Start of the Year Rarities

2026 started off with a bang! With an Ancient Murrelet at Po Toi O, this little beauty only stayed a few days but it was so much fun to catchup with. I have not seen one since the last one turned up on Po Toi, and this one was even closer! Coming in within a few feet. Sadly, as quickly as it was found, it disappeared after 3 days.

Ancient Murrlet

The second rarity came in form of a female Baer's Pochard, funnily enough it decided to flock in within the Ferruginous Ducks. It showed quite well the first few days, but then decided to fly off somewhere, taking the Ferruginous Ducks with it! They came back a few times, but eventually seems to have moved on. This critically endangered species is considered one of the rarest duck in the world, wintering birds in Hong Kong are very rare nowdays, so it was nice to get a relatively friendly one. While some debated over whether this was a hybrid, the greenish head and white markings on the flank seems quite the good fit for a pure Baer's.

Baer's Pochard - top bird anywhere!

I got some more photos of those long staying Ferruginous Ducks, before they all followed the Baer's Pochard and moved on.

Ferruginous Duck - female

My third rarity was the long staying Brahminy Kite at Mai Po which I finally caught up with. It didn't show well when I went to look for it, but at least I got this onto my Hong Kong list, which is long overdue!

Brahminy Kite - juvenile roosting with the larger Black Kites

Mai Po's been great for raptors this season, other than the long staying Hen Harrier, you can often see plenty of raptors action around the Osprey Tower. I saw two different Peregrine Falcons at Mai Po, including an adult at close range and a juvenile which was constantly terrorising its resting neighbours. Ospreys are regularly seen around here, and I saw one swooping down to take a fish out of the water with ease. Imperial Eagles can often be seen, here both an adult and a juvenile, soaring with the Black Kites.

Peregrine Falcon - adult peregrinator

Peregrine Falcon - juvenile

Osprey

Imperial Eagle - adult

Imperial Eagle - juvenile with Black Kite

Another good bird I saw at Mai Po was a Red-breasted Flycatcher, while we do get them annually, their numbers are far fewer than that of Taiga Flycatchers, other than the softer call, the paler lower mandible is also another diagnostic feature to tell them apart.

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Both Rhodoleia trees and coral trees are now blooming, attracting both Orange-bellied Leafbirds and Fork-tailed Sunbirds to feast on the nectar, no doubt the best time of the year to see these beauties.

Orange-bellied Leafbird - male

Fork-tailed Sunbird - male

Otherwise, it's been business as usual around Tai Po Kau. I have seen both Emei Leaf Warbler and a White-spectacled Warbler lately, but both left me with no photos. Here are a few common species.

Silver-eared Mesia

Scarlet Minivet - male

Rufous-tailed Robin

Olive-backed Pipit

Yellow-cheeked Tit - female

Chestnut Bulbul

Ancient Murrelet - A Venture to the Deep South

Po Toi Island is not a particularly popular winter birding hotspot, while the island is known to be a good migrant lookout, winter birding there is usually a little slow going. Some birders still likes to visit the island during the cooler months, and last Saturday it certainly paid off when they found an Ancient Murrelet foraging in the bay! This species is a scarce passage migrant and rare winter visitor, I personally have never had any luck finding these seafaring birds. I waited till Tuesday to visit Po Toi, and luckily enough for us the bird was still there!

Ancient Murrelet

Murrelets are pretty interesting birds, as they are incredibly well adapted to dive and swim in the ocean, this individual was actively chasing shoals of small fishes around the bay, often diving for prolonged period. It certainly looks to be in pretty good shape, it was resting quite far out in the bay most of the time, but venturing in close to the shore when feeding.

Ancient Murrelet

The hunting area for the Murrelet

I was very glad that my trip to the most southerly island in Hong Kong was not wasted, and was particularly delighted to find another bird on the island to add to my annual list, a Red-breasted Flycatcher which showed up when I was having lunch! Although a regular migrant and winter visitor, Red-breasted Flycatchers are much rarer than the similar Taiga Flycatchers.

Red-breasted Flycatcher

The pair of Oriental Storks stayed on and continues to show well at tower hide. I was there again one morning, hoping to get some photos in better light, although they were evidently further away than my previous visit, but the colours around their eyes and legs really show up well in the morning sunlight.

Oriental Stork

The towerhide was quite a decent spot to scan for raptors as well, many drifted past the hide including a very scruffy looking Eastern Buzzard. A pair of Greater Spotted Eagles showed well and circled back a few times at decent range, while two Eastern Imperial Eagles flew past at distant.

Eastern Buzzard

Greater Spotted Eagle

Eastern Imperial Eagle

Captain found a Rosy Starling at San Tin a few weeks back, I missed it twice while searching for it in the afternoon, turns out it really was a morning bird, as I finally saw it on my third visit, although it only showed briefly and did not give good photo opportunity, it was still a nice bird to see.

Rosy Starling

At my local patch the Tai Mei Tuk Catchwater, Speckled Piculets have been extremely vocal of late, I heard and saw up to four different individuals along there. The pair of Grey Bushchats have stayed on, they continued to show fairly well in the same area. During one of my early morning walks there I was treated to a low flying White-bellied Sea Eagle, the most majestic looking raptor in Hong Kong in my opinion.

Speckled Piculet

Grey Bushchat - female

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Out along the Ting Kok beach things remained much the same with a few Kentish Plovers and Greater Sand Plovers. A few Collared Crows foraged at close range, allowing some awesome full frame shots of this now vulnerable species. A better bird seen around the area was a single Brown Shrike.

Kentish Plover

Collared Crow

Brown Shrike