Late Summer Observations - Wildlife & Birds

Autumn migration is just around the corner, I am hoping to get out more often having just finished up a major project for work. One bird I ended up 'twitching' was a recently fledged Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo at Kadorie Farm, although that ended with us finding that particular chick on the ground with a broken wing, we suspected that a raptor probably tried taking it out but it narrowly escaped. We called the animal rescue unit at Kadorie Farm immediately and the bird was taken into their care. Unfortunately, the bird did not survive with its severely broken wing.

Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo - juvenile

Only a few Blue-winged Minlas came close enough for any decent photos that day at KFBG, this one caught what appears to be a Camel Cricket. Closer to home, Emerald Doves are calling non-stop, this photo was taken a few months back at Nam Chung where I found this young bird feeding out by the road. Speckled Piculets have been calling daily at home, and this one I spotted on my rooftop, though a bit far it feels great to be able to see them right at home! Some early autumn migrants have now returned to Hong Kong, I am hoping to find a few of them in the next couple of weeks.

Blue-winged Minla

Emerald Dove

Speckled Picuet

I've not been having much luck with snakes, only been seeing Bamboo Pit Vipers and very little else. The best being a Futsing Wolf Snake one evening, this one was particularly docile and is the first one that did not even attempt a single bite! The recent rain brought out plenty of Brahminy Blind Snakes, while always fun to see, they are far from being exciting.

Bamboo Pit Viper

Futsing Wolf Snake

Brahminy Blind Snake

On a snakeless evening, we took some time admiring this usually ignored Slender Forest Skink, it was relatively cooperative and allowed some nice portraits to be taken. The other lizard we see a lot at night is the Changeable Lizard, where you often find them sleeping on a blade of grass.

Slender Forest Skink

Changeable Lizard

You can expect to find plenty of frogs after the rain, Hong Kong Cascade Frogs and Green Cascade Frogs can be found with ease by fast flowing streams.

Hong Kong Cascade Frog

Green Cascade Frog

Seeing mammals during night walks are added bonus and a real treat. While out with a group at Lung Fu Shan, Hoiling spotted this very lovely Masked Palm Civet, feeding on Ficus variegata, one of their favourite food! It gave everyone really good views, even dropped a few figs by our feet.

Masked Palm Civet

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