World

Leaving Taichung our first stop is Mount Bagua to see the huge Buddha statue and enjoy a walk in the large complex surrounding it

Before leaving Taichung we visit between two bouts of rain the park that we can see just outside our hotel room observing an unexpected numbers of birds

We spend a few hours at the top of Daxueshan road find a good mix of high altitude endemics and other rare birds as well as a Muntjac

After spending some time at the lower elevations it is time to bird at mid elevations for some beautiful endemics before finishing at the top of the road

We start our birding day at the lower elevations of Daxueshan finding quite a few endemics including a beautiful Swinhoe Pheasant

We spend two nights in Taichung eating icecream at one of the famous main street spots but never explore it during the day when we are exploring the mountains

We approach Taichung via an alternate route that allows us to stop at an old bunker and a special viewpoint of the city before driving into town to our hotel

The last stop on the coast today is the Jingcheng Lake area with some waterbirds and nice views of the coast

A little known stop the Caota Sand Dunes Geopark is a worthwhile visit with some beautiful dune views and nice trails

Our first stop outside Taipei is at Xucuogang Wetland where we try and succeed in seeing the rare Chinese Egret as well as many other shorebirds