in a very crowded area with an overcrowded toilet until it was time to take off for Gatwick.
Arrived half an hour early – noon – at Gatwick, but my wife forgot where she left the car and it took nearly an hour to find it!
Kuoni and Tour East’s organisation ran like clockwork with every one in the right place even at unearthly hours. John at Guilin and Whangshuo was particularly good with an organised programme of excursions and visits, including a night at the theatre with acrobats and dancing, also the fantastic Whangshuo Son et Lumiere show on the River Li which should not be missed and Jane at Chengdu and Wolong looked after us very well.
In China no-one dress like Chairman Mao and nobody called me an “imperialist running dog” and everyone smiled and responded to my “Ni hao” hallo, more people than expected spoke English.
This had been one of my most enjoyable holidays for the people, the sights and scenery although the birding has been much better in other places, except Hong Kong and Thailand.
Birding Pal worked very well, both were great on birds and very enthusiastic.
I think I have just about done Asia now, but may have one or two stop-offs to make on future visits to Australia – Japan?
Total species: 239
Ron Bartlett
ronbartlett@talktalk.net.

by Birdingpal Ron Bartlett

www.travelcollection.co.uk Pandas and the Orient cost £1099 + Single Supplement £247 leaving Gatwick on 19 April 2006. I took an extension called Bangkok and Beach for a further £249.
The fight with the excellent Emirates Air made a two and a half hour stop at Dubai early the next morning. I found a spacious uncrowded lounge with plush toilets and a view from windows. Bird flew close-by House Sparrow, Common Bulbul, Common Myna,, Laughing Dove and lifer – Arabian Babbler. The onward plane to Hong Kong had less legroom but the food and service were still good.. It arrived at 9pm and I got to bed at 11pm.
Next morning I had arranged to meet Birding Pal Andy Smith at University Station 15 minutes from Mong Kok, a short walk from the comfortable Metropole Hotel.Ron Bartlett Sure enough Andy’s car arrived as I exited the station. We went straight to Tai Po Kau, a woodland> As we walked up the steps, a local birder pointed out Asian Paradise Flycatcher (with short tail) along with a Japanese P>F> complete with long tail which was a lifer for Andy. We also had a good selection of woodland birds including a Red Throated Barbet and a stunning Scarlet Minivet. As we were leaving, we spotted Blue Winged Minla, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Fire Breasted Flowerpecker with Violet Laughing Thrushes by the stream. We went then to the “Golden Triangle” another patch of woodland with good raptors – Oriental Honey Buzzard, Crested Goshawk and Eurasian Sparrow Hawk. Back to University to pick up Maxine from Seattle, Andy is a very busy Birding Pal as there appears to be no organised tours in Hong Kong, then off to Long Valley, an area of paddy and agricultural fields. With shrikes, wagtails, prinias, waders, herons. A Large Hawk Cuckoo called, but we had Japanese Yellow Bunting a vagrant reported the day before, another Lifer for Andy. Lunch at a corrugated iron restaurant was excellent with beers, soft drinks and 2 lunches for £4!.
By now it was late afternoon, and too late to get into Mai Po, also the walk from the entrance was too long for a couple of old fellows. We decided to walk part of the entrance road, Koels and Azure Winged Magpies flew around the Visitor Centre while a Plaintive Cuckoo called. There were ponds on each side of the road and we were soon ticking waders and reed bed birds. One of the ponds was surrounded by wide grassy areas good for Red Throated Pipit but there was also a Richard’s and a Rosy Pipit another lifer for Andy! Dusk was now setting in so we made for a hillside for Savannah Nightjar which duly chirruped and flew for us.. This had been a great day’s birding with 75 species, many thanks to Andy who limped painfully towards the end of the day.
Next day, we were leaving by train for Guangshuo and Guilin but I got down to Kowloon Park to pick up another half dozen or so species and lose my digital camera.
2.
After a pleasant two hour train journey we did a city tour of Guangshuo including a bonsai park, where singing birds in cage competed with the wild Magpie Robins. Had local blackbird and Great Tit here along with Red Billed Leothrix and Chinese Bybax. We flew to Guilin arriving at the Hotel Osmanthus at 11 pm another long day.
A tour of Guilin including Fubo Hill and Reed Flute Caves was part of the trip but I could not manage either due to steps with no hand rail, but birded the parks outside.
Bought a very nice little automatic camera for £17 including film and batteries from helpful people who spoke no English.
After an evening at the theatre, we went on a 3 hour boat trip along the River Li to Yangshuo, but birds were few, but had Collared Crow, Slaty Backed Forktail and a Kingfisher, also a Plumbeous Water Redstart just where we docked. The scenery was fantastic.
Next morning it was an excursion to the countryside which was really beautiful but the birds were few, as they were in most of China.
After a lunch at the King’s Food of China , get it(?) following a Chinese painting lesson in the afternoon we attended a marvellous sound and light show on the river in the evening.
It rained most of the next morning but did get out to Yangshuo Park, which though large was very thin on birds. In the afternoon we left, to fly to Chengdu calling off at a tea plantation, with shrikes, Grey Faced Buzzard and Greater Coucal. arriving at the excellent Tibet Hotel at 11pm.
Next morning we were off on the 4 hour coach journey to Wolong along a rough road by a river with masses of construction work going on above a large dam.. After lunch we arrived at the Wolong Panda Sanctuary, the pandas were in pens which were mostly concreted with a single concrete walkway so few birds, they did however have 16 charming babies. Then followed a visit to the Panda Museum which was very interesting I picked up the beautiful Daurian Redstart in the evening. Was out again at 7am in the park in the middle of the village. 2 trees with feathery leaves provide the best birding in China so far, with yuhinas, tits and minivets etc in good numbers. Wolong is close to the Tibetan border so have done myself out of a trip to Tibet! After being scolded for being late for breakfast, we left for Chengdu calling at the brilliant Dujiangyan Irrigation Project built in 300 BC by a man and his son, had Red Billed Starling and Tibetan House Martin here. On arrival back in Chengdu, we called at the Bamboo Park with over 150 species, this was a good place for birds with more tits, hoopoe and laughing thrushes, had 15 lifers on this day.
3.
The rest of the party of 22 were either flying home or going on to Beijing, leaving at 12 noon. I was not flying to Bangkok until 1.25am, so decided to pay a visit to the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary getting back to see them off. The pandas were in a very large park, small buses were provided to take visitors from the main gate to the animals. I took a slow stroll up the road between bamboo and other trees, soon had Red Headed Trogon, more tits, Vinous Throated Parrotbill, white morph Asian Paradise Fl;ycatcher and Red Tailed Laughing Thrush among others. After spending a while with the pandas I made for the advertised lake but it was still under construction, noon had come and gone, I made my way to the restaurant, where they served up enough vermicelli to feed 4 people with a beer and a coffee was about £2. The waitresses were lovely, conversed with them using with my Travellers’ Aid from Aldi which among other things did an English/Chinese translation. Strolled back to the entrance and took a cab back to the hotel just in time to check out by my 4pm extension. This was a truly beautiful park and well worth a visit.
Sitting for 5 hours in the hotel lobby, school children approached the window smiling and waving, sometimes families too. English is taught in schools and there are always signs in English, there was an advertisement which proclaimed “Success in English, success in life”. A surprising number of people spoke English and there were many who wanted to try theirs out on visitors. My few words of Chinese went a long way also. The Chinese people were great but they did think that anyone who watched birds was mad.
All the hotels were excellent, clean and comfortable with well equipped bathrooms, with bottled water, tea and coffee facilities. All except 3 meals were provided but I am afraid the food did not agree with my stomach but managed to avoid using a floor level toilet in China anyway! I set a record for Imodium! Each meal was accompanied by Pepsi or beer, the beer was 11% so a little went a long way!
I arrived at the Hotel Arnoma in Bangkok at 3.45am, there was a miscalculation on the number of days here but Travel Collection arranged an extra night at no charge.
I decided to look for a digital camera to replace that lost in Hong Kong and went to the Big C department store next to the Hotel. Was directed to the 3rd floor where I bought a real beauty complete with 2 SD cards and a battery charger. I met Nina the Kuoni Rep, who kindly arranged with the hotel that I was leaving the next morning. All the local reps were excellent, Nina even spoke to Dem Kantamara, a Birding Pal who had arranged the next two nights in bungalows in the Kaeng Krachan National Park. I had been exchanging emails with Dem for some time thinking she was a fellow, she brought along friends Act and Bir as well.
Dem duly arrived at 8am the next morning and we were off on the 2 hour journey to the National Park stopping at a couple of birding spots, recording Asian Open Billed Stork.
It was May 1st – Labour Day and the Sunnee Resort was packed with life jacketed people enjoying the fast flowing but rather smelly river that flowed through. We went for lunch to a restaurant with a fantastic view across the 45 sq km reservoir lake. After lunch we set off in Dem’s car to bird this huge park, which contains tiger, elephant, wild dog and leopard. The latter was seen by others along the road. Birds were plentiful with 4.broadbills, woodpeckers and all manner of woodland birds, we returned after dark avoiding an Indian Nightjar sitting in the road.
Next day a jeep with driver was hired for £20 and we made for The Summit, near to the King’s Summer Palace. We also stopped for Red Bearded Beaeater and got good views of this stunning bird. Blue Winged Pitta was heard and Crested Serpent Eagles and a Mountain Hawk Eagle performed for us. Dem and the others left the jeep 3km before the camp ground, well into the park. I stayed on which was a wise decision considering the heat. After a drink, I birded around the camp ground with the driver, who showed me Sultan Tit and Forest Wagtail while Oriental Pied Hornbills flew across. I had missed Giant Hornbill earlier in the day and Brown Hornbill was seen by the others during their walk which took two and three quarter hours. We finished with a late lunch by the lake. We spent both evenings looking at Bir’s vast collection of photographs on his laptop some taken during the day.
Early next morning, I had a walk around the lake at the Resort, with Malay Night Heron, Lesser Coucal and Streak Eared Bulbul. A nice breakfast was provided free. The Sunnee Resort was clean, comfortable with really nice people.
Dem had to work in the afternoon, so she dropped me off at the Regent Hotel , Cha Am, half an hour from the National Park. It had been a great two days and a highlight of the holiday, proving that Birding Pal works.
The Regent Hotel is absolute luxury, spent most of the day on the shady balcony except for some seawatching with Lesser Sand Plovers flying onto the beach.
After an early night, I was up early to walk the nature area which though beautiful had few birds but did get Bar Bellied Cuckoo Shrike.
Spent the rest of the day on the beach, but the only seabirds were one Cormorant but had a pair of Saunders’ Terns.
Had a nice lunch at Wan’s which was Nee’s – www.the beachterrace@yahoo.com where two courses with drinks came to under a fiver. On the way back a man chased a 5ft lizard out of a toilet in the hotel grounds!
Repeated the action of the previous day with not a lot but went along to Wan’s for a last night dinner, on the way back there was a loud UHU, UHU, coming from a patch of shrubs!
After a last morning walk, I had to check out of the room by 12 noon, so after sitting around in the lobby, made my way along to Wan’s at 3pm for a late lunch, by the time I left and had a manicure on the beach it was well after 6pm, and just had time to get changed in the changing room provided before the Kuoni coach arrived at 7pm. The people at Wan’s were really nice, even the bouncer who was throwing people IN.
5.
The Regent is a lovely hotel with great people and just the place to relax after a hectic tour. I never left the grounds, the excursion to Hua Hin was cancelled due to lack of people although the hotel ran a shuttle bus which looked full, but I did not want to spend 5 hours in there with nothing arranged. I had a massage at the hotel which was supposed to be hands and feet but it seemed to be most of the body and was brutal rather than soothing, but I did feel good after, even though the masseuse did not seem to understand about my replacement knee.
Wan’s is refurbishing rooms over the restaurant with sea views available shortly.
The Thai people were very nice with smiles and helpfulness everywhere. It was a three hour run to Bangkok airport and had to queue for an hour at check-in with other waits at passport control and security, it took a quarter of an hour to convince them of the metal in my knee!.
1.25am arrived and we took off, all the planes on the holiday were on time. There was 3 hours to wait in Dubai, I could not find the nice lounge used on the way out. Had a stroll around Duty Free and was directed to a toilet at the end in a corridor behind the stairs which seemed little used and was being cleaned as I left. Sat in a very crowded area with an overcrowded toilet until it was time to take off for Gatwick.
Arrived half an hour early – noon – at Gatwick, but my wife forgot where she left the car and it took nearly an hour to find it!
Kuoni and Tour East’s organisation ran like clockwork with every one in the right place even at unearthly hours. John at Guilin and Whangshuo was particularly good with an organised programme of excursions and visits, including a night at the theatre with acrobats and dancing, also the fantastic Whangshuo Son et Lumiere show on the River Li which should not be missed and Jane at Chengdu and Wolong looked after us very well.
In China no-one dress like Chairman Mao and nobody called me an “imperialist running dog” and everyone smiled and responded to my “Ni hao” hallo, more people than expected spoke English.
This had been one of my most enjoyable holidays for the people, the sights and scenery although the birding has been much better in other places, except Hong Kong and Thailand.
Birding Pal worked very well, both were great on birds and very enthusiastic.
I think I have just about done Asia now, but may have one or two stop-offs to make on future visits to Australia – Japan?
Total species: 239
Ron Bartlett
ronbartlett@talktalk.net.

Birding with a Pal in Taiwan and Hong Kong
by Birdingpal Dave Torr

Just had a pleasant business trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong where I managed to fit in some birding with Birding Pals. After two good days of weather in Taipei on business (where the local park yielded 16 species, 3 of which were life birds) Wayne Hsu picked me up at 0530 from my hotel in downtown Taipei to drive (in light rain which persisted all morning) to the Fushan area about 2 hours south of the city. This is a fairly hilly area which Wayne assured me would be good for endemic species - and scarcely had we started on the 2.5 hour fairly rugged walk than I was rewarded by a good look at a male Swinhoe's Pheasant - definitely the highlight of the day. We saw 4 other endemics and I added a total of 19 life birds to my list (of a total of 25 seen in very difficult conditions) before we had to head back to Taipei around 1100 so I could catch a plane to Hong Kong. Wayne was a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guy and highly recommended.

In Hong Kong I had one day of business with quick visits to Kowloon Park and The Peak (19 birds, 7 lifers). I freed up a whole day to visit Mai Po with Andy Smith and his son. Andy picked me up at a rather more civilsed hour (Mai Po does not open until 0900). Another fantastic birding day with another very knowledgeable and pleasant guide - very different in cool clear conditions. We had an eight hour walk around the marshes and ponds - the only disappountment being the fact that the tide was so far out that we could not see many of the shorebirds or gulls, but we were rewarded with many Black-faced Spoonbills and several raptors (including Imperial Eagel, Great Spotted Eagle and Pied Harrier - all life birds)  - the 74 species seen included another 18 birds for my life list.

Dave Torr
Melbourne, Australia
davidtorr@gmail.com

This is the list from my database (based on Clement's taxonomy and names) - I only count those seen so will have missed a few that Wayne has
Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)
Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela)
Swinhoe's Pheasant (Lophura swinhoii)
House Swift (Apus nipalensis)
Black-browed Barbet (Megalaima oorti)
Asian House Martin (Hirundo dasypus)
Gray Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Gray-chinned Minivet (Pericrocotus solaris)
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis)
Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)
Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii)
Plumbeous Redstart (Rhyacornis fuliginosus)
Steere's Liocichla (Liocichla steerii)
Gray-cheeked Fulvetta (Alcippe morrisonia)
White-eared Sibia (Heterophasia auricularis)
Taiwan Yuhina (Yuhina brunneiceps)
White-bellied Yuhina (Yuhina zantholeuca)
Varied Tit (Sittiparus varius)
Maroon Oriole (Oriolus traillii)
Bronzed Drongo (Dicrurus aeneus)
Formosan Magpie (Urocissa caerulea)
Gray Treepie (Dendrocitta formosae)
Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
(also Grey Heron and Little Egret on the drive back)

For the Mai Po visit I had:
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Chinese Pond-Heron (Ardeola bacchus)
Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor)
Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
Spot-billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha)
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Black-eared Kite (Milvus migrans lineatus)
Eastern Marsh-Harrier (Circus spilonotus)
Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)
Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)
White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Common Coot (Fulica atra)
Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia)
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis)
Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)
House Swift (Apus nipalensis)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata)
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)
Black-backed Wagtail (Motacilla lugens leucopsis)
Green-headed Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava taivana)
Richard's Pipit (Anthus richardi)
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni)
Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis)
Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola solitarius philippensis)
Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula mandarinus)
Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris)
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus)
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus)
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)
Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saularis)
Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus)
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maura)
Masked Laughingthrush (Garrulax perspicillatus)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus)
Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyana)
Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
Collared Crow (Corvus torquatus)
Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
Black-collared Starling (Gracupica nigricollis)
Red-billed Starling (Sturnus sericeus)
White-cheeked Starling (Sturnus cineraceus)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)
Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala)

"Photos from Fushan, Taiwan by Birdingpal, James N. Dart"