Velvet-fronted Nuthatch - coming soon to a tree near you
According to The Avifauna of Hong Kong*, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch has a "locally-common resident population considered to be of captive origin…..(it was) first noted in Tai Po Kau on 15 April 1989."...
View ArticleMai Po : Black-headed Gull in July
Despite temperatures at 30 degrees and above, yesterday I decided that a manly stroll to Mai Po's boardwalk hides would be a good way to spend two to three hours. Sunhat, sunblock, and the 500mm lens...
View ArticlePied Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) Hong Kong is at the eastern end of the wide range of the Pied Kingfisher. An image of Pied Kingfisher is used in Hong Kong as the symbol of Worldwide Fund for Nature,...
View ArticleAugust
It's mid-August and the grass along Mai Po access road fishponds has grown very long. Workers are beginning to scythe it down, but not before I get a shot of this resident Plain Prinia. Black-collared...
View ArticleTwo half-days at Luokeng Nature Reserve, north Guangdong
The road to Luokeng In September 2002 a team from Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (HK), together with mainland Chinese researchers did a "Rapid Biodiversity Assessment" of Luofeng NR in north...
View ArticleBonelli's Eagle at Mai Po
Bonelli's Eagle (juv) Bonelli's Eagle (juv) Bonelli's Eagle (juv) Not a species seen very often by me, but reports are regular in Hong Kong. The Water Buffalo on Mai Po's Pond 24 were suitably...
View ArticleSouthbound
A good variety of waders on the falling tide at Mai Po yesterday. Black-tailed Godwit Common Redshank in flight, Whimbrel, Godwits in the water Two Common Redshank and, right, Terek Sandpiper Whimbrel...
View ArticleA "Hong Kong First" - Crow-billed Drongo
Not found by yours truly, I must confess. This bird was seen on Po Toi Island on Sunday 7th September, and again on Tuesday 9th. Some photos by Allen Chan are on the HKBWS website here:...
View ArticleEurasian Wild Boar
HK-Shenzhen I've done this before but this is a "HK-border-with-Shenzhen" photo… where the foreground is Hong Kong, and the city in the distance is Shenzhen, our nearest mainland neighbours. The main...
View ArticleSpoon-billed Sandpiper at Mai Po - a September surprise
Found by Ivan TSE of the HK Birdwatching Society this morning on Ponds 16/17 Mai Po Nature Reserve. This Critically Endangered Species is "difficult" to find here in spring, and even rarer in Autumn....
View ArticleSpoon-billed Sandpiper - again
Yesterday morning, I went to Mai Po with visiting birder and former colleague John Burton. Earlier, I had received a message to the effect that Hong Kong's Autumn migrant Spoon-billed Sandpiper was...
View ArticleMostly Autumn Migrants
Mostly in the order they were taken, mostly passage migrants, mostly at Mai Po... Purple Heron Bar-tailed Godwit Bar-tailed Godwit - race "menzbieri" Whimbrel Eurasian Curlew Eurasian Curlew Garganey...
View ArticleEastern Marsh Harriers at Mai Po, Hong Kong
Eastern Marsh Harrier - Circus spilonotus Both EMH and Pied Harriers have been around Mai Po in the last few days. Pied is usually a passage migrant here in Hong Kong, Eastern Marsh Harriers may be...
View ArticleBirds - many with wet feet
Yes, I know I'll have to be more imaginative in my choice of attention-grabbing blog post titles. Anyway, a "mixed bag" from the past couple of weeks. Here's one from Shek Kong Water Catchment......
View ArticlePassage Migrants and Winter Visitors
Birds - strangely - defy human classifications, and so most species in this post fall into both these Hong Kong categories. Here are some examples; Black-browed Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus...
View Article" The Big Bunting "
The Hong Kong birdwatching Society is among a number of Green Groups that grow rice in the Long Valley area of Hong Kong. Apart from the family fun involved in harvesting modest quantities of the...
View ArticleDeep Bay Birding
Crested Serpent Eagle - Spilornis cheela We've had a few clear, sunny days and birding conditions have been at their best in terms of comfort and air quality. Clear air in winter in Hong Kong usually...
View ArticleSchrenck's bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus)
Schrenck's bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus) is an East Asian species that breeds in eastern Russia and eastern China. Schrenck's bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus) It winters in the Phillippines, SE Asia...
View ArticleGetting the hang of things
In my last posting I mentioned that I had been loitering near a certain clump of reeds in the hope of a photo opportunity with Chinese Penduline Tits. The tits did show briefly, and here are two out...
View Article"Out with the Old, in with the New..."
Well, the Twelve Days of Christmas are done and dusted and the prospect of 2015 lies ahead of us. I've opened this post with a Black-winged Stilt, taken on New Year's Eve in Long Valley. Black-winged...
View Article