A Slaty-breasted Rail was reported outside of Kowloon Bay Sports Centre, being a species I have seen numerous times but never been able to photograph, I went to give it a try. I didn't have to wait long until the bird came out, it was exceedingly friendly at times, and actively foraging around the flowerbeds! It ate a few African Giant Snails right in front of me and seems to be doing quite well. Unfortunately, less than a week later it was seen doing poorly and sent to Kadorie Farm where it unfortunately passed away soon after, looking at other photographer's photos before it was taken away, there seemed to be some sort of head injury, whether it crashed into something or a cat got to it we will not know for sure. A reminder that not all birds get a happy ending.
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| Slaty-breasted Rail - sad demise of this wonderful bird in the end |
Over at Mai Po, rarer gulls usually start turning up around January and February, this time two Relict Gull and a Black-legged Kittiwake turned up, I only caught up with the former, with distant views. But it is a nice bird to see, and certainly one we don't see very often in Hong Kong.
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| Relict Gull |
Other goodies around Mai Po includes continuing Oriental Storks, a pair gave great close views one day on the scrape. I always love to see them side by side with Grey Herons, it really put into perspective how massive they really are!
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| Oriental Stork |
A single Eurasian Hoopoe was perhaps one of the better bird around the reserve, they are always interesting to see. Falcated Ducks have been showing fairly well, with a few lovely looking males showing off nicely, occasionally swimming close enough for a half decent photo. A few Red-billed Starlings have been seen around the reserve, I have found starling numbers in Hong Kong to have dropped, as I never see very large flocks of these starlings anymore. Greater Spotted Eagle and Eastern Marsh Harriers are regularly seen around the reserve.
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| Eurasian Hoopoe |
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| Falcated Duck - male |
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| Red-billed Starling |
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| Black Kites with Greater Spotted Eagle |
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| Eastern Marsh Harrier |
The blooming Rhodolea at Tai Po Kau Park continues to attract Orange-bellied Leafbirds and Hair-crested Drongos, I just don't get bored of looking at these lovely birds.
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| Orange-bellied Leafbird - male |
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| Hair-crested Drongo |
The Scarlet Dombeya also provides plenty of nectar for birds, with Fork-tailed Sunbirds and Blue-winged Minlas all flocking to these trees. Who can resist such great looks at these common but beautiful birds! While I haven't had much luck getting much good photos of the birds in the feeding flock around Tai Po Kau, a Pygmy Cupwing which put on a bit of a show was certainly worth mentioning.
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| Fork-tailed Sunbird - male |
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| Blue-winged Minla |
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| Pygmy Cupwing |
Over at Shek Kong Catchwater, two perched Crested Goshawks in the morning was certainly a treat to see, plus a confiding flock of Indochinese Yuhinas.
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| Crested Goshawk - staring at 'lunch' |
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| Indochinese Yuhina |
Over at Long Valley, there's not been anything overly exciting, but the cast of usual birds are enough to make it an interesting visit anytime, I especially enjoy seeing Greater Painted Snipes walking right out in the open. Amur Stonechats are in good numbers there, with several lovely looking males. There were also no short supply of Little Buntings.
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| Greater Painted Snipe - juvenile female |
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| Amur Stonechat - male |
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| Little Bunting |
You can count on Long Valley's Garganeys to be very stable, they are almost always on the same ponds. The resident Besra still makes its round around the fields, trying to catch the Scaly-breasted Munias. Black-winged Stilts and Little Ringed Plovers are also permanent fixture of the nature park.
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| Garganey - eclipse male |
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| Besra |
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| Black-winged Stilt |
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| Little Ringed Plover - male |
The resident Alexandrine Parakeets are most entertaining if you get to see them up close, a flock of these noisy and colourful parrots were seen feeding happily on a Fan Palm, on both the palm nuts and the stem of the leaf.
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| Alexandrine Parakeet |
Our other species of 'local' parrot can be found around the city parks on Hong Kong Island, the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoos are not difficult to spot, you can often find them by following their loud calls.
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| Yellow-crested Cockatoo |
Other urban dwellers includes Oriental Magpie Robins and Blue Whistling Thrush, both can be found in urban parks. Sooty-headed Bulbul is perhaps one of the less seen of our common bulbuls, but you may see them in certain urban parks, as they are more associated with scrublands, parks are a good alternative habitat for them. Eastern Buzzards do make their way into the city, this one for example flew through the wrong part of town and got harassed by numerous Large-billed Crows.
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| Black-naped Monarch - female |
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