Taiwan Jun-Jul 2017

June 26
Taipei Botanical Garden

Malayan Night-Heron
nest, could still be in use as two adults are nearby.

They are seen on the ground most of the time outside of breeding season.

First year

 Taiwan Barbet
Taiwan's only barbet species and is endemic to the island

 Crested Goshawk

Rhyothemis variegata

 Neurothemis ramburii

 Didn't find a name for this

Jun 29

Taipei

Barn Swallow

a nest of 6 is a bit crowded.

Many of the parents choose to nap in the shade during the hottest hours of the day.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

the nuptial coloration of the lore is blue. The legs can become much redder at this time of year.

White egg shell

dozing off

first year

Little Egret

Blue eggshell

nuptial plumes

the lore and toes turn red.

Cattle Egret

 the colony

House Swift

 attempting to mate in mid air

 Flock of House and Pacific Swifts

 Taiwan Blue-Magpie

endemic

 Common Myna

common invasive

 Black-collared Starling

a less common introduced species

Jun 30

Dasi

Little Grebe

 Black Kite

As they scavenge and eat dead animals, their numbers have declined significantly over the past decade due to ingesting animals with pesticides in them. 

 Large-billed Crow

 Black-naped Monarch

Incubating on the nest. Unfortunately, this nest was no longer in use when I checked back a week later.

Jul 02

Sanxia

Formosan Whistling-Thrush

Started the day with an endemic

One of the problems I faced shooting Macro this summer is not all of the small things are small. They are all different sizes! And this makes bringing the proper lens, extension tubes and light a question not easily tackled. I decided to shoot mostly with Nikon 105mm VR and a 36mm extension tube and not worry about it too much.

Teleopsis quadriguttata (Walker, 1856)

quite an active little guy.

 Cosmoscarta uchidae

 some I didn't find names of.
Order Homoptera

Order Hymenoptera

  Order Lepidoptera

 Family Pentatomidae

 Leucauge sp.

Cyclosa ginnaga

Best match I could find although the web lacks the pattern I found in most pictures.

Jul 03

Sanxia

Psacothea hilaris

 Cosmodela batesi

sparkly endemic of Taiwan

 beetle

Caltoris cahira austeni (Moore,1883)

Family Limacodidae

Order Lepidoptera

 cicada

Family Pentatomidae

 Cyrtophora unicolor

Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1827)

female

 Aegista mackensii (Adams & Reeve, 1850)

endemic

Hylarana latouchii (Boulenger, 1899)

One of the most common amphibians in Taiwan.

 Liopeltis major

The most common snake.

 Alpinia zerumbet

 fungus

Jul 16

Wulai

Family Limacodidae

 Megisba Malaya sikkima (Moore,1884)

 Order Lepidoptera

 Order Odonata

 Euphaea formosa

 Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1827)

male