Early Summer - Let the Quiet Season Begin

Hot just about describes the weather lately, the worst kind of heat where it is also very humid, so it is not the most comfortable being outside. Tai Mo Shan being slightly higher in elevation does provide some relief for the heat, where it is often a few degrees lower. Just so happen that lately I had a few tours specifically trying for the Chinese Grassbird, still nice to see them every single time, and they have been incredibly kind to me, as I've been able to connect with them every time we head up to the summit area.

Chinese Grassbird

Chinese Francolins have been very vocal lately, but not that they are any easier to photograph, either they disappear once you try to approach them, or the mist is too heavy for me to take any usable photos.

Chinese Francolin

Francolin habitat

Chinese Hwameis are much more approachable, especially when they are in song. I encountered this very friendly one during one of my visits, while a common species I still enjoy seeing them well as they are usually quite skulking.

Chinese Hwamei

Brown-flanked Bush Warblers are calling in good numbers, however the usual haunts of Russet Bush Warblers have been almost all but empty, I have heard at best one or two birds past the summit towards Sze Fong Shan. Whether they are just recovering from an unsuccessful year of breeding or something is stopping them from coming here to breed I am not sure, but I know this is definitely not normal. I have also noticed a drop in Vinous-throated Parrotbills, which previously I would almost certainly see every single time I go up.

Brown-flanked Bush Warbler

Down a bit lower, Lesser Cuckoos are now very active and there were quite a few of them around. This relatively friendly individual finally allowed me to get a half decent shot of this usually shy species.

Lesser Cuckoo

The Pale Blue Flycatcher is still around, singing its heart out as always. I also came across a lovely looking male Fire-breasted Flowerpecker in the area, a real treat to see as always! Great Barbets can be seen around the area as well, the previously very vocal Chinese Barbets have now all gone silent, presumably all paired up and breeding somewhere?

Pale Blue Flycatcher - male

Fire-breasted Flowerpecker - male

Great Barbet

Even further down around Kap Lung, I had a pair of Indochinese Yuhinas carrying food for their young, while fairly common in winter, not many stay around to breed in Hong Kong. Hainan Blue Flycatchers can still be heard singing, such as this lovely male displaying in its territory.

Indochinese Yuhina

Hainan Blue Flycatcher - male

Other local birds I encountered were two Streak-breasted Scimitar Babblers and a family group of Yellow-cheeked Tits that consisted of ten individuals! Some of which came in close and gave nice views.

Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler

Yellow-cheeked Tit - male

There's been quite a lot of Neolucanus sinicus championi around all over the place, this impressive looking stag beetle is slightly less common than the Prosopocoilus biplagiatus.

Neolucanus sinicus championi

Other wildlife encounter includes this massive Chinese Softshell Turtle which was crossing the road, while they are commonly sold as food in local wet markets, I don't actually often see them in the wild, probably because they are mostly aquatic and rarely seen outside of water.

Chinese Softshell Turtle

Finally, a Brown Fish Owl I encountered during an evening excursion after dinner, certainly a widespread species in Hong Kong but still a lovely owl to see as always.

Brown Fish Owl

Here Comes The Heat!

May marks some of our last remaining spring migrants passing through, though I've been drowning in work, I spared few hours to visit a pair of Pheasant-tailed Jacanas at Mai Po, one in particular was already assuming breeding plumage, although not quite in full breeding plumage yet, we don't often see one with 'pheasant tail' in Hong Kong.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana

The fishponds and marshes around Mai Po attracts hundreds of marsh terns during migration, a flock of terns feeding on a fishpond at San Tin provided plenty of opportunity for photographers to test their gear's full potential, evidently my EOS R6 did a good job in tracking these flying acrobats. Many were White-winged Black Terns, all in breeding plumage.

White-winged Black Tern

The majority of marsh terns there were Whiskered Terns, I did find the camera tracked these slightly better, perhaps the White-winged Terns were darker and the camera's computer doesn't pick them up as easily.

Whiskered Tern

During our night surveys we continued our luck with owls, including a rather friendly Collared Scops Owl, as well as the resident Brown Fish Owl, although it prefer to keep its distance.

Collared Scops Owl

Brown Fish Owl

The breeding Black Baza returned yet again, unfortunately this year the news was somehow leaked to photographers, since then hundreds of photographers flocked to the site. Though I am not fond of huge crowds, I usually see no problem as long as everyone keep a good distance to the bird and try to keep disturbance to a minimum, but nesting bird is a whole other matter, especially such a rare breeding species, where this pair is now the only known pair left breeding in Hong Kong, it probably would've been best for the birds if the location of the pair was not publicized. Either way, there is no turning back from that, all we can hope for is the this pair can breed successfully despite the disturbance. That being said, the location is currently under construction, and that very patch where this pair breeds is unlikely going to remain there for long, I just hope they will relocate somewhere safe nearby in the future, and not abandon Hong Kong altogether.

Black Baza

Summer is a time to focus less on birds and more on herps! I start my herping season with a lovely juvenile Many Banded Krait, this one perfectly demonstrate how docile this highly venomous species can be, though being notoriously one of the most venomous snake in Hong Kong, fatalities from this species is almost unheard of here, as they rarely strike without any provocation, even when disturbed they almost always want to flee, and quite often will hide its head under its body.

Many Banded Krait