Up at 05:30, New Garden City about 06:10, we take off for Wulai's Fushan Village 福山村. Formerly, everyone passing south towards Fushan had to stop in Xinjian 信賢 to apply for a mountain entry permit. Passage to Fushan now only requires a "B" type (乙種) permit which doesn't need to be filled out. Anyone going on an adventure on any of the trails out of Fushan must apply for an "A" type mountain permit (甲種入山證), showing an itinerary and proper equipment at the police station in Xinxian 信賢 just north of the check point. The purpose of the permits is to know where people are in case a rescue is required.
Trails down to the river at 11km where kiyakers put in, 8:15AM. We see a group of around 10 Large-billed Crows 巨嘴鴉 Corvus macrorhynchos on the wires and road as we approach Fushan.
With Elijah and Baboo, we start walking at 08:30, heading across the suspension bridge and plan to go along the lower trail which runs due south (what we used to call the county line trail) generally following the course of the Zhakong River 扎孔溪. The suspension bridge has recently been rebuilt.
Common Bluebottle 青帶鳳蝶 Graphium sarpedon connectens and Great Mormon swallowtails 大鳳蝶 Papilio memnon heronus are on the ground around a recently poured cement bridge cable support, perhaps getting some element leaching out from the new cement - four or five Papilio to maybe 20 or so Graphium.
We continue on the lower trail which is much less traveled and somewhat overgrown for about 20 more minutes when we come to a side trail to the left heading to Mogu Shan with the time of 260 minutes.
We continue on for a few more minutes when Tammy screams, "A snake!" Dan and the two dogs had walked right over it, being in the lead, and never saw it. It was amazing that she saw it as even though it was in the middle of the path, the path was overgrown and the snake was perfectly cryptically colored. A Taiwan habu 龜殼花 (guei ke hua - turtle-patterned) 、烙鐵頭 Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus or Protobothrops mucrosquamatus. We take some photos and then continue on for a little ways, but soon turn around and get past the snake on our way back. 10:00 AM
Vipers typically have broad, triangular heads. Most are also heavy-bodied with relatively short, stender tails. Their long fangs permit deep penetration and envenomation of prey. The hinged-fang mechanism allows their storage against the roof of the mouth when not in use. Viperines are usually terrestrial, feeding on small mammals, birds, other vertebrates. They are mostly nocturnal, when they can rely on their pit organs to detect prey. The pit-organs lie on each side of the head between the nostril and eye and contain infrared receptors allowing the snake to detect prey whose body temperature differs from background temperatures.
Taking a break (11 AM) at the easterly turn off towards mushroom mountain 模故山 (4 hours) The last photo shows a typical cut through the earth for the flat narrow-gauge rail line once used to harvest the area's lumber.
Formosan Piedwing
中華珈蟌南台亞種
Psolodesmus mandarinus dorothea
褐翅蔭眼蝶、永澤黃斑蔭蝶、蒙鏈眼蝶
Neope muirheadi nagasawae
We think we hear a Large Hawk Cuckoo Cuculus sparverioides. We hear Barbets chirping, but not into their full call. Gray-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe morrisonia Tammy sees a Yuhina. Bronzed Drongo (Dicrurus aeneus). We hear several Gray Treepie Dendrocitta formosae just over the bridge.
烏來黑星小灰蝶 Pithecops fulgens urai Found in the Wulai area and the central mountains, with other subspecies in Japan and Assam.
Back out at the suspension bridge at 12:15.
We stop in the main police station at Xinjian 信賢 on the way out and talk with the men on duty for a few minutes about the current situation with mountain passes. They say that you must register with them to go on any of the mountain trails. It is ok to go to Haben, Lala Shan, Chaken Shan, etc. as long as you give them the details of your itinerary. It is all about them having to go fetch people who get lost or get into a jam out in the woods.
永澤黃斑蔭蝶
Neope muirheadi nagasawae
