Fauna of Taiwan

I barely saw any birds at Sun-Moon Lake or Takoro National Park due to dense trees there. 

Egrets were the most commonly seen birds at Sun Moon Lake, because of their large size as well as the bright white plumage that gives away where they are. In fact there is a water fowl reservation area at eastern side of the lake for them. What surprised me was to see them in Takoro Gorges, along Liwu stream, standing on rocks. They are graceful and elegant anywhere they are.

Another famous birds at Takoro Gorges are the pacific swallows. Swallow Grotto is named after the birds. We got to the trail head shortly before the closure of the area, and lucky for us, we saw the swallows there, as lively as ever, gliding around, flipping wings, and making noise.

Egrets at Sun Moon Lake

Water fowl preservation area at Sun Moon Lake

An egret at Takoro Gorge

An egret gliding along the Liwu stream

Pacific swallows at Takoro Gorges

A more common seen fauna at Takoro Gorges are some big dark wing butterflies. They were everywhere, and restless. It was hard for me to take any pictures of them unless they were rested.

A big butterfly chewing on rocks on the trail

Formosan Rock Macaque is a type of monkey endemic to the island of Taiwan. We saw them the first time by chance at Buluowan Terrace on our first day at Takoro National Park: some body took selfies and saw the monkeys in the photo and exclaimed - that's how we noticed where they were in the dense trees. The next day on the Shakadang trail, we saw a troupe of Formosan Rock Macaques foraging in the trees by the trail side. The monkeys have red faces and bottoms. 

Formosan Rock Macaque

Actually we saw more birds at Taipei on the campus of National Taiwan University, and in the gardens at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. Several new species to me  - pacific black duck, Muscovy duck, black colored starling. 

A black swan at drunken moon lake on NTU campus

juvenile black head night heron 

Pacific Black Duck

Muscovy Duck

common moorhen

Black Night Crowned Heron

Black neck starling

The most amazing and unexpected sightings of new faunas happened at Elephant Mountain Park near our hotel. We went for a hike and a view of Taipei 101. On the way to trail head, I saw three photographers aiming their big lens cameras at a tree. Upon talking to one of them, I knew and saw a hole on a tree trunk, which was the nest for a 5 color bird or Taiwan Barbet - another endemic specie to Taiwan. 

He also told me he went here to look for and take photos of a colorful tree bug - Fulgorid Planthopper. I spotted the bug with his help.

A colorful tree bug

I stayed there for a while, saw a bird chick stretched its head out of the hole from time to time. A few more minutes later the mother bird came to feed the chick a butterfly! My patience paid off. 

What a sight!

A Taiwan Barbet feeding its chick