Mid-Autumn Bird & Herps

Red-necked Phalarope - a good 'performance' at Long Valley

Mid-Autumn festival just past, and by the end of September bird migration is in full swing. At Ho Man Tin, other than the ever present Asian Brown Flycatchers, there was also a Dark-sided Flycatcher around. While a pair of Hainan Blue Flycatchers had also decided to make a stop here, which seems to have attracted a good numbers of photographers.

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Dark-sided Flycatcher - my first this autumn

Hainan Blue Flycatcher - male

Since Pale-legged Leaf Warblers and Sakhalin Leaf Warblers had been split recently, identifying these warblers correctly have became a challenge for birders, with no decent visible key identification features, you really need to hear listen for the subtle differences in their calls to be able to confirm your ID. Those birds I heard (if they did call) at Ho Man Tin were definitely Pale-legged Leaf Warblers, sounding much higher pitched (5700hz). Back at my local patch I heard a Sakhalin Leaf Warbler, it sounded much lower pitched (4700hz). So, it is possible to separate them if you are lucky enough to hear them calling nearby. This bird below was one of the many Pale-legged Leaf Warblers
at Ho Man Tin.

Pale-legged Leaf Warbler

Another species that had been active around Ho Man Tin were at least two Orange-headed Thrush, a male and female. They were pretty easy to see, but not always easy to photograph. I got lucky the other day when the male decided to perch very still for up to five minutes, it looked like it was dozing off. I saw the female very well but wasn't able to get a clear shot.

Orange-headed Thrush - a true stunner of a bird

A juvenile Asian Koel was seen begging for food from it's foster parents...A pair of Red-billed Blue Magpies. They are also known to parasitise Black-collared Starlings and Eurasian Magpies.

Asian Koel - a very demanding juvenile...

Brown Shrikes had also became a regular staple at Ho Man Tin, with up to three different individuals, one of which posed nicely for me the other day. While the long staying Tiger Shrike had remained elusive for quite a number of birders, I was fortunate enough to caught a glimpse of it again the other day, it only showed briefly but that was more than enough for me!

Brown Shrike

Tiger Shrike - lightning striking twice!

I visited Long Valley last Sunday afternoon, it was slightly on the quiet side, but a group of up to five extremely confiding Red-necked Phalaropes provided plenty of fun. These migratory waders usually winters in tropical oceans after breeding in the arctic tundra, but they can often be found in marshes or even urban parks during passage.

Red-necked Phalarope

To give you an idea how close they can get, here is a photo taken with my phone of two that trotted past just 2m in front of me, too close for my 500mm lens...And I got what was probably my rarest finding of the day; Mr. John Holmes, who joined in the 'phalaropes mania', he also kindly demonstrated the proper way to take photos of these friendly little birds.

John demonstrating the 'proper' way to take photos of Phalaropes

It was pretty quiet around Long Valley, with no Buntings in sight. The only two species worth mentioning were a single Eurasian Teal and a Plaintive Cuckoo. I also spotted four Red Collared Doves which flew overhead.

Eurasian Teal

Plaintive Cuckoo - female

Autumn is not only great for birds, but it is also a good time for herping, snakes are often quite active before their hibernation and frogs can be located easier in damper areas during these drier periods. We visited Shek Kong Catchment the other night, starting off the night with a tiny White-spotted Slug Snake, a docile species that is always fun to find.

White-spotted Slug Snake

We saw up to five Bamboo Pit Vipers throughout the evening, although a common species in Hong Kong I never get tired seeing them. They are extremely well camouflaged during the day, but at night their brightly coloured yellow belly is often quite visible amongst vegetation.

Bamboo Pit Viper

There were plenty of common frog species, but we also found a few nicer and slightly less seen species, including the cute Spotted Narrow-mouthed Frog. A few Ornate Pygmy Frogs were spotted in an area of damp grass. Mixed in with them were a few Butler's Pygmy Frogs, a species that is uncommon in Hong Kong.

Spotted Narrow-mouthed Frog

Ornate Pygmy Frog

Butler's Pygmy Frog

Finally, some 'night birds'...A pair of sleeping Common Tailorbirds, they can often be found sleeping near the end of branches, sometimes at distances you can simply reach with your hands.

Common Tailorbird - not a happy chappy...