Pheasant-tailed Jacana and Other Regular Migrants

Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Not been particularly lucky with any interesting migrants, the long staying Pheasant-tailed Jacana was a nice bird to see as always, with some patience it often came out into the open to feed, mainly on small water snails. Pheasant-tailed Jacana is a regular migrant in Hong Kong, historically we were probably part of the breeding range, although they probably stopped breeding here since we don't have any suitable breeding habitats for them anymore.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Other remotely interesting birds present at Long Valley includes a Yellow Bittern, hunting for small fish and tadpoles in a well vegetated pond. Red-throated Pipits are now arriving, with a few seen trotting around the fields. Red-rumped Swallows been passing through and often seen at Long Valley. Common Snipe numbers have also increased in recent weeks.

Yellow Bittern

Red-throated Pipit

Red-rumped Swallow

Common Snipe

The usual cast of common species such as Black-winged Stilts, White-throated Kingfishers, Black Drongos and Long-tailed Shrike makes birding around Long Valley a joy, most of them allow close views and the afternoon or early morning sunlight makes for perfect photography opportunities.

Black-winged Stilt

White-throated Kingfisher

Black Drongo

Long-tailed Shrike

No visit to Long Valley at this time of the year will be completed without seeing the hundreds of Munias, White-rumped Munias are the predominant species of local Munias, they are often very photogenic. Recently, numerous White-headed and Chestnut Munias mixed into the flocks, these are probably individuals from mercy release which have found their way to Long Valley, whether they will start breeding remains to be seen...

White-rumped Munia

White-headed Munia

Chestnut Munia

I tried Tai Lam a few times but couldn't find anything really good, although a few Dark-sided Flycatchers were nice to see. There were also lots of Eastern Crowned Warblers, but none of them photographable.

Dark-sided Flycatcher

San Tin had been fairly good, although I couldn't find anything rare, a newly arrived Little Bunting was a good reminder that Bunting season is soon to be upon us! While numerous Whiskered Terns provided endless target practice for BIF shots, of which I must yet again praise the EOS R6 for its animal tracking ability, which works great for birds inflight! Whereas I might get just 30-40% hit rate in the past, the EOS R6 will be in focus 80% of the time! 

Little Bunting

Whiskered Tern

The lack of forest birds at my local patch was compensated with a range of waders, including Grey-tailed Tattler, Eurasian Curlew, Red-necked Stint and numerous Plovers. Kentish Plovers were the smallest of the bunch, feeding on the pebble beach.

Kentish Plover

There were also a few Greater Sand Plovers, even in non-breeding plumage you can easily tell them apart by their heavy bill and bulkier body. The late afternoon light was perfect for photography. These plovers are usually very tolerable to people moving around them, as dozens of families were playing along the pebble beach, mostly oblivious to these wonderful birds sitting right next to them.

Greater Sand Plover

A juvenile 'Tibetan' Lesser Sand Plover was amongst one of the friendliest in the bunch, as long as I stayed still enough at one spot, it readily walks towards me as it forages along the pebble beach. A delightful way to spend an afternoon!

Lesser Sand Plover

Close Encounters of the "Bird" Kind

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler - one of the shopping mall's new attraction

As we birders all know, birds can literally turn up anywhere anytime. This was indeed the case for two locustella warblers that turned up at some hedges within a shopping mall complex at the heart of Kowloon earlier this week. The shopping mall is often packed with people and this was the last place you would expect for any rarity to turn up. But, an unusually timed Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler (they're usually passage migrants) plus a very rare Baikal Bush Warbler took up resident at this most unlikely location.

I took a few hours on Monday morning before work to look for the two birds, the Baikal Bush Warbler was showing well, but not so easy to photograph...I only managed one half decent shot after hours of trying. But, I guess this is already quite good for bush warbler standard. Key diagnostic features to separate Baikal from the very similar Spotted Bush Warbler are supposedly broader white tips to under tail coverts and generally more pointed wings. The first feature I could pick out quite well, the second feature I don't feel so confident about, mainly because I don't have much to compare this with...I will trust the experts who have had hands on experience with these locustella warblers.

Baikal Bush Warbler - doesn't make it easier despite how confiding it is...

Half of the time too close for me to focus with my 500mm lens

The Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler on the other hand was much more showy, boarder lining BIZARRE...At one point the warbler hopped onto the tiled ground to look for food just like a sparrow would do. It felt so strange to be looking at one of the most skulking warbler being very non-skulky. But, I am not complaining! As my best view of this species had previously been birds flying away from me as I flush them out from a field, not what you call a great view. So, I sure did enjoyed these amazingly close encounters while it lasted! Since then these two warblers had became a bit of a local celebrity, even local residents were interested to know what everyone were trying to photograph.

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler - fancy a swim?

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler - 

well marked crown, mantle and wing coverts, darker sub-terminal band with white tail tips

Other then birding in shopping malls, I have also been out a few times in New Territories birding in the past two weeks. Great birds includes three Common Rosefinch at Shek Kong Airfield Road on the 14th, a Japanese Sparrowhawk at Long Valley on the 21st, but neither of them provided me with any satisfactory photographic opportunities unlike the following birds...While I was not having much luck with any other Buntings, Little Buntings had filled in the large gap of this genre. Here, a confiding individual at San Tin as well as one from Long Valley to stick with the "close encounters" theme

Little Bunting - 

equally confiding birds from San Tin (top) and the other from Long Valley (bottom)

Siberian Stonechats are of course extremely friendly as always and make great photographic subjects. A very confiding Common Tailorbird at Long Valley was also nice, a species you don't get to see this well everyday. A frame filling Long-tailed Shrike was too tempting for me not to take a portrait of this handsome bird, who could say no to this pretty face? Chinese Pond Herons also provided some great close up photos at Long Valley.

Siberian Stonechat

Common Tailorbird

Long-tailed Shrike

Chinese Pond Heron

Oriental Turtle Doves are always nice to see and can be a nice change from the usual Spotted Doves. Red-throated Pipits still in good numbers with plenty at Long Valley as well as San Tin. Also plentiful at Long Valley were numerous Common Snipes with a few Swintails, although I couldn't manage any photographs of the latter. Also at Long Valley, a handsome male Daurian Redstart that had taken up position near Ho Sheung Heung.

Oriental Turtle Dove

Red-throated Pipit - non-breeding plumage

Common Snipe

Daurian Redstart - male

Not all birds like to come close, most of the time they like to stay well away from people. One of them was this Bull-headed Shrike at Long Valley, I think this one had been around for sometime, although a bit far it was nice to finally caught up with it. Common Mynas were regularly seen, although not always easy to get any decent photographs, they usually fly off before I get the chance to get any closer.

Bull-headed Shrike - it was gone before I could even get closer...

Common Myna

Finally, some flight shots of birds to wrap things up before Chinese New Year! Wishing you all a birdy and exciting year of the rooster!

Collared Crow

Pied Avocet

Eastern Buzzard

Some Birds Here and There

There's been some good birds dotted around Hong Kong but I haven't had the time to visit all of them, this is winter birding for you, always action somewhere! But first, you need to have the time to do so. Here is a post of some of the few birds I have seen around the places lately in my limited time for birding. First up are those that have been near me, including a pair of Mugimaki's Flycatchers, my favourite local wintering species! The male was a bit shy but the female provided some good views last week.

Olive-backed Pipits are back, and they can be seen walking along the forest floor at the jogging trail near home, they will fly up to the nearest tree when disturbed. The Red-flanked Bluetails are also back, quite a few of them around, all females though. A pair of Asian Stubtails had also taken up resident down in the gully, along with numerous wintering Thrushes that were all too quick for photographs! We've also seen an increased in Chinese Bulbul numbers, you often see flocks of them travelling together during winter, likely migrant flocks from further north. No Tristram's Buntings to note as yet...

At Long Valley, numbers of common birds were quite good, they all seems to be less shy during winter as well, allowing some quite good photographs taken. Especially the Common Snipe shown below, I got to around 4 meters without setting the "alarm" off! A small flock of very confiding Cattle Egrets had also taken up resident at Long Valley.

I didn't encounter anything spectacular on my visit, but a Ruddy-breasted Crake was a very welcoming sight. It was a bit shy though, not quite as friendly as the one two years ago. Little Buntings were in very good numbers and seems to have taken over as the only obliging Bunting on show at Long Valley. There were a few Black-faced Buntings as well.

Finally, I only managed a single Citrine Wagtail that day, although a rather handsome one by wintering standards. Strangely I haven't seen any at the patch of watercress field which I usually find one or two, instead they have been flying all around the places, dropping in occasionally. This was probably the reason why John missed this species when we were out birding last week, interestingly enough the second time the Citrine Wagtail had eluded him! Maybe on his next visit then...