Spring Migrants - Making Us Work Extra Hard...

The thing with migration is that you never really know what to expect, some years maybe extremely good with migrants everywhere, some years you get a few weeks of practically nothing. This year was one of those, where continued north easterly winds seems to have affected the birds somehow. Things were relatively slow going, the usual migrant magnet at Ho Man Tin been getting barely any flycatchers. My local patch was fairing no better, with very little movements. A Crested Goshawk and Grey-faced Buzzard was about the best I managed at Tai Mei Tuk Catchment.

Crested Goshawk

Grey-faced Buzzard

I tried Ng Tung Chai one day, again it was great habitat with no migrants occupying it. Managed some photos of common forest species, such as some confiding Rufous-capped Babbler and a pair of nesting Streak-breasted Scimitar Babblers, this one carrying a legless Spider back to its young.

Rufous-capped Babbler

Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler

Lok Ma Chau Village was slightly better, with a few 'Swintail' Snipes feeding on the lettuce field, couldn't get a good photo of their tail fanned out though, so can't confirm their ID. A single Plaintive Cuckoo was in song, flying around the fields and houses. A few Greater Painted Snipes were very well hidden in the fields, while a single Chinese Penduline Tit was all that remains along the reedbed.

'Swintail' Snipe

Plaintive Cuckoo - male

Greater Painted Snipe - female

Chinese Penduline Tit

Things started to improve on 16th, at Mai Po we saw the arrival of a male Ruff, a species that is far more uncommon now than it was used to. Most individuals passing through Hong Kong are juveniles, so a male was quite a nice surprise. Most waders were chased off by an Eastern Marsh Harrier off the mudflat when the tide came in.

Ruff - male with assorted waders

Ruff - inflight

Eastern Marsh Harrier

At least two Chinese Egrets were still present on the mudflat, this is a species I can hardly get bored of, they certainly are the most elegant of all egrets in Hong Kong!

Chinese Egret

While a Japanese Paradise Flycatcher was reported at Tai Po Kau, I couldn't connect with it. A friendly pair of Black Bulbul was probably the best bird I managed here. The pair seems to be engaging in some courtship display and in the process of looking for suitable nest site. While a relatively common winter visitor to Hong Kong, not many of them breed here. This is by far the closest encounter I have with them.

Black Bulbul

Though there weren't that many migrants around, Tai Po Kau is still easily one of the best site for forest birds in Hong Kong, here is a good range of species you can expect to see on a single visit. Other than the common resident species, Hainan Blue Flycatchers make any spring time visit a truly delightful experience.

Velvet-fronted Nuthach

Silver-eared Mesia

Pygmy Cupwing

Huet's Fulvetta

Great Barbet

Hainan Blue Flycatcher - male

Thanks to Captain's tip, I managed to get a male Japanese Paradise Flycatcher at Jordan Valley, this site is not quite known for birds but with suitable habitat it can be a good place to look for migrating flycatchers. This male was a little shy, only showed briefly after I waited nearly three hours. A more surprising find was a juvenile male Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, this species is more common in autumn, and quite rare in spring, unfortunately this was not the adult male I was hoping for. A pair of Blue Whistling Thrush was also nesting nearby, allowing quite close views as they forage along the stream.

Japanese Paradise Flycatcher - male

Yellow-rumped Flycatcher - juvenile male

Blue Whistling Thrush