Since my Vietnam trip I have been catching up on work mainly, therefore not that much time spent on birding myself except for tours. The only bird that I went back for again myself was the Scaly-sided Merganser at Tai Tong, it stayed on for a long while and provided brilliant views for almost anyone who cared to go. On my third try I finally got some closer views as it came to the rapids to feed, it is truly a special bird to see in Hong Kong, to see it up close was even more brilliant! On the day I visited I waited for 5 and a half hours until it came over to feed, but it was worth the wait.
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| Scaly-sided Merganser - female |
Despite it having a broken lower mandible, the Merganser's been observed to be feeding fine, a Little Egret even learn to follow it around to try snatch the fish off. It was very entertaining to see it diving in and out of the rapids, I was completely mesmerised by its ability to dive through the quick flowing water, you can see that it was truly in its elements when it was fishing along this stretch of river.
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| Scaly-sided Merganser with its 'friend', a Little Egret |
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| Truly in its elements |
Occasionally it will rest around the quieter waters, even swimming very close to shore. You can clearly see how its tongue hangs out from the bottom of the lower mandible. Despite the injury I am glad this bird is doing well, hopefully it will soon depart to head back to its breeding grounds.
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| Scaly-sided Merganser - potentially one of the best bird of 2023! |
Other notable birds at Tai Tong include a flock of very confiding Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes, just feeding by the side of the road absolutely unbothered by anyone passing by. The same goes to numerous Tristram's Buntings along the road, which were simply a joy to photograph.
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| Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush |
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| Tristram's Bunting - female |
Over at Tai Po Kau, I only connected with most of the common species, with the exception of a Rufous-faced Warblers one day which left me with no photographs. Nonetheless, Tai Po Kau is always enjoyable and even seeing the common species can be a lot of fun.
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| Black-throated Laughingthrush |
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| Yellow-cheeked Tit - female |
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| Rufous-capped Babbler |
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| Great Barbet - now calling constantly... |
Grey-headed Canary Flycatchers seems fairly uncommon this winter, I've only seen one around. The flowering coral trees are now attracting a lot of birds, including the always splendid Greyish-crowned Leafbirds, plus the usual Fork-tailed Sunbirds.
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| Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher |
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| Greyish-crowned Leafbird - male |
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| Fork-tailed Sunbird - male & female |
Over towards Mai Po, sights of Oriental Storks flying around seems to be a regular sight this winter, with at least a dozen staying around the reserve and nearby areas. It doesn't make them any less breathtaking to see, especially when they decide to soar right above your head.
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| Oriental Stork |
Deep Bay area is probably one of the best place to see wintering raptors in Hong Kong, such as Greater Spotted Eagle and Eurasian Kestrel, both seen at San Tin. Eastern Marsh Harriers are of course easiest around Mai Po, while the female Pied Harrier is still present around San Tin area, although takes a bit of luck if you want to see it up close.
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| Greater Spotted Eagle |
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| Eurasian Kestrel |
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| Eastern Marsh Harrier |
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| Pied Harrier - long staying female |
Yellow-fronted Canary is a regular sight at Mai Po, especially along the access road, you can often hear them singing in the trees above you, but occasionally they will come down to feed. Prinias are now getting easier to see as spring approaches, here a Plain Prinia sitting out in the open. Little Buntings are fairly easy to locate around fish ponds such as Tai Sang Wai and Ma Tso Lung alike. Around the fish ponds it is not unusual to see Black-faced Spoonbills at close range.
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| Yellow-fronted Canary |
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| Plain Prinia |
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| Little Bunting |
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| Black-faced Spoonbill |
This is a good time to look at Wagtails and Pipits around the dried fish ponds, I found a few lugens White Wagtails amongst he many leucopsis and ocularis, you can see some dark patches on the shoulder and mantle. Eastern Yellow Wagtails almost always pose nicely for photos, but you may find a Citrine Wagtail amongst them if you are lucky, such as this one at Ma Tso Lung. Scanning Richard's Pipit is always a good habit, even though we usually don't end up with anything other than Richard's...
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| White Wagtail - lugens |
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| Eastern Yellow Wagtail - taivana |
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| Citrine Wagtail |
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| Richard's Pipit |
The male Bluethroat at Tai Sang Wai is still around, while several other can be seen in the same area, nothing quite as bold as this brilliant looking male. Another long staying bird is the drake Ferruginous Duck at San Tin, still lingering on with the small flock of Tufted Ducks.
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| Bluethroat - male |
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| Ferruginous Duck - still around |
Theres been an Olive-backed Sunbird around Shek Kong Airfield, I went past the flowering tree when it wasn't present, but wasn't too bothered by its absence. The nice looking male Red-flanked Bluetail is still around, while numerous Yellow-billed Grosbeaks can often be found along the gully. Crested Goshawks are also regulars in the area. THE best bird for me there was no doubt a Eurasian Jay, which flew over my head as I was leading a birding workshop! No photo for that one, but it was quite a nice view and a long awaited bird to add onto my Hong Kong list, which now stands at 503.
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| Red-flanked Bluetail - male |
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| Yellow-billed Grosbeak - male |
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| Crested Goshawk |
Still not a lot of movements in terms of spring migrants, weather been way too dry and cool for spring, but I believe we should start seeing some movements in the coming week or two.
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