Birds seen and heard:

• Taiwan Hill Partridge 1 heard only
• Black Eagle 2
• Crested Serpent Eagle 2 heard only
• Eyebrowed Thrush 1+
• Pale Thrush 2
• thrush sp. 20+
• Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler 2 heard only
• Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler several heard
• Eurasian Jay 1 heard only
• Large-billed Crow 1
• Fire-breasted Flowerpecker 1 female
• White-rumped Munia 15
• Black-faced Bunting 1
• Green-backed Tit 1
• Black-throated Tit 10
• Taiwan Yuhina 5
• Taiwan Sibia 4
• Steere’s Liocichla 25
• Rufous-faced Warbler 20
• Olive-backed Pipit 3
• Daurian Redstart 1 female
• Taiwan Barbet 4
• Rufous-capped Babbler 2
• Striated Swallow
• Barn Swallow

A lovely clear, cool morning up at Tengjhih. Kaohsiung’s smog could be seen creeping closer and closer during my visit, but it never seems to get all the way up to Tengjhih. I made sure to fill my lungs with plenty of clean air before driving back down the mountain.

I walked the main blue trail, starting at the village at Km 15 and proceeding clockwise. At birding pace, the walk takes 2.5-3 hours. Bird activity was high today, with plenty of thrushes seen and heard – however, only a few of them were positively identified, as they were very flighty and elusive in the abundant dense cover.

I heard both Taiwan Hill Partridge and Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler, and other notable Tengjhih records included Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Black-faced Bunting, two splendid Black Eagles (reliable here), and the return of wintering Olive-backed Pipts and a Daurian Redstart.

Year tick: Eyebrowed Thrush (total 255).