Wintering Birds - Japanese Robins & Thrushes

There are several species in Hong Kong that tells you we are truly into the winter months, Japanese Robin is one of those. This rare winter visitor is a treat to see every single time, and this year we seem to have a good numbers of them around at several different locations. I found at least 3 at Tai Po Kau, with other birders reporting up to four! This one in particular showed fairly well, although I had to crank my ISO up to 6400 to get anything usable. Still, a brilliant looking bird that is surely one of my favourite winter birds to encounter.

Japanese Robin - male

This winter's been exceptional for thrushes, in particular White's Thrush, which seems to be everywhere! I haven't caught up with any photogenic ones yet, but saw at least 3 in one day at Tai Po Kau. Other species such as Japanese Thrush as well as Grey-backed Thrush are also in good numbers. 

White's Thrush

Japanese Thrush - male

Grey-backed Thrush - male

Though considered common, the usual species at Tai Po Kau are still a nice addition to a day's birding if you see them well. Winter is probably some of the best time to see these fine forest birds in action, as they congregate in large feeding flocks.

Grey-chinned Minivet - female

Huet's Fulvetta

Yellow-cheeked Tit - male

Chestnut Bulbul

Black-throated Laughingthrush

Mountain Bulbul

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

Leaf Warblers are all passage migrants or winter visitors in Hong Kong, you will often find many in these feeding flocks, the most numerous being Pallas's Leaf Warblers and Yellow-browed Warblers. Eastern Crowned Warbler seems to be wintering in Hong Kong regularly now, while this seems to be a great year for Rufous-faced Warbler, I saw at least three in a feeding flock at Tai Po Kau.

Pallas's Leaf Warbler

Eastern Crowned Warbler

Rufous-faced Warbler

Wintering flycatchers includes Daurian Redstarts which is especially common this winter. Asian Brown Flycatchers can also be found occasionally in suitable habitats.

Daurian Redstart - female

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Over to the fishponds near Deep Bay, Eurasian Coots numbers are up this year, I don't remember seeing so many of them for a long time, Black-faced Spoonbills are also a regular sight around the fishponds.

Eurasian Coot

Black-faced Spoonbill & Great Egret

Black-winged Kites seems a lot more common than they used to be, I see one or two every time I visit Mai Po, as well as other fishponds area such as Tai Sang Wai and Fung Lok Wai. Eastern Marsh Harriers are also a regularly encountered species of raptors in these areas.

Black-winged Kite

Eastern Marsh Harrier - female

Finally, some Common Starlings to round things off, this 'common' species is an uncommon winter visitor to Hong Kong. I found several of them at Tai Sang Wai, along with a very nice looking male Red Collared Dove and numerous Eurasian Collared Dove. If it wasn't for the Red Collared Dove this could well have been a photo taken in the UK!

Common Starling, Red Collared Dove and Eurasian Collared Dove

Black-chinned Yuhina - successful twitch!

Our second attempt for the long staying Black-chinned Yuhina was successful, it arrived on a fruiting Schefflera heptaphylla or Ivy Tree like clockwork at around 3pm. It was feeding intermittently on the tree with a few Swinhoe's White-eyes during a half hour window, but showed beautifully while it was there. Whether this record will be accepted by the RC remains to be seen, but I don't see no reason why this vagrant couldn't have followed the wrong flock of Indochinese Yuhinas or White-eyes and ended up in Hong Kong, it certainly looks to be in very good conditions. The Ivy Trees also attracted other birds such as bulbuls and a few Yellow-cheeked Tits.

Black-chinned Yuhina - 1st record for Hong Kong

Yellow-cheeked Tit - male

I haven't been to Long Valley for a while, and with the ongoing construction of the 'nature park', things are not quite the same as they used to be, bulldozers and lorries are now a regular sight along the fields, with various concrete structures erected at various locations. Whether this will affect the birds in the long run remains to be seen, my concern is that constructers re-landscape everything first and making the once fertile wetland into a man-made wetland. If it becomes something like Wetland Park (Which I truly hope not), we maybe in trouble...

I am guessing a toilet block of some sort?

The only birds that seems to be happy about the bulldozers seems to be the Eastern Cattle Egrets, which were following these metal beasts, hoping to feed on anything turned up in the soil by them.

Eastern Cattle Egret

A flock of Eastern Yellow Wagtails had me scanning for Citrine Wagtails, just when I thought I got one with the 'C-shaped' ear coverts, something about this individual didn't look quite right for me, it wasn't as 'grey-toned' as I expected, but ear coverts were yellow and its lores were quite pale. Head wasn't particular yellow so that was no help. Wing-bars were useless in this case as it was moulting and both median and greater coverts were very worned. Back was showing some tint of olive. So, is this a Citrine or Eastern Yellow Wagtail (race taivana)?

Citrine Wagtail - I will put it as that for now, happy to be corrected

I dug up some old photos of various supposed Citrine Wagtails I photographed, and this individual from spring 2010 certainly was even more peculiar than my bird, but very yellow ear coverts and a supercilium as well as pale lore doesn't quite fit regular taivana Eastern Yellow Wagtail. What are these? Maybe some taivana can show these features during moult?

Citrine Wagtail / Eastern Yellow Wagtail? - from spring 2010

Despite all the constructions, many common residents still seemed happy to hang out in the remaining fields. Here are several species which you are guarantee to see at Long Valley, White-breasted Waterhen, Wood Sandpiper, Siberian Stonechat, Plain Prinia and of course the fabulous looking Greater Painted Snipe.

White-breasted Waterhen

Wood Sandpiper

Siberian Stonechat

Plain Prinia

Greater Painted Snipe

On a wet muddy field, quite a few hirundines were collecting mud for their nests, including numerous Barn Swallows, but also the larger Red-rumped Swallows. This species is a less common breeding species in Hong Kong, I observed at least 3 pairs carrying mud away from this site.

Barn Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow

While this was not a particularly good time for buntings, I found two species, including a Little Bunting and a very pretty looking Chestnut-eared Bunting, on closer inspection this was a ringed individual, likely by HKBWS. 

Little Bunting

Chestnut-eared Bunting

The numerous Chestnut and White-headed Munias were still around, there were actually more of them than Scaly-breasted Munias. My guess is that they will likely start breeding and spread in Hong Kong.

Chestnut Munia

White-headed Munia

The best bird at Long Valley was however a very confiding Common Starling, this was the closest I've ever been with a Common Starling in Hong Kong. I never quite appreciated them when I used to see them every day in the UK, but they are truly magnificent looking birds when seen up close with their iridescent plumage. 

Common Starling