Wednesday 10 December 2014

10th December 2014 Chong Yen, Mae Wong NP

We spent dawn at the campsite clearing but quickly made our way to the area of yesterday's Peacock-Pheasant and soon saw a female. A few walkers then appeared who disturbed the area so we made our way back to the campsite and then walked down the road for a couple of kilometres in the hope of seeing a Green Cochoa that had been present in the area a couple of weeks earlier. A few birds were seen but generally birding was quite slow. We therefore returned to the campsite and from midday to 3pm walked the Old Umphang Road where there were several bushes in small fruit ensuring there was much more activity that included a White-browed Piculet and a pair of smart Rufous-backed Sibias. However, far better was to come as a small stream was attracting a few birds to drink and bathe, and whilst there, we heard a loud hard scolding call and out popped a Slaty-bellied Tesia! Tesias are tiny long-legged virtually tailless wonders we first encountered in Nepal that have remained firm favourites ever since and we hadn't realised they occurred at Mae Wong National Park. It was then a decision whether to again try walking down the road in the hope of a Cochoa or to try the viewpoint again for 'third time lucky' with the Hornbill. We were leaning towards the viewpoint when Annan appeared and suggested we should try an area of the road a couple of kilometres down. It was indeed very nice tall forest and there were plenty of fruiting trees but we neither heard or saw anything resembling a Cochoa. However, we were feeling pleased when we coincided with a large mixed-species flock crossing the road that held some nice species including a Speckled Piculet, a couple of Maroon Orioles and a small group of Golden Babblers. We returned to the campsite just after dark and met a Dutch birder who was starting out down the Old Umphang Road just as we were leaving. He broke the news that he had briefly seen a male Rufous-necked Hornbill in a tree that had then flown off across the valley and he felt sure we would have seen it had we been at the viewpoint - birding can be cruel at times! We set off for a long night-drive in the hope of seeing the Oriental Bay Owl but there wasn't even a sound of it this evening. We did hear around 30 Mountain Scops Owls but failed to see even one - we hadn't appreciated quite how fortunate we had been seeing such a responsive bird in Taiwan! Just as we were about to turn the car around we saw a large Owl fly that subsequently started to call allowing us to successfully spotlight it - a Brown Wood Owl. We reluctantly called it a night at least knowing there was a Hornbill around...  

Grey Peacock-Pheasant 1 female-type
Mountain Imperial Pigeon 4
Mountain Scops Owl h
Brown Wood Owl 1
Great Barbet 6
Golden-throated Barbet 3
Speckled Piculet 1
White-browed Piculet 1
Grey-chinned Minivet 8
Slender-billed Oriole 2
Maroon Oriole 2
Orange-bellied Leafbird 1
Hair-crested Drongo 20
Grey Treepie 2
Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher 2
Black-crested Bulbul 4
Flavescent Bulbul 10
Mountain Bulbul 4
Black Bulbul 1
Swallow 20
Asian House Martin 2
Red-rumped Swallow 10
Slaty-bellied Tesia 1
Radde's Warbler 1
Yellow-browed Warbler 3
Eastern Crowned Warbler 1
Golden Babbler 3
Buff-breasted Babbler 10
Black-throated Laughingthrush 6
Silver-eared Mesia 4
Rufous-backed Sibia 2
Striated Yuhina 10
Chestnut-flanked White-eye 2
Oriental White-eye 1 yellow form
Rufous-browed Flycatcher 1
Rufous-bellied Niltava 2
White-tailed Robin 2
Blue Whistling Thrush 2
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker 1
Streaked Spiderhunter 2
Grey Wagtail 2

 

Male Rufous-bellied Niltava at Chong Yen, Mae Wong
 
Female-type Rufous-bellied Niltava at Chong Yen, Mae Wong
 
Buff-breasted Babbler at Chong Yen, Mae Wong
 
Blue Whistling Thrush at Chong Yen, Mae Wong




 
Female-type Grey Peacock-Pheasant at Chong Yen, Mae Wong
 
View from the road below Chong Yen looking outside of the NP
 
Female Orange-bellied Leafbird at Chong Yen, Mae Wong
 
Golden-throated Barbet  at Chong Yen, Mae Wong
 
 
 
Silver-eared Mesia at Chong Yen, Mae Wong
 
 
Rufous-backed Sibia at Chong Yen, Mae Wong
of the form davisoni
 
 
Slaty-bellied Tesia at Chong Yen, Mae Wong