It’s Day 4 of the Taiwan trip and I’m starting the day with another quick early birding session at a nearby park. Yongquan Park is located in Taichung at the site of a former sugar factory during the Japanese occupation era.
The park is built around a large central pond with boardwalks, walkways and an observation deck surrounding the pond. It didn’t take long for me to spot something interesting: a pair of Common Moorhens foraging at the banks of the pond.
Common Moorhen
There was also an enclosure and feeding station where I saw some Muscovy Ducks and Mallards. Here’s a photo of the Muscovy Ducks going for a swim with the Common Moorhen.
Muscovy Ducks / Common Moorhen (center)
Meanwhile, a Brown Shrike was perched high on a tree looking to catch some insects off the grass for breakfast.
Brown Shrike
House Swifts can also be seen constantly flying over the pond to catch flying insects.
House Swift
Lastly, a nice close up of a Light-vented Bulbul resting on a handrail with decent lighting.
After the early morning quick birding session, it was onward to Taichung which would serve as base camp for the next 2 days. The remainder of the day was spent on a day trip to Changhua city exploring Baguashan, home to the Great Buddha statue.
Great Buddha at Baguashan
The area also hosts an annual raptor watch event to spot the Grey-faced Buzzard which migrate through the area in great numbers as they return north for the spring migration season. Unfortunately, I did not spot any that day.
View from atop Baguashan
Though birding was not the main objective of the day, I did spot some of the common local birds in the area like this Taiwan Barbet.
Taiwan Barbet
There was also a flock of Grey Treepies foraging from tree to tree.
Grey Treepie
Lastly, a Malayan Night Heron was seen chilling on a grassy patch. It still amuses me that the bird is named after Malaya (old name for Malaysia) but is not commonly found in Malaysia.
On Day 3 of my Taiwan trip, I decided to drop by the Linsen and Kangle Park in Taipei for some quick early morning birding as it was near my hotel. These are urban parks located right smack in the middle of the city so I was not expecting much.
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
After about an hour, just as I was about to leave, I spotted this beautiful Eastern Yellow Wagtail (lifer) perched on a bare tree. This bird in an uncommon migrant in Singapore. After observing the bird for awhile, it took off to the ground to hunt for insects.
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Always happy to add an unexpected tick to my life list.
I was on vacation in Taiwan from 28 Mar to 04 Apr 2026. While the primary objective of the trip was not for birding, I did manage to squeeze out some time here and there to bird. My first stop was Guandu Nature Park, a wetland nature reserve in northern Taipei located at the confluence of the Tamsui and Keelung Rivers.
The park can be easily accessed by the Tamsui-Xinyi Metro Line (Red Line). Alight at Guandu Station and the park entrance is about 15 mins walk away.
Entering the park, I was immediately greeted by a good variety of birds in the forested area. This Taiwan Barbet (lifer) was spotted excavating a hole in the tree for nesting.
Taiwan Barbet
Some Black-faced Buntings (lifer) were spotted foraging along the walkway in the quiet hours of the morning before more visitors arrive.
Black-faced Bunting
A Common Kingfisher had a successful dive in a pond and caught a fish. Unfortunately, I did not manage to photograph it before the bird ate it’s catch.
Common Kingfisher
As for the shorebirds, they congregate on the mudbanks far away from the park walkway. The best place to spot them is from the birding hides in the park – specifically the one which is double-storied which allows for a higher vantage point of the area.
Plain Prinia (lifer)
I was stunned by the amount of Black-winged Stilts (lifer) here. These birds are rare migrants in Singapore.
Black-winged Stilt
There was also a good variety of ducks, sandpipers and snipes congregated on the mudbanks. But they were so well camouflaged that I did not even realized they were there until I got back home and uploaded my photos to a computer.
On the far end of the park, I spotted a flock of African Sacred Ibis (lifer). They are considered an invasive species – accidentally introduced into Taiwan when some captive birds escaped a zoo damaged by a typhoon in 1979.
African Sacred Ibis
All in all, it was a productive half day of birding adding 14 new ticks to my life list.
I dropped by Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve to try my luck again at spotting the Forest Wagtail (FW). Arriving in the hot afternoon sun, I was told by other birders that the FW was seen earlier but had gone hiding. I decided to wait to see if it would show up again.
Sometimes, waiting can be fun to see what other birds come my way. The first was this Ashy Tailorbird actively flying around in search of food.
Ashy Tailorbird
Next, an Oriental Magpie Robin was seen actively foraging on the ground. At one point, it plopped itself on the ground and looked like it was panting. I understand this is a common reflex in birds to cool down their bodies (it was a really hot day).
Oriental Magpie Robin
I thought this scene of the Common Iora staring at the Ornate Sunbird to be quite amusing. I have not seen these two species interact with each other before.
Left: Common Iora, Right: Ornate Sunbird
After 4 hours of waiting, I was on the brink of giving up. Then, another birder sighted the FW hidden amongst the undergrowth. I managed to capture a few record shots before letting others take my spot.
Forest Wagtail
Not the best of photos but I’m just happy to not walk away empty handed from the 4 hours of waiting.
Here’s one last batch of photos from the productive day of birding at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on 21-Mar. Starting at the Eco Lake, I spotted a Grey-rumped Treeswift (lifer) flying overhead.
Grey-rumped Treeswift
I also counted eight Oriental Pied Hornbills flying across the Eco Lake one after another. That was the first time I’ve seen such a large flock traveling together.
Oriental Pied Hornbill
While photographing the Crested Serpent Eagle, I spotted a small bird perched on the canopy of the same tree. Surprise, surprise. It was a Mugimaki Flycatcher. This one is a bit late on the migration as they mostly should have returned north by now.
Mugimaki Flycatcher
Lastly, I decided to check out the Raffles Building car park which is a known hiding spot for a pair of Collared Scops Owls. I managed to see both owls but they were quite high up and well hidden. I left them to their slumber after taking a few quick shots.
After the encounter with the Crested Serpent Eagle (CSE), I decided to revisit the Fairy Pitta (FP). Reports had emerged in the birding community that the FP had started to forage nearer to the boardwalk which allowed for better views of the bird.
I arrived at the Rainforest Trail boardwalk packed with birders and photographers who were eagerly searching for the FP. Meanwhile a lone staff member was struggling to handle the crowd control. Not wanting to add to the crowd situation, I decided to wait at the edge in the hopes that the FP may come my way instead.
I guess I was at the peak of my lucky streak that day as the FP began to hop my way, so I managed to snap some close-up open photographs of the FP.
Fairy Pitta
The FP picked up a snail but dropped it shortly after.
Fairy Pitta
At one point, the FP was so near that my lens could not focus but I guess that’s a good problem to have.
Fairy Pitta
The FP then surprised everyone by somehow flying through the crowd of birders from one side of the boardwalk to the other. It continued to forage after that unfazed
I spent Saturday morning birding at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Reports emerged a few days ago on the sighting of the Crested Serpent Eagle (CSE) at the Healing Gardens. So that was where I was headed.
As I entered the area, I immediately noticed a large brown protrusion sticking out of a tree branch. It did not look like an extension of the branch. As I was trying to make sense of what I was looking at, it turned its head and gave me a side eye. There it is, the CSE!
Crested Serpent Eagle
I managed to photograph the CSE from various angles as it remained still, keeping a lookout for prey.
Crested Serpent Eagle
Soon, a small crowd of birders and curious parkgoers began to congregate around the CSE, but it did not seem fazed.
Crested Serpent Eagle
After an hour plus, the CSE took off to perch on a higher tree and began to call. I waited with anticipation to see if there was another CSE nearby that would return its call.
Crested Serpent Eagle
About 10 minutes later the CSE took off to the skies and slowly gained elevation before going out of sight. Pleased to get a photograph of the CSE in-flight showing it’s characteristic wing patterns.
There wasn’t any exciting rarities reported over the weekend. So I decided to bird at Dairy Farm Nature Park on Sunday morning because it’s one of those locations that gives me this feeling like anything may appear.
Common Sun Skink
At the viewing platform, another birder mentioned that the Red-crowned Barbet was spotted at the same time the day before. I decided to wait as well for any action. I was not disappointed.
Red-crowned Barbet
The mulberry tree near the platform was attracting many birds including some Asian Fairy Bluebirds that dropped by for a meal.
Asian Fairy Bluebird
There were also a lot of Olive-winged Bulbuls there. I could not resist snapping a photo of one on a nice, open perch.
Olive-winged Bulbul
Next, I spotted two flycatchers – an Asian Brown Flycatcher (ABFC) and a Dark-sided Flycatcher (DFC). Couldn’t get a decent photo of the DFC but managed to get one of the AFC that looked like it was yawning.
Asian Brown FlycatcherDark-sided Flycatcher
Lastly, some Crimson Sunbirds were seen flying in and out of the shrubbery next to the platform. Sometimes the male would perch for extended periods in an open area which allowed for some good photography opportunity.
Had a busy Saturday with other life commitments. But I managed to squeeze out a few hours of birding at my “backyard” Bukit Gombak Park in the evening. So here we go with the highlights.
March is when the breeding season begins and you are likely to find birds building nests in Singapore. This male Common Iora is already in it’s breeding plumage (black cap, wings and tail).
Common Iora
These Asian Glossy Starlings seem to have started earlier. The two birds on the left are juveniles while the one on the far right is an adult.
Asian Glossy Starling
I also spotted two Asian Brown Flycatchers again just like the week before. I suspect they might be the same birds since they behaved similarly though they were spotted at different locations in the park.
Asian Brown FlycatcherAsian Brown Flycatcher
Lastly, there was an unexpected sighting of three Black Bazas (uncommon migratory raptors) flying at low elevation toward the forest in the army camp. I had initially thought they were crows but decided to snap a photo anyway.
The Salaryman Birder 