TAIWAN INTERNATIONAL BIRDING ASSOCIATION

The Taiwan International Birding Association was formally registered as a not-for-profit society on May 21, 2005, at a meeting at the Council of Agriculture, Taipei, Taiwan.  Officers elected:  Yang Chung-tse, Chairman; Lin Maw-nan, Vice Chairman; Tso Chien-hui, Executive Secretary; Zheng Shu-kai/Kerry Zheng, Treasurer.

 Our objective is to encourage birding eco-tourism in Taiwan.

TIBA was first organized as the International Taiwan Birding Association in July, 2003, in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.   Officers appointed were:  Simon Liao, President; Dr. Robert Butler and Dr. Shing Kuo Shih, Vice Presidents; Jo Ann MacKenzie, Executive Secretary; Karen Shih, Treasurer.  After TIBA came into being in Taiwan, ITBA continued to operate as a parallel branch in Canada.  On March 17, 2007, ITBA merged with TIBA, and remains as the Canadian chapter, under the name of the Taiwan International Birding Association (Canada).

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Birding in Taiwan Breaking News

Chinese Crested Terns (Matsu Tern), Sterna bernsteini, have Returned!

During a survey on June 21, 2007, Chang Shou-hwa located three pairs of Chinese Crested Terns (Matsu Tern) on Xijyu Shershan islet in the Matsu Tern Reserve.  Survey work will continue to look for any more of these extremely rare terns and monitor their activities during the breeding season.

On May 20, 2007, Legislator Tien Chiu-chin met with a Birding in Taiwan group in Taipei.  The birders were an international group, from Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and the United States.  The birders had been traveling in Taiwan for two weeks and had visited every county (except Yilan), and had also gone to Lanyu Island. 

TIBA Goes to the 2007 Fair

          The Taiwan International Birding Association will again represent Taiwan at the British Birdwatching Fair, 17–19 August, to be held in the Egleton Nature Reserve, Rutland Water, Oakham, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.  Legislator Tien Chiu-Chin and Jo Ann MacKenzie invite you to attend a talk on “Birding in Taiwan — Chinese Crested Tern” on Friday, August 17, 12:00–12:20 p.m. in the Lecture Marquee.

            We look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones this year. 

Taiwan National Bird Vote Results

The Taiwan National Bird Vote campaign, which began in January, 2007, came to a close at midnight, April 29, 2007.  There were over 1 million votes cast (987,063 by computer and 70,000 by paper ballot) from 53 countries, representing every continent except Antarctica.  There were 1,300 downloads for teaching purposes in educational institutions.

The winning bird, FORMOSAN MAGPIE, with 491,572 votes, was announced at a media event on May 2, 2007.  In second place was MIKADO PHEASANT, with 277,178 votes.  The random draw for prizes (20 Olympus digital cameras) took place; 19 names were drawn by computer, and one, on paper, drawn by hand.  Winners have been notified, and the prizes will be mailed promptly. MORE

Rare Bird:  Desert Wheatear at Changhua

            A Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti spent two weeks (January 28 to February 16) near Dacheng (Tacheng) city in southwestern Changhua County.  Photos by Dr. Wang Yu-quen.

            Desert Wheatear is an “Old World Flycatcher.” This species is fairly common in stony deserts.  Its breeding range is Arabia, the Middle East to Mongolia, western Himalayas; west, north and central China and the Tibetan Plateau.  The wintering range includes Arabia, northeast Africa, Pakistan and northwest India. 

            Desert Wheatear is classed as “Vagrant” in Taiwan.  There have been five records:  the most recent in Changhua County (above); October 2004, Yehliu; 1997, Matsu; May 1995, Penghu Islands; April 1989, Lanyu Island.

Rare birds:  Tundra Swans, Winter 2006–2007

            A family of five Tundra Swans Cygnus columbianus bewickii has been wintering on the west coast of Taiwan.  They have ranged from south to north, back and forth, from Tainan to Hsinchu.   Photo by Mark Wilkie.

            The Asian race of Tundra Swan, C. c. bewickii (sometimes Olor columbianus bewickii) was formerly considered a separate species, called Bewick’s Swan.  It was named for Thomas Bewick (1753–1828), British engraver, who specialized in illustrations of birds and animals.

            C. c. bewickii breeds across most of high-Arctic Siberia.  Western populations winter in Europe; eastern populations winter chiefly in eastern Asia, mostly in Japan, Korea and China.  It is “Vagrant” in Taiwan.

            The earliest record in Taiwan is of a party of 12 in the Taoyuan area in mid-November, 1929.  On December 6, 1929, hunters shot five of them; the remaining seven escaped.  Further known records are from 1971, 1976, 1989 and January 25, 2003.

            BirdLife International considers the population of C. c. bewickii to be Stable.

Rare Birds:  Common Crane and Black-chinned Fruit-Dove

            A Common Crane Grus grus and a juvenile Black-chinned Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus leclancheri visited Taiwan in February, 2007.  The crane was at Ilan (Ee-lan); the fruit-dove was at Kaohsiung.  The Wild Bird Society of Taipei classes both as “Vagrant” in Taiwan.

             The Common Crane breeds in northern Eurasia and winters in northern Africa, southern India and Southeast Asia.  It is becoming rare. 

            The presently-known range of the Black-chinned Fruit-Dove is the Philippines and Palawan.  However, some authors recognize an endemic subspecies, P. l. taiwanus, on Lanyu Island.  Its status there is unclear at this time. 

*Ripley, S. Dillon. 1962.  A new subspecies of the Black-chinned Fruit Pigeon IN Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, Vol. 75.

Rare Geese at Ilan  (Ee-lan)

A small party of Swan Geese Anser cygnoides, was present during January, 2007 at Ilan.  A few Bean Geese Anser fabalis arrived at the same time.  Both species of geese are classed as “Vagrant” in Taiwan.

Pacific Seabird Group to Meet in Taiwan

            The Pacific Seabird Group, an international organization dedicated to the study of Pacific Ocean seabirds and their environment, will hold a conference in Lugang, Taiwan, in early October, 2007.  The event will be co-chaired by Dr. Robert Butler, Senior Research Scientist, Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service and Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia; Dr. Ron Ydenberg, Professor, Director of the Centre for Wildlife Ecology at Simon Fraser University; Director of Pacific Seabird Group, and Simon Liao, Taiwan International Birding Association.  A planning meeting was held in Vancouver, BC, Canada on December 9, 2006.  Those present were Dr. Robert Butler, Gloria Candido, Dr. Peter Candido, Gail Kenner, Dr. Rex Kenner, Simon Liao, Jo Ann MacKenzie, Tom Middleton, Karen Shih and Dr. Shing-Kuo Shih.

Ijima’s Leaf-Warbler in Taiwan