Weather is finally cooling down somewhat, it was a very pleasant 25°C a few days ago. The cooler weather definitely brought in more birds, one of the most notable rarity being an Emei Leaf Warbler at Tai Lam. Kenneth and I went there the next morning, we saw the warbler soon after we got to the 'magic valley', its appearance was definitely 'Blyth's-type', with double wing bars, crown stripe and a completely orange lower mandible. Luckily for us the warbler was very vocal, making it easier for us to ID. Its song is a resonant trill that is very different from all the other similar looking warblers. The bird came down briefly to feed, allowing us to take some half decent photos, before going higher up again to feed with other warblers in the bird wave.
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| Emei Leaf Warbler - Only my second lifer for 2022 |
There were plenty of warblers around, other than the most common species such as Yellow-browed and Two-barred, plenty of Hartert's were around, including both race fukiensis and goodsoni. We counted at least four Sulphur-breasted Warblers throughout the trail, this species is definitely becoming much easier to find in Hong Kong. Eastern Crowned Warbler were in very good numbers, seems like we are getting an influx of them this year.
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| Hartert's Leaf Warbler - goodsoni |
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| Sulphur-breasted Warbler |
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| Eastern Crowned Warbler |
Other than warblers, a Japanese Paradise Flycatcher was seen within the bird wave, feeding frantically within the flock of birds. Many Grey-chinned Minivets and other common forest species also made their rounds along magic valley.
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| Japanese Paradise Flycatcher |
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| Grey-chinned Minivet - female |
One of the most exciting find for me was a male White-throated Rock Thrush first spotted by Peter Wong within the bird wave! It's been many years since I last seen one of these handsome birds! It showed briefly and soon flew down the valley and out of sight. As if that wasn't brilliant enough, Kenneth and I later found TWO more females along the trail! Truly an incredible experience to see three of these rare migrants in one day!
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| White-throated Rock Thrush - male |
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| White-throated Rock Thrush - female |
The cherry on top was the Green-backed Flycatcher which decided to return to where I initially found it, its not been seen by any other birders since my last encounter until the day I returned to Tai Lam (relocated in the morning by John Clough)! While views were slightly more distant, I was happy to get a photo of its 'green-backed' this time round.
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| Green-backed Flycatcher |
My local patch is also turning up some good birds, including this rather confiding Yellow-browed Warbler feeding on the lawn. This is a new species for me at Ting Kok, in the same area I also found a Yellow-breasted Bunting.
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| Yellow-browed Bunting |
Other more common migrants in the area includes a Black-winged Cuckooshrike and a Asian Brown Flycatcher both feeding near the mangroves. Up to two Brown Shrikes were found near the BBQ sites. A Japanese Sparrowhawk also been seen terrorising the birds in the area, but it always swooped in quick and low, making it almost impossible to photograph.
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| Black-winged Cuckooshrike |
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| Asian Brown Flycatcher |
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| Brown Shrike |
The most incredible bird though was no doubt a Chinese Grey Shrike! Found by Eric and Marco, I immediately rushed over after I got the news, and sure enough found this incredible looking shrike feeding on the lawns at close range! There's only ever been two accepted Chinese Grey Shrike record in Hong Kong that I know of, so this is only the 3rd record for Hong Kong (I think).
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| Chinese Grey Shrike |
It successfully caught a few grasshoppers, often using the little hut by the mangroves as a vantage point. it was an incredibly confiding bird, often flying straight towards me and land just a few feet from me to catch insects before flying back up to the trees or the little hut to feed. After 20 minutes of it showing really well, the bird suddenly decided to fly straight out to sea and towards Yeung Chau, landing on a small yacht just off the island.
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| Chinese Grey Shrike |
I presume the bird left...but I decided to check again the next morning anyway. Sadly, the shrike was found dead by the road. It did not have any visible injuries, therefore it seems highly unlikely it was attacked by a cat. There were also no windows near the area it was found at, making it an unlikely victim of window strike. Therefore, I presume it could have just died of exhaustion from flying all the way down to Hong Kong. An incredibly sad end for this rarity, but I guess this is just the harsh reality that these migratory birds have to face, I just feel incredibly lucky to be able to see this beautiful bird at its best.
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| Chinese Grey Shrike - deceased... |
It is almost the end of snake season, despite that night walks can still be productive. A walk at Lung Fu Shan provided us stellar views of a group of Malayan Porcupines feeding by the road, also two different Masked Palm Civets from two different locations, one feeding on; you guess it, Ficus variegata! Hoiling spotted a male Bamboo Pit Viper, this one photographed in-situ.
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| Malayan Porcupine |
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| Masked Palm Civet |
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| Bamboo Pit Viper |
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