End of Year Tick - Olive-backed Sunbird

All previous Olive-backed Sunbirds in Hong Kong were one-day birds, therefore its a species thats long eluded me on my Hong Kong list. Therefore I was delighted to learn that an eclipse male been spotted at Hutchison Park at Whompoa, and supposedly quite stable. I gave it a try on the last week of 2021, and luckily was successful in connecting with this local rarity. OBS are not rare elsewhere, race rhizophorae is resident on Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi and some western parts of Guangdong.

Olive-backed Sunbird - eclipse male

Also present at the park was a very confiding Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher. which almost got as much attention by the photographers present than the sunbird.

Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Someone relocated the Steppe Eagle at Lut Chau where it was seemingly unfazed by the crowd it created, with a few dozens birders and photographers down to less than 10 metres away from it! It mainly fed on the dead fishes around the fish ponds. While the Collared Crows were not so pleased with this oversized visitor, the eagle took very little notice of them even when they pecked at its wings or tail. It stayed till the morning of 29th, where birders witnessed it soared higher and higher until out of sight, its not been seen since.

Steppe Eagle - juvenile

Warblers in Tai Po Kau been tough to nail, I saw both Rufous-faced Warbler and White-spectacled Warbler but didn't manage to get even a record shot...Hartert's Leaf Warblers and at least one Kloss's Leaf Warbler were slightly easier, but still not as friendly as they were last year. The only friendly warbler I got were Pallas's Leaf Warblers, which were in no short supply.

Hartert's Leaf Warbler

Kloss's Leaf Warbler

Pallas's Leaf Warbler

Even the common resident species at Tai Po Kau were not that easy lately, as bird waves were quite scattered. I did manage some good photos of our lovely residents, including a male Yellow-cheeked Tit, male Scarlet Minivet and Silver-eared Mesia.

Yellow-cheeked Tit - male

Scarlet Minivet - male

Silver-eared Mesia

Red-flanked Bluetail are often heard at this time of the year, but not always easy to photograph, I managed a record shot of this female. The Rhodoleia are now starting to flower, and that attracts Orange-bellied Leafbirds to visit the sweet nectar, here is a female.

Red-flanked Bluetail - female

Orange-bellied Leafbird - female

Over at Tai Lam, I didn't manage to photograph the Japanese Robin, but I did find plenty of Chestnut-flanked White-eyes along the 'magic valley'. Feeding amongst the Swinhoe's White-eyes. 

Chestnut-flanked White-eye

While Long Valley is out of bounds to birders, the surrounding area still have some birds. Most birders and photographers were there to look for the Grey-headed Greenfinches thats been frequenting the area, although I did not connect with them I found at least two Common Kestrels in the area, plus a few Red-rumped Swallows amongst some Barn Swallows.

Common Kestrel

Barn Swallow & Red-rumped Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow

I've almost lost count to how many times I visited Mai Po lately in hope to bump into the long staying Northern Goshawk, which I miserably failed. There are still plenty to find around the reserve, and not always water birds. Yellow-fronted Canaries are fairly common along the access road nowadays, while Chinese Penduline Tits frequents the reedbeds. The Red-breasted Flycatcher was still present last time I checked. Finally, its almost impossible to not find at least one or two Daurian Redstarts at this time of the year.

Yellow-fronted Canary

Chinese Penduline Tit

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Daurian Redstart - male