Upland Hike - Search for the Upland Pipit

Back in late 1990s to early 2000s, my dad and I often drove up to Kowloon Peak during the summer months to look for Upland Pipits and Chinese Francolins, you are almost guarantee to hear the 'dit-deeee, dit-deeee, dit-deeee' song of the Upland Pipit as soon as you get out of your car, where you will often see one singing from a rocky outcrop. Since 2014 this species had became more and more difficult to track down, where the pipit is seemingly missing from previously known strongholds such as Tai Mo Shan and Kowloon Peak. The reason for this is still unknown, but it is nowhere as widespread and easy to find as it used to be.

The global distribution of the Upland Pipit is slightly odd, as they are most commonly found along the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal and India etc, but they are also patchily distributed in Central and South China, Hong Kong is one of the stronghold of this species in Guangdong, also the lowest elevation of its range.

Upland Pipit - in its natural habitat

Me being me, I haven't bothered to venture up Lantau Peak as yet to tick this bird off my annual list in the last couple of years, I kept trying in suitable habitats around Tai Mo Shan but with very little luck, I more often just find Richard's Pipit up there. That being said, this species had been at the back of my mind for a few years, as I have yet to get a good photo record of this species. After hearing Captain finally found one up on Wong Leng at Pat Sin Leng Country Park, I thought I should give it a try given how close I actually live from there...

I parked at Hok Tau and walked up from there, the walk to the reservoir was pretty easy and I saw some birds a long the way. Several Speckled Piculets were heard and later seen, this species had really taken off in Hong Kong and now I see them almost weekly, sometimes a few times each week! Indochinese Yuhinas are still present in small numbers. White-bellied Erpornis was also seen within the feeding flock.

Speckled Piculet

Indochinese Yuhina

White-bellied Erpornis

I heard a few Rufous-tailed Robins singing along the way, often perched on low branches just above the undergrowth. A handsome male Tristram's Bunting was seen feeding amongst the Olive-backed Pipits.

Rufous-tailed Robin

Tristram's Bunting - male

Second part of the hike after passing Hok Tau Reservoir was quite steep, with very high steps. It doesn't help to be carrying a camera and binoculars, as they weigh you down. Fortunately the climb was not that long, I made it up the stairs in just over half an hour with some rests in-between. Once you get to the top of the steps it eases off and the trail becomes easy again.

Looking towards Sha Tau Kok at Ping Fung Shan

It took me a total of 1 hour 30 minutes to get from Hok Tau camping grounds up to the top of Ping Fung Shan, including birding stops and breaks. Once I got to the top I started scanning the rocky outcrops for any pipits, the first bird I saw was however not a pipit but a female Blue Rock Thrush.

Habitat at Ping Fung Shan

Blue Rock Thrush - female

It wasn't long before I started hearing their distinctive song, but the sound came from further down the cliff and out of sight. I heard another individual calling from further towards Wong Leng, this time I was able to locate the calling bird, perched on a rock not too far away from the footpath. Upland Pipits are extremely distinctive looking as far as pipit goes, they are quite short-tailed with a big head, and beautifully marked down their crown and mantle. They can be fairly confiding birds given you approach them quietly, at one point one of them started doing their display flight and landed right in front of me, where I was able to get quite a decent photo.

Upland Pipit

For my morning effort I counted a total of three individuals, where I seen two and later heard another one much further away. While the exact reason for this species's disappearance from several of its previous stronghold in Hong Kong is not known, I do hope this charismatic species can continue to thrive in Hong Kong.