Amur Falcons Galore

Although Amur Falcons are now a regular autumn migrant through Hong Kong, it is still a huge treat to see them up close and perched, as most birds simply passes through without stopping at incredible altitude. Late October saw perfect weather conditions for chasing Amur Falcons, a slight drizzle and mainly cloudy, most Amur Falcons will wait till optimal conditions to continue on their immensely long journey all the way to South Africa. Thanks to my birding friends who tipped me off of a flock of ten birds perched on some wires, I was able to get there before they flew off.

Amur Falcons - a spectacle to see them all lined up!

For some reason, most birds that passes through Hong Kong are either juveniles or females, with males in much lower numbers. Out of the ten birds at least two were adult males! Adult males have blood red talons and eye-rings, making them extremely a handsome bird.

Amur Falcon - adult male

One individual I suspect is an immature male, with red eye-rings and talons. I don't usually see these up close so I am not very familiar with their aging, but it seems a logical explanation.

Amur Falcon - immature male?

Other juvenile or females were particularly confiding, they were not at all bothered by our presence and showed beautifully as the sun rose higher.

Amur Falcon - juvenile

Amur Falcon - female

Most of the Amur Falcons finally flew off their perch by 9:30am, and we watched them circled upwards in the hot air current. These birds will continue on westwards towards India where they will then cross the Arabian Sea to Africa, some will winter in East Africa, but some may go as far south as South Africa, making this the longest migration of any raptor species in the world.

Amur Falcon - departing from their night roost

Other raptors continue to pass through in good numbers, one raptor I find far more common than most year is the Eurasian Hobby, which I seem to be seeing everywhere! Black-winged Kite also seems to have became a lot more common in recent years, where I find them in most suitable habitats. I also encountered a Besra one early morning in Long Valley, although they are a resident species in Hong Kong, some Besras do pass through Hong Kong as migrants. Finally, I saw my 4th Japanese Sparrowhawk this season at Fung Lok Wai, another species I have been seeing elsewhere as well.

Eurasian Hobby

Black-winged Kite

Besra

Japanese Sparrowhawk

After my brief encounter with a Manchurian Reed Warbler at my local patch, Roman soon found more at Fung Lok Wai, these were far friendlier and very photogenic! I counted at least two to three birds, but other seems to have counted even more. While they seems to be in good numbers this year, Manchurian Reed Warbler is still considered a rare passage migrant in Hong Kong.

Manchurian Reed Warbler

The similar looking Black-browed Reed Warbler is far more common, I counted no less than ten in just a small patch of reed at Fung Lok Wai! A few were unusually photogenic, which was an added bonus for me, even though they are quite common I still find them to be quite attractive.

Black-browed Reed Warbler