Autumn migration is just around the corner, I am hoping to get out more often having just finished up a major project for work. One bird I ended up 'twitching' was a recently fledged Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo at Kadorie Farm, although that ended with us finding that particular chick on the ground with a broken wing, we suspected that a raptor probably tried taking it out but it narrowly escaped. We called the animal rescue unit at Kadorie Farm immediately and the bird was taken into their care. Unfortunately, the bird did not survive with its severely broken wing.
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| Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo - juvenile |
Only a few Blue-winged Minlas came close enough for any decent photos that day at KFBG, this one caught what appears to be a Camel Cricket. Closer to home, Emerald Doves are calling non-stop, this photo was taken a few months back at Nam Chung where I found this young bird feeding out by the road. Speckled Piculets have been calling daily at home, and this one I spotted on my rooftop, though a bit far it feels great to be able to see them right at home! Some early autumn migrants have now returned to Hong Kong, I am hoping to find a few of them in the next couple of weeks.
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| Blue-winged Minla |
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| Emerald Dove |
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| Speckled Picuet |
I've not been having much luck with snakes, only been seeing Bamboo Pit Vipers and very little else. The best being a Futsing Wolf Snake one evening, this one was particularly docile and is the first one that did not even attempt a single bite! The recent rain brought out plenty of Brahminy Blind Snakes, while always fun to see, they are far from being exciting.
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| Bamboo Pit Viper |
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| Futsing Wolf Snake |
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| Brahminy Blind Snake |
On a snakeless evening, we took some time admiring this usually ignored Slender Forest Skink, it was relatively cooperative and allowed some nice portraits to be taken. The other lizard we see a lot at night is the Changeable Lizard, where you often find them sleeping on a blade of grass.
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| Slender Forest Skink |
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| Changeable Lizard |
You can expect to find plenty of frogs after the rain, Hong Kong Cascade Frogs and Green Cascade Frogs can be found with ease by fast flowing streams.
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| Hong Kong Cascade Frog |
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| Green Cascade Frog |
Seeing mammals during night walks are added bonus and a real treat. While out with a group at Lung Fu Shan, Hoiling spotted this very lovely Masked Palm Civet, feeding on Ficus variegata, one of their favourite food! It gave everyone really good views, even dropped a few figs by our feet.
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| Masked Palm Civet |
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