Lakeside birding
For Days 5 and 6 of the Taiwan trip, we move on to Sun Moon Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Taiwan located in Nantou county.
Despite the large body of water, there aren’t many aquatic birds around. You will have more luck birding in the forests on the shore of the lake. Anyway, here are some interesting finds that I saw for the two days there.
Gray-capped Pygmy Woodpecker (lifer) – While waiting for the public bus, I heard a faint bird call and managed to track it to this beautiful woodpecker. Unfortunately, I only got a few usable shots before it took off so all I have is this back photo.
White-rumped Sharma – Another bird that kept me entertained while waiting for the bus.
Bronzed Drongo (lifer) – I spotted a pair of them actively flying between trees to catch insects.
Black-naped Monarch (lifer) – I spotted a pair of male and female hunting for insects high up some bamboo. This one photographed is a female which has a duller plumage to the male’s all blue plumage.
Taiwan Scimitar Babbler (lifer) – Another bird that was heard first. It sounded like there was a small animal moving between dried twigs in some very thick vegetation. This was the best window that I had to photograph the bird after much searching.
eBird checklists:
1. https://ebird.org/checklist/S317426575
2. https://ebird.org/checklist/S317428245
3.https://ebird.org/checklist/S317434603
The Salaryman Birder 
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