1. Glossy Ibis
No Ibis had been recorded in Hong Kong since late 90s, since the Oriental White Ibis is now practically extinct in the region, the chances for another ibis in Hong Kong seemed slimmer than ever. Unexpectedly, a pair of these beautiful Glossy Ibis paid us a visit and decided to stay in town for a while for everyone to enjoy! The duo first landed at Mai Po briefly but later relocated at Long Valley, finally settling at Tai Sang Wai. This was no doubt the most exciting and most twitched bird in Hong Kong this year.
2. Fire-capped Tit
Always expect the unexpected in birding, and a Fire-capped Tit which turned up at Kadorie Farm in January last year was probably one of the least expected vagrant in Hong Kong. This little guy found a nice plum blossom and fed on the buds for a few days, allowing most birders to tick this incredible bird off their Hong Kong list. Let's hope we get a male next time!
3. Wood Warbler
This dainty warbler was found on Po Toi island during spring migration, a mega rarity that is way out of its usual range, with very few records from southern China, this Wood Warbler somehow found itself on the most southerly island in Hong Kong!
4. Japanese Night Heron
Around the end of November a Japanese Night Heron was found feeding on the lawns at a barbecue site at Sai Kung. They are not only rare in Hong Kong, but is a rare and elusive species throughout its range, including Japan where they breed. We are very blessed to be one of the very few places where this species do passage through. This young bird showed exceedingly well for prolonged period of time throughout December.
5. Sooty Tern
A very long awaited bird on my Hong Kong list, this rare tern turned up at the tern colony and stayed there just long enough for interested birders to check this off their list. We had wonderful views of this bird up close as well as a cast of various terns around the colony which made it an especially great day out!
6. Black Stork
One of those birding stories that you will remember for the rest of your life, especially great I got to share this great bird with good friend John Hansford from the UK who visited in December. We knew a Black Stork had been spotted the day before, but we saw no bird on site when we arrived, waited a while and nothing happened, just as we were about to leave I suddenly saw this bird just standing there in front of us, turns out it was just hiding in the tall grass!
7. Japanese Robin
Tai Lam Country Park became one of my favourite birding spot late last year, and this was one of those species that totally blew my mind! A very very long awaited lifer and one of my boogie bird, seeing a male in full view for over a minute was not an everyday thing! Having not seen any for many years, I saw over three individuals within a month!
8. Red-backed Shrike
Another one of those really long awaited lifers, having missed the last few records in Hong Kong, I have been waiting for one to turn up somewhere. In late September one finally dropped into Long Valley! It showed exceedingly well and wasn't shy at all.
9. Collared Owlet
We have anticipated this species to spread to Hong Kong, and I was lucky enough to find this very vocal individual at Tai Po Kau being mobbed by other birds. This newest addition to our local owls was exciting news that our forest continues to mature and more welcoming for these long lost species.
10. Brown Wood Owl
Last but not least, one of the most heart stopping moment in 2019, when I came face to face with this Brown Wood Owl at close range at Tai Lam Country Park. It turns out there were more than one bird there and other birders soon found another one, making them a likely breeding pair! I hope they continue to do well there in years to come.
