Nothing special on the way to the hide. As usual, I used playback in the mangrove for the Styan's (or called Pleske's) Grasshopper Warbler, vulnerable species which having restricted breeding ground in some remote islands in Japan like Miyakejima, South Korea and remote Russia, and with uncertain wintering grounds, where Mai Po may be one of them. I tried many years in Mai Po but never got a tickable view, and finally we saw the full bird today, marked my #444 in HK.
Styan's Grasshopper Warbler, the best photo I could get. This bird is still molting and as Kennerley’s book suggested, this moult is a main complete moult and will be completed by mid April, before arriving the breeding ground.
Locustella is always my favorite but difficult to see well in HK
the usual view
the warbler would also perch and sing, for a minute or so, but the view was never open
As always again, I am an unlucky guy, rainstorm came and we could only hide and watch the waders.
We saw plenty waders species, including 4 Little Stint and also one Swinhoe's Egret. More info here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S44585279
the rain
Curlew Sandpiper, assuming breeding plumage
Common Sandpiper, also assuming summer plumage
Long-toed Stint, very similar to the American sister species Least Sandpiper, but the Long-toed Stint would show longer mid toe (difficult to see in this picture), stronger split supercilium (difficult to see in this picture too), and the supercilium not joining at the forehead.
Lesser Sand Plover assuming summer plumage, bill is stouter, a broader reddish breast band
Greater Sand Plover, showing much stronger bill and restricted breast band
Terek Sandpiper
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, waders can bend their upper and lower mandible in a certain angle to manipulate food item, this is called rhynchokinesis
Red-necked Stint, assuming summer plumage, the reddish throat is prominent
Red-neck Stint, still showing a hint of reddish throat
Red-necked Stint
Little Stint, assuming breeding plumage, an uncommon passage migrant or winter visitor in HK, we saw 4 birds today
Little Stint, the rufous edges on tertials, coverts and scapulars are obvious in summer plumage
Little Stint, compare the Long-toed Stint behind
Little Stint, identification is straight forward in this plumage, reddish upperparts and ear coverts, split supercilium, whitish throat, and also the structure: much longer bill and leg than Red-necked Stint
Little Stint, compare to Red-necked Stint at the back, the primary projection is shorter than Red-necked Stint (but slightly longer than the two American peeps: western and semipalmated)
Little Stint, the feeding posture / jizz is also different, maybe due to the longer legs. Any idea what was the stint eating?
Little Stint, the split supercilium and long bill is prominent
Little Stint, some individual showed shorter bill, may be related to sex
identifying peeps is challenging but interesting, as here you can see different bill length and shape, not in scale but you can tell the proportion (Red-necked Stint, Little Stint, Little Stint)
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