Identifying Sanderling Calidris alba

Sanderling Calidris alba, one of our favorite waders, as the name alba suggested, it is a very whitish species - very true for winter plumage when comparing to other Calidris species. It is a very chunky and medium-sized Calidris and the most confusing species should be Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis in both winter and summer plumage. However, Sanderling is clearly larger with a thicker bill, blacker carpal (difficult to see in field) and more importantly, lacks a hallux (three toes only) which is unique in Scolopacidae (again, difficult to see in field).

As seen below, one of the two friendly Sanderling which were molting to summer plumage seen in HK in April 2016.

Sanderling

In flight, the wing pattern is more contrasting than other Calidris, which shows a very striking white wingbar (form by white base of remiges and black tips of flight feathers and coverts), as the picture below retrieved from HBW.

upperwing pattern of Sanderling in HBW:

Van Gils, J., Wiersma, P. & Boesman, P. (2019). Sanderling (Calidris alba). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53923 on 14 February 2019).

The feeding behavior of Sanderling can be distinctive too - wave running:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aV6piJC4Rc

Big Bird Race 23 Feb 2019

Chelsea and I joined the Big Bird Race this year again in the team of HKUST Firebird. A day with bad weather (and again we could not catch the good tide), our route was:
Tai Po Kau -> Mai Po -> Tai Sang Wai -> Nam Sang Wai -> Long Valley -> San Tin -> Tai Po

149 species were seen or heard during the race, a bit fewer than last time I joined. Anyway, still many thanks to HKUST for sponsoring and the most important - without Chelsea's hard work, this race would be nothing!

Nothing special found in the race and the full list as here:

Garganey
Northern Shoveler
Eurasian Wigeon
Northern Pintail
Eurasian Teal
Common Pochard
Tufted Duck
Little Grebe
Eurasian Spoonbill
Black-faced Spoonbill
Black-crowned Night Heron
Chinese Pond Heron
Eastern Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Great Egret
Intermediate Egret
Little Egret
Great Cormorant
Western Osprey
Crested Serpent Eagle
Eastern Imperial Eagle
- an adult, my first time this year
Eastern Marsh Harrier
Black Kite
Eastern Buzzard
Eastern Water Rail
- thanks to Leung Yeh we enjoyed an open one in Long Valley!
White-breasted Waterhen
Common Moorhen
Black-winged Stilt
Pied Avocet
Pacific Golden Plover
Grey Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Eurasian Curlew
Black-tailed Godwit
Great Knot
Temminck's Stint
Red-necked Stint
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
- one in Mai Po
Pintail/Swinhoe's Snipe
Common Snipe
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Common Redshank
Marsh Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Black-headed Gull
Saunders's Gull
Pallas's Gull
- one winter plumage in Mai Po, a tick for Chelsea
Vega Gull
Heuglin's Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Domestic Pigeon
Oriental Turtle Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Red Turtle Dove
Spotted Dove
Greater Coucal
Asian Koel
Collared Scops Owl
Brown Wood Owl
- two heard in Tai Po Kau
Asian Barred Owlet
Pacific Swift
House Swift
White-throated Kingfisher
Common Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Great Barbet
Chinese Barbet
Speckled Piculet
Bay Woodpecker
Common Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Grey-chinned Minivet
Scarlet Minivet
Long-tailed Shrike
Black Drongo
Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher
Azure-winged Magpie
Red-billed Blue Magpie
Eurasian Magpie
Rook
- still wintering
Collared Crow
Large-billed Crow
Japanese Tit
Yellow-cheeked Tit
Chinese Penduline Tit
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Chinese Bulbul
Sooty-headed Bulbul
Mountain Bulbul
Chestnut Bulbul
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Pygmy Wren-babbler
Mountain Tailorbird
Manchurian Bush Warbler
Asian Stubtail
Dusky Warbler
Pallas's Leaf Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Goodson's Leaf Warbler
Chestnut-crowned Warbler
- again heard only.....
Oriental Reed Warbler
Black-browed Reed Warbler
Zitting Cisticola
Yellow-bellied Prinia
Plain Prinia
Common Tailorbird
Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler
Rufous-capped Babbler
Huet's Fulvetta
Masked Laughingthrush
Black-throated Laughingthrush
Blue-winged Minla
Silver-eared Mesia
Red-billed Leiothrix
Japanese White-eye
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
Crested Myna
Common Myna
Red-billed Starling
Black-collared Starling
Grey-backed Thrush
Oriental Magpie Robin
Verditer Flycatcher
Lesser Shortwing
Rufous-tailed Robin
Bluethroat
- thanks to Kwok Yeh, a very tame male!
Siberian Rubythroat
Blue Whistling Thrush
Daurian Redstart
Stejneger's Stonechat
Orange-bellied Leafbird
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Fork-tailed Sunbird
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Scaly-breasted Munia
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail
Richard's Pipit
Olive-backed Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
Little Bunting
Black-faced Bunting


our best of the day..... still Brown Wood Owl as last two times... boring....
dip of the day..... White-rumped Munia!

some non-full list here:
TPK: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53077505
MP: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53077502
LV: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53077496
ST: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53077498

Chelsea really did a great contribution, especially in being a secretary, sorting our the list, finding the missing banana... How could I carry this greatest show without you?

my 2019 Big Year is 185.

HK Wetland Park 19 Feb 2019 - electricity suspension

I only needed to work in my place for half day, and today was a day without electricity, then I did both point count and a walk outside. Nothing really special except a Bluethroat - a tick in my patch.

Crested Serpent Eagle are getting common recently.

Point count list: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S52919076
Walking list: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S52918889

thousands Great Cormorant back to roost

sleepy tuftie

unknown pallet with some fish bones

a group of Masked Laughingthrush again:

https://www.hbw.com/ibc/sound/masked-laughingthrush-garrulax-perspicillatus/group

Tai Po Kau 17 Feb 2019 - a sleepy day

A really sleepy day after Mai Po yesterday but we still chose to have a visit in Tai Po Kau for better photos of Sulphur-breasted Warbler and Chinese Barbet - both were seen, but only poorly recorded. Today was dark and little bit rainy, the Speckled Piculet and Chestnut-crowned Warbler were heard only (Sorry Lisa!). The highlight... should be Koel's first ever red pocket for me 😋

I made another visit after lunch in backyard, no Gould's Sunbird, only a Dusky Warbler which would be a new in this patch.

2019 HK Big Year is 162.

Tai Po Kau: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S52801507
Chai Wan: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S52805028

Crested Serpent Eagle watching us

my first view of Chinese Barbet today.......

Chinese Barbet - keep calling high

a very record shot of Sulphur-breasted Warbler - showing the very yellowish vent

song of Chinese Barbet - this time I used with an external microphone, not much difference in term of sound intensity but better wind noise reduction

https://www.hbw.com/ibc/sound/chinese-barbet-psilopogon-faber/also-great-barbet-background

Mai Po 16 Feb 2019 - false harrier

After lectures and meetings this morning, we had a short walk in Mai Po in afternoon, mainly went for the Hen Harrier which was reported few days ago again. We waited till dark and saw a very white-rumped bird, with barred secondaries and uppertail, but still, turned out to be a Eastern Marsh Harrier..... Well I told Chelsea its better to go Mai Po rather than Shek Kong.......

Anyway, still a tick for her - a well seen Ruff, making the best bird of the day.

To me, the 3 Eurasian Spoonbill, a noisy Asian Barred Owlet and a male Yellow-fronted Canary were also highlights.

My 2019 Big Year is 157.

Eurasian Spoonbill and Black-faced Spoonbill - it is more difficult to see Eurasian in HK

two Eurasian Spoonbill - one was eating shrimp

two Eurasian Spoonbill and one Black-faced Spoonbill

Eurasian Spoonbill - close but not good lighting

Eurasian Spoonbill eating fish

Eurasian Spoonbill eating shrimp

Eurasian Spoonbill

don't give up every single wader! Like this Ruff among Wood Sandpiper

Ruff and Wood Sandpiper

a nice looking Ruff, but we want breeding plumage one haha

Rook and Collared Crow

Eastern Marsh Harrier - I firstly thought this was a Marsh but we then identified as Hen..... because of the barred secondaries. But for Hen, the underwing should be much strongly barred to the outer primaries, and also smaller size and slender wings, with whiter underparts and less bulkier chest 

Eastern Marsh Harrier - the white rump is less extensive than Hen, the tail should be more strongly barred in Hen with a less plainer upperwing, unlike the fully dark upperwing of this Marsh, very different to this bird: https://lovingthetodiesforever.blogspot.com/2019/02/mai-po-2-feb-2019-hen-harrier.html

Eastern Marsh Harrier - a photo by Chelsea - she saved us all! This photo shows all Eastern Marsh features. Anyway, still a good lesson to learn and the Harrier reminded us that ticks are meaningless number in our birder lives.

HK Wetland Park 15 Feb 2019 - Long-billed Dowitcher again

Still a very boring season.... especially in my place but the Long-billed Dowitcher reappeared after a month (should be wintering here and Mai Po).

Thrush is still poor, only two Turdus were heard today.

Long-billed Dowitcher - always sleeping

Greater Coucal

Grey Heron - probably dead, maybe because it is too boring here

Tai Po Kau 11 Feb 2019 - the 30th failure

That's right, today was the 30th failure for the White-spectacled Warbler......... I really think we can see one in mainalnd before in HK, so Jon please help us. And of course, we still have long way to go.

No matter what, we did have a relaxing day in Tai Po Kau, watching some local or wintering birds brainlessly (together with the Chestnut Bulbul), like Two-barred, Hartert's Leaf, Sulphur-breasted Warbler, Speckled Piculet and Ashy Drongo, even no good photos can be taken.

Checklist is here and my 2019 Big Year is 155: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S52582153

Hartert's Leaf Warbler - showing less contrasting head pattern, duller yellowish tone and the climbing behavior help separating from Sulphur-breasted Warbler

Brown Shrike - a molting bird

Black-throated Laughingthrush

Sulphur-breasted Warbler - much more lemon-colored (especially the vent) and contrasting head pattern

Speckled Piculet - a naughty one...

our first time to see cows in Tai Po Kau... including a baby one

peaceful Great and Little Egret

KFBG 10 Feb 2019 - where are the birds?

We birded with Catalina today again, in KFBG but sadly the three targets were all missing - Fire-capped Tit, Japanese Robin, Gould’s Sunbird, and more important we missed a wild Barking Deer!!

Still, plenty Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (but not an adult male), well seen Silver-eared Mesia and Red-billed Leiothrix, all local redsidents here. Cool and windy weather, no raptor nor a single thrush.

Let’s have better luck together next time in Singapore or somewhere else!

Today’s checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S52544850

HK 2019 Big Year is 149 now. We are going to have one more holiday tomorrow but where are the birds???

this was my favorite flower when I was young

female Fire-breasted Flowerpecker

captive Yellow-crested Cockatoo - Happy

Mount Davis 9 Feb 2019 - causal birding

We are too old to be rushing birders so causal birding may be more suitable for us.

Catalina just came to HK again so we went birding this morning, causally, in Mount Davis. No Yellow-streaked Warbler nor Greenish Warbler were seen, but still some local residents like Blue Whistling Thrush, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Fork-tailed Sunbird etc....

Anyway, although a boring winter here, still can have some fun, enjoy! And we are looking forward to bird in Singapore (Band-bellied Crake again!), Panti, Columbia, and more~

The full list is here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S52507694

Big Year 2019 is now 146.

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Fork-tailed Sunbird - a front view show the two bluish moustache

Black-eared Kite

HK Wetland Park 7 Feb 2019 - hottest Chinese New Year

This was no doubt that the hottest Chinese New Year ever....

I had a long walk in my place, resulted my first Lesser Black-backed Gull here, Crested Serpent Eagle soaring for long, an introduced Great Myna again and a Two-barred Warbler which made unusual two-note call.

Full list as seen here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S52456691

a really long walk in my place

call of Two-barred Warbler

https://www.hbw.com/ibc/sound/two-barred-warbler-phylloscopus-plumbeitarsus/two-note-call

Mai Po 5 Feb 2019 - first day of Pig's Year

We had a very relaxing morning in Mai Po, on the first day of Pig's Year. No Hen Harrier, but some tame Yellow-fronted Canary, 4 distant Eastern Spotbill, and surprising adult White-bellied Sea Eagle.

My 2019 Big Year is now 144.

the checklist in MP: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S52395988

Great Cormorant - wing spreading

Yellow-bellied Prinia

Yellow-bellied Prinia - also split as Chinese Prinia in HBW

Yellow-bellied Prinia

3 species here: Cattle Egret, 3 Black-collared Starling and 3 Great Myna

Eurasian Bittern landing

White-bellied Sea Eagle - bad lighting...

escaped Yellow-fronted Canary gumgum

Grey Heron