Saturday 3 January 2015

Bay Woodpeckered!!!

3/1/2015

My first day of birding in 2015. After hearing news online about a Black-browed Barbet in Tai Po Kau, I just felt like going there for a walk. I wasn't really hopeful in finding it, nor was I really looking for it, the bird was all the way up at Brown and Yellow walk, in other words; a bloody long way away. Plus, I guess the bird wouldn't stick around one place, as most Barbets do fly around looking for fruiting trees.

I woke up quite late, and arrived Tai Po Kau near 9:00am. It was mostly quiet, with very little activity except for hikers and walkers. I met Kwan and Francis sitting on a bench near the end of Red walk, so decided to sit for a while and wait it out.

After a while they headed back down while I continued on, not far from the bench though I heard the call of the Bay Woodpecker from a distance. I did a few playback and waited. It wasn't long until I got a reply and soon a bird flew past! The second bird followed and stopped on a branch near the top of a tree near me. That's when I reached for my camera and fired a few shots.

Bay Woodpecker

It wasn't any good, but I finally have a photograph of the Bay Woodpecker in Hong Kong. You must start somewhere don't you? Other birds are as follows...

Grey-chinned Minivet


Chestnut Bulbul


A short visit to Mui Shu Hang Park in Tai Wo only yielded a Red-throated Flycatcher, the lawn on the drainage ditch is usually good for thrushes...I saw none. The lack of bird had me turned to even the commonest of birds, a male Magpie Robin, which looks very bluish under the bright sunlight.

Red-throated Flycatcher

Yellow-browed Warbler

Magpie Robin

2 comments:

  1. Ah, Bay Woody - I've heard it, seen it, but still no photos...

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  2. Hi John, I am sure you will get it this year! It's a lot more accustomed to people nowadays, a group of hikers went past and they didn't seemed too bothered, I remember they were very easily spooked a few years back...

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