One small point/query. I see that the trip list includes Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus. Mark Brazil in "Birds of East Asia" gives this species as a winter visitor to Taiwan, but he also notes that Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus has become established as a feral breeder in NW Taiwan with between 300 and 350 birds present. I wonder if your record might refer to Sacred Ibis rather than Black-headed?
It would be interesting to know the current status of melanocephalus in Taiwan. The species used to be a regular winter visitor to Hong Kong in very small numbers, but has become very rare in recent years. (I don't, offhand, know when the last record was.) The species is now a "description bird" - I suppose because of its current rarity, but also because any observer of the species now has to take into account the possibility of Sacred Ibis wandering over to Hong Kong from Taiwan.
dave
[ Last edited by ddavid at 6/03/2009 11:18 ]
