Herping, No Birding

My telephoto lens all been sitting in my dry cabinet during these relatively birdless months, we are starting to get a few migrants coming through, with an exceptional record of an Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher at someone's patio on Lantau, but nothing twitchable yet. So, I've been focusing more on herping and practicing my macrophotography. This approximately 2.5m long Burmese Python at Nam Chung though certainly did not require the use of macro, it was not the largest Burmese Pythons I've seen, but certainly the most thrilling to be able to photograph this up close. Trust me, it was NOT a happy bunny.

Burmese Python - adult

On the same evening we found a Burmese Python hatchling, I've been trying to find a hatchling for a few years with little luck, so I was very pleased to be able to get a nice look on this little beauty, its smaller size also make photographing it much less of a hazard...Burmese Python is an important part of our ecosystem, as we have been lacking any top predator for the last hundred years, these snakes are pretty much the only animal out there capable of controlling the growing Wild Boar population to some extent. Though these snakes are protected by law in Hong Kong, they are still threatened by interacting with humans, I've often seen dead Burmeses Pythons killed by car or simply beaten to death by hikers.

Burmese Python - hatchling

Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck with any other snakes of late, other than numerous Bamboo Pit Vipers. That being said, I still enjoy seeing them, this particular one had some blood stains by its lips, I wonder whether these were from its previous meal?

Bamboo Pit Viper

Of the three species of Microhyla frogs in Hong Kong, two species look fairly similar. The Ornate Pygmy Frog and the Butler's Pygmy Frog, both species share slightly similar habitats and is similar in size. I met both species of late, and was able to get good photos on both occasions.

Ornate Pygmy Frog

Butler's Pygmy Frog

The best way to tell them apart is by looking at them from above, where Ornate Pygmy Frogs usually look brighter, with a central dark patch near its spine, the Butler's Pygmy Frog looks darker and have a jagged patch on its back, it also look more warty when you look close enough. Here's a top shot comparison of the two species.

Ornate Pygmy Frog

Butler's Pygmy Frog

Snakes and frogs are not the only animals we look for at night, you also get a chance to see all sorts of cool beetles and insects, here are a few fine examples.

Glycyphana horsfieldi

Subgenus Palmar

Asiophrida scaphoides

Heterotarsus inflatus

Rhynocoris fuscipes

Pseudotheopea smaragdina

Genus Orthopagus

Sipyloidea sipylus

Acanthaspis geniculata

The range of arthropods we see at night often exceed just insects, you will be amazed by the range of little critters you can find in Hong Kong if you care to look. Dwarf Wood Scorpions can sometimes be found patrolling the forest floor at night, Pill Millepedes will roll up into a ball when disturbed. Finally, what appears to be a dull looking millipede may in fact be a rather unusual find, this I believe maybe a Litostrophus scaber, which is apparently not a particularly common species of millipede found in Hong Kong.

Dwarf Wood Scorpion

Zephronia profuga

Litostrophus scaber

Hopefully this birding blog will resume its original function in the coming months...as a BIRDING BLOG.