Brown-chested Jungle-Flycatcher: 2nd Attempt

Heard news on HKBWS that the Brown-chested Jungle-Flycatcher was STILL at Shek Kip Mei the other day, the bird's been at the same location for over a month now, I guess it must be doing well in the little Park at Wo Chai Shan.

After my traumatising experience when looking for this bird last time (loud photographers), the little platform at the location was very much deserted. I guess the photographers have finally gotten bored of this little bird and went on to photograph something else. I waited for some ten minutes, and surely the bird came right up to where I stood. It's still a scruffy looking little bird...I am guessing it still haven't grasp the idea of PREENING.

Brown-chested Jungle-Flycatcher

The thing with Jungle-Flycatcher's that they can be very stationary when they perch, making them a bit harder to find in the forest. But, that's also a good thing when you want to photograph it, because they will stay very still for you until you get the perfect shot!

The Brown-chested Jungle-Flycatcher may look plain, but it's in fact listed as vulnerable with Birdlife International. It's narrow natural range and degrading habitat in China makes it especially vulnerable to any changes in the environment. So, we are lucky to get one of these little chaps here once in a while, let's hope this one grow up soon enough to start breeding!

Japanese White-eye

Other then the Flycatcher, flowering season's amongst us! with many flowers starting to bloom including Coral Tree flowers, which is a common sight in Hong Kong, attracting birds such as Sunbirds and Leafbirds to feed on it's nectar. Here we have a Japanese White-eye feeding on one of the many flowers.

Red Chilli Peppers for Breakfast

Minivets are some of the most colourful bird species we get in Hong Kong, their brightly coloured plumage makes them top birds for many visiting birders. They are fairly common in Hong Kong, frequenting woodland edges and parks, you may even find them in urban settings occasionally. Despite how common they are, their preference to canopies makes good views highly relished, even amongst local birders.

This morning as I was walking back to office, a high pitched whistle rang above me, a classic call of a Scarlet Minivet in flight. As I searched amongst the banyan trees, I saw a bright red bird circling above, then landed on a branch on a bare tree. For a birder, this was probably a more effective way to wake him up. My office is situated right by Kwun Tong Road; a very busy mainroad in Kowloon, seeing such a bird in an urban setting reminds you how rich Hong Kong biodiversity really is.

Direct translation of it's Chinese name is "Bright Red Hill Chilli Bird", which I've always felt truly describes them in the most vivid way imaginable. They truly are the red hot chilli peppers of the forest.

The photograph here was of course not taken this morning, but a few years back at Tai Po Kau, but you can visualize the kind of bright plumage they have.

We have two resident species of Minivets in Hong Kong, the Scarlet as shown here, and the Grey-throated which frequents more mature woodlands. The other three species of Minivets are passage migrants, this includes Ashy Minivet, Swinhoe's Minivet and the super rare Rosy Minivet.

Great way to start the day!

Roses are FINALLY Red!

31/1/2015

Finally, something to update about. Haven't been able to do much birding the past two weeks since the Big Bird Race. Today, got together with Long Long for a full day of birding around New Territories, truly a luxury nowadays when you have to work most of the time. We were really looking to catchup on things that's been around the past week.

Tai Po Kau

This, as usual was our first location. Gloomy was the word to describe the weather while we were there, constant drizzle and very low clouds meant poor visibility and extremely dark environment! Birds were not particularly active, we didn't see any large bird waves, however some quite interesting species turned up...

First of all, it was a day for Tristram's Bunting, we saw at least 5 individuals, dotted around TPK. They were however not cooperative at all, giving very difficult views behind heavy vegetation...what a contrast with those we get at Wonderland Villas a few years back, where they just hop in front of you on the trail!

Tristram's Bunting

The other interesting bird to note was a probable Bar-tailed Cuckoo-dove, which flew past us as we were looking at a bird wave containing hundreds of Red-whiskered Bulbuls, a Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike and the resident escapee Blue-winged Leafbird. It was very large compared with Spotted Dove, and flew in a very cuckoo like manner indeed! We could not locate it, therefore we simply couldn't nail the ID, however with past experience with this species in Jiangxi, I wil give it a 75%...not quite a new tick, YET!

Bay Woodpecker was calling but did not show, other birds of interest includes the Fork-tailed Sunbirds that are back at their usual flowering trees outside warden's dorm. We saw a flock of 20 Striated Yuhina near middle of the Red Walk. Other common birds were seen, but stayed fairly high up. Huge crowd of photographers gathered at the flowering Rhodoleia to photograph a pair of Orange-bellied Leafbirds. large numbers of Japanese White-eyes were also present at the tree.

Fork-tailed Sunbird

Silver-eared Mesia

Japanese White-eye

The last interesting bird we saw was a Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, which was a surprise for me, since I never seen this species at TPK before, but it's not unheard of for this scarce winter visitor to turn up here. It took me quite a while to get a half decent record shot of it.

Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler

Shek Kong

We went to Shek Kong afterwards around noon. Common birds around includes Asian Brown Flycatcher, Red-throated Flycatcher, Daurian Redstart, Grey-backed Thrush, Cinerous Tit, Grey Wagtails and Green Sandpiper. An Ocularis White Wagtail was seen, this is a rarer form of White Wagtail we get during winter.

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Red-throated Flycatcher

Daurian Redstart

Grey-backed Thrush

Cinerous Tit

Green Sandpiper

Grey Wagtail

White Wagtail (Ocularis)

The star species here were five Common Rosefinches, found along the drainage ditch. I first spotted a female on a tree, I have seen this species several times before, but never males! A rare winter visitor, Common Rosefinches are always a treat to see.

"This one looks a bit red." Long Long said to me, after spotting another one close by, I got my bins on it, and it WAS red! How could you say you have seen a Rosefinch without seeing a red one. We enjoyed them for a good ten minutes before they flew off to a distant.

Common Rosefinch (male and female)

Kam Tin

Since our car went past the junction going past Kam Tin River, it seems silly not to pop in for a look at the Grey-headed Lapwings. They were right where they should be when we got out of our cars, and managed some cracking views of a group of 6. They are definitely one of my favourite birds in Hong Kong, have so much character for a wader.

Grey-headed Lapwing (with Black-winged Stilt)

Long Valley

Our main target was the Eastern Water Rail, as we both wanted to get a decent shot of the bird. It's been showing well for so long that it seems wrong not to try our best to get at least a few good photograph of this usually shy species! Frustratingly, the bird was a bit shy today and showed very sparingly, allowing only a half decent view for a brief moment.

Eastern Water Rail

Zitting Cisticolas and Yellow-bellied Prinia kept us entertained while we waited for the rail.

Zitting Cisticola

Yellow-bellied Prinia

Just around the corner, we saw a crowd waiting by the water side, turns out they were photographing a male Bluethroat. This must be the same bird I saw a few weeks back, it was a particularly mature male, with a very beautifully marked throat pattern! No surprise the photographers were all eager to get some good shots. They were feeding the bird with meal worms as usual, enticing this shy species out to the open. A practice I don't completely agree on, but you cannot question the effectiveness of this technique, especially with shy species like this one...

Bluethroat

The wet weather sure feels a bit "Springy", maybe the warm weather this year will bring our migrants early.