In the midst of this covid-19 mess (which I usually stick to the name Wuhan Virus), I have been trying to avoid crowds or going into the city as much as possible. Hong Kong had so far been saved from the worst of the virus, but its better to be vigilant...Hong Kong being Hong Kong, even birding hotspots can get crowded on weekdays nowadays, so it seems going out birding at my local patch is a much safer option. With proper spring migration underway, now is the perfect time to catch migrants in action. At Tai Mei Tuk Catchment where I previously rarely ventured, I got a good mix of birds, the best was a brilliant looking male Narcissus Flycatcher, which showed fairly well for me, busily looking for food.
Narcissus Flycatcher - male
Another new arrival was a very vocal Hainan Blue Flycatcher, I am not sure whether this one is just passing through or it will stay on to breed in Hong Kong, but they are certainly a welcoming sight. A pair of Black-winged Cuckooshrikes were also seen in a flock of bulbuls.
Hainan Blue Flycatcher - male
Black-winged Cuckooshrike
A female Black-naped Monarch was also seen, at first nearly had me mistaken it for an Amur Paradise Flycatcher in the terrible light, it finally came into good view and revealed its true identity. The monarch was seen together with White-bellied Epornis.
Black-naped Monarch - female
White-bellied Epornis
Its that time of the year where you have check the sky often for migrating raptors, and I successfully connected with two Grey-faced Buzzards in two consecutive days, a Besra was also seen among the many Black Kites.
Grey-faced Buzzard
Besra
I also had a delightful encounter with a Speckled Piculet at close range, this species is usually associated with bird waves, but this little guy was found on its own, perhaps also practicing social distancing...
Speckled Piculet - it was just 2m away!
Even closer to home, I found a Pale-legged type warbler, luckily for me it called a few times, confirming its identity as Sakhalin Leaf Warbler, no doubt on its way northwards to its breeding grounds.
Sakhalin Leaf Warbler - a hungry migrant
A visit up Plover Cove Dam yielded very little except for a nice looking male Blue Rock Thrush of race
philippensis.
Blue Rock Thrush - male
Nocturnal birds are also very active at this time of the year, at Wu Kau Tang I spotted a nice Collared Scops Owl which gave good views. On the same evening I also heard Brown Fish Owl calling, although it remained out of sight. Other nocturnal birds actively calling in our neighbourhood includes Slaty-legged Crake, Large Hawk Cuckoo and Savanna Nightjars.
Collared Scops Owl
Even when there are no birds around home, there are lots of butterflies to look at, especially a small dam at our local stream where butterflies come to drink water. The most common species being Common Mormons. Other large black butterflies includes Spangled, Chinese Peacock and Paris Peacock.
Common Mormon - Papilio polytes
Spangle - papilio protenor
Chinese Peacock - Papilio bianor
Paris Peacock - Papilio paris
Common Bluebottle is also a regular visitor, the less common Five-barred Swordtail came through but without stopping, leaving me without a photo. One of my favourite butterfly the Common Mapwing usually allow close approach. The Common Archduke was considered rare a few years ago, but is now extremely common and can be seen in most forested areas.
Common Bluebottle - Graphium sarpedon
Common Mapwing - Cyrestis thyodamas
Common Archduke - Lexias pardalis
Lots of small Blues were seen, most of these tiny butterflies look alike. The most common being the Long-tailed Blue, but two other less common species includes Plain Hedge Blue and Tailless Line Blue.
Long-tailed Blue - Lampides boeticus
Plain Hedge Blue - Celastrina lavendularis
Tailless Line Blue - Prosotas dubiosa
