Sad Ending for a Rail and a rare Gull

A Slaty-breasted Rail was reported outside of Kowloon Bay Sports Centre, being a species I have seen numerous times but never been able to photograph, I went to give it a try. I didn't have to wait long until the bird came out, it was exceedingly friendly at times, and actively foraging around the flowerbeds! It ate a few African Giant Snails right in front of me and seems to be doing quite well. Unfortunately, less than a week later it was seen doing poorly and sent to Kadorie Farm where it unfortunately passed away soon after, looking at other photographer's photos before it was taken away, there seemed to be some sort of head injury, whether it crashed into something or a cat got to it we will not know for sure. A reminder that not all birds get a happy ending.

Slaty-breasted Rail - sad demise of this wonderful bird in the end

Over at Mai Po, rarer gulls usually start turning up around January and February, this time two Relict Gull and a Black-legged Kittiwake turned up, I only caught up with the former, with distant views. But it is a nice bird to see, and certainly one we don't see very often in Hong Kong.

Relict Gull

Other goodies around Mai Po includes continuing Oriental Storks, a pair gave great close views one day on the scrape. I always love to see them side by side with Grey Herons, it really put into perspective how massive they really are!

Oriental Stork

A single Eurasian Hoopoe was perhaps one of the better bird around the reserve, they are always interesting to see. Falcated Ducks have been showing fairly well, with a few lovely looking males showing off nicely, occasionally swimming close enough for a half decent photo. A few Red-billed Starlings have been seen around the reserve, I have found starling numbers in Hong Kong to have dropped, as I never see very large flocks of these starlings anymore. Greater Spotted Eagle and Eastern Marsh Harriers are regularly seen around the reserve.

Eurasian Hoopoe

Falcated Duck - male

Red-billed Starling

Black Kites with Greater Spotted Eagle

Eastern Marsh Harrier

The blooming Rhodolea at Tai Po Kau Park continues to attract Orange-bellied Leafbirds and Hair-crested Drongos, I just don't get bored of looking at these lovely birds.

Orange-bellied Leafbird - male

Hair-crested Drongo

The Scarlet Dombeya also provides plenty of nectar for birds, with Fork-tailed Sunbirds and Blue-winged Minlas all flocking to these trees. Who can resist such great looks at these common but beautiful birds! While I haven't had much luck getting much good photos of the birds in the feeding flock around Tai Po Kau, a Pygmy Cupwing which put on a bit of a show was certainly worth mentioning.

Fork-tailed Sunbird - male

Blue-winged Minla

Pygmy Cupwing

Over at Shek Kong Catchwater, two perched Crested Goshawks in the morning was certainly a treat to see, plus a confiding flock of Indochinese Yuhinas.

Crested Goshawk - staring at 'lunch'

Indochinese Yuhina

Over at Long Valley, there's not been anything overly exciting, but the cast of usual birds are enough to make it an interesting visit anytime, I especially enjoy seeing Greater Painted Snipes walking right out in the open. Amur Stonechats are in good numbers there, with several lovely looking males. There were also no short supply of Little Buntings.

Greater Painted Snipe - juvenile female

Amur Stonechat - male

Little Bunting

You can count on Long Valley's Garganeys to be very stable, they are almost always on the same ponds. The resident Besra still makes its round around the fields, trying to catch the Scaly-breasted Munias. Black-winged Stilts and Little Ringed Plovers are also permanent fixture of the nature park. 

Garganey - eclipse male

Besra

Black-winged Stilt

Little Ringed Plover - male

The resident Alexandrine Parakeets are most entertaining if you get to see them up close, a flock of these noisy and colourful parrots were seen feeding happily on a Fan Palm, on both the palm nuts and the stem of the leaf.

Alexandrine Parakeet

Our other species of 'local' parrot can be found around the city parks on Hong Kong Island, the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoos are not difficult to spot, you can often find them by following their loud calls.

Yellow-crested Cockatoo

Other urban dwellers includes Oriental Magpie Robins and Blue Whistling Thrush, both can be found in urban parks. Sooty-headed Bulbul is perhaps one of the less seen of our common bulbuls, but you may see them in certain urban parks, as they are more associated with scrublands, parks are a good alternative habitat for them. Eastern Buzzards do make their way into the city, this one for example flew through the wrong part of town and got harassed by numerous Large-billed Crows.

Oriental Magpie Robin - female

Blue Whistling Thrush

Sooty-headed Bulbul

Eastern Buzzard with Large-billed Crow

Finally, a rather nice looking female Black-naped Monarch, an uncommon winter visitor that utilizes a wide range of habitats, from parks, scrublands to forest.

Black-naped Monarch - female

Rhodolea in Full Bloom

The Rhodolea Trees around Tai Po Kau are now in full bloom, attracting many nectar loving species to the area, Orange-bellied Leafbirds are of course the most notable and often the noisiest of the bunch. Colourful males are always a lovely model, but the bright green females are also quite interesting to look at.

Orange-bellied Leafbird - male

Orange-bellied Leafbird - female

A few Hair-crested Drongos were also attracted to the tree, being a species that are seen mostly high up near the canopy, it is always nice to see them feeding low down and at close range, where you can appreciate their peculiar plumage and crest.

Hair-crested Drongo

The various flowering trees plus lower temperature lately means birds are generally quite active, Blue-winged Minlas for example are showing very well lately, Mountain Bulbuls which rely heavily on nectar have also been very active.

Blue-winged Minla

Mountain Bulbul

Along with other 'usual suspects', Tai Po Kau is always worth going. You cannot go wrong with seeing a bird wave up close, when numerous species dances around you at close range, even if they are our common species.

White-bellied Erpornis

Huet's Fulvetta

Silver-eared Mesia

Yellow-cheeked Tit - male

Speckled Piculet

Grey-chinned Minivet - male

You are almost guarantee to see a Rufous-tailed Robin at this time of the year if you put some effort in, while not every encounter end up with a good photo, it is not too difficult to get a good look at this wintering species. Bumping into Indochinese Yuhinas however require a lot more luck, this winter visitor is more of an eruptive species, some years  you may see them everywhere, and some years you only see a few flocks, this winter seems to be the latter, and I haven't seen them as often as other winters.

Rufous-tailed Robin

Indochinese Yuhina

Getting good photos of common species like Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker is also no easy task, they generally show better if there are fruiting mistletoe plants around. Got quite lucky with this male at the car park of Tai Po Kau, where it showed exceptionally well, a real treat!

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker - male

Over at Tai Tong, a Forest Wagtail had been reported. I went to give it a go the other day, and found it walking along the barbecue site casually. Unfortunately, this bird seems to have a deformed or broken bill, but otherwise looks healthy. It was able to catch and swallowed a grasshopper during my observation, so hopefully it is well enough to survive through the winter.

Forest Wagtail

The Black-capped Kingfisher out on the Deep Bay mudflat have been showing very well, unlike previous years where they would be hiding in the mangroves for prolonged period of time, this one perched right out in the open sometimes, occasionally flying out to catch fiddlers crabs or mudskippers, a real gem of a bird to see!

Black-capped Kingfisher

You do get a good selection of birds at this time of the year in Mai Po, while it is generally nothing hugely rare or exciting, they are some quality wintering species. Here are a few examples...

Grey Plover

Eurasian Wigeon

Black-faced Spoonbill

Black Kite & Imperial Eagle

Taiga Flycatcher

Temminck's Stint

Falcated Duck - male

Northern Lapwing

White-cheeked Starling

Oriental Storks are always a highlight of the day if you get to see them well, some days we don't see them at all, but they more often than not turn up around the reserve at some point, either resting on the scrape or soaring past our heads.

Oriental Storks

While the Black-necked Grebe is still present at Tai Sang Wai, I have not bothered taking much photos of it since it never came very close. The Bluethroat is still around, but now abandoned by the photographers, therefore retreating back into the cover, you can still see it along the track though. Zitting Cisticolas are in good numbers there, you can get quite good views of them sitting on the tall grass. You can always count on Tai Sang Wai as a regular spot to see Collared Crows, this vulnerable species can often be seen foraging around the fish ponds.

Bluethroat

Zitting Cisticola

Collared Crow

The Brown Shrike at Lok Ma Chau have stayed on and continued to show well around the farm fields, although it is becoming more unpredictable and may hide for prolonged period of time occasionally. The long staying Citrine Wagtail have also been showing quite well, it seems to get chased around by the Eastern Yellow Wagtails there, luckily it still likes to stick around the cabbage field there.

Brown Shrike

Citrine Wagtail