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.