Identifying Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria

I don't think I have much time to do proper birding until Dec, meanwhile, whatsapp and HDD birding is my major entertainment.

There are four Pluvialis species in the world and we have at least three in HK (with no documented record of American Golden Plover). For the Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria, which is the largest among the three 'golden plover' so the bulky size is quite distinctive, especially side by side with the other two. Also, the rounder head and shorter legs are also clues for the identification when it is seen in East Asia, together with the Pacific Golden Plover.

Comparing American Golden Plover, American shows much greyish tone in plumage with a longer primary projection (Pacific shows the shortest), and both shows coarsely notched tertials comparing the finely notched tertials of Eurasian Golden Plover.

The key feature should be the color of axillaries, for American and Pacific, the axillaries is grey while Eurasian shows pure white axillaries.

We were lucky to see the first and second record of Eurasian Golden Plover in HK before visiting Europe.

Eurasian Golden Plover - Oct 2018 Hong Kong

Tai Lam 27 Oct 2019 - simple is happy

We made another visit to Tai Lam mainly for better photos of the Brown Wood Owl, but it just showed to us at 5:45am without light, even perching well..... Anyway, no luck today.

Still, simple birding is happy enough for me. No exciting founds were made, we heard Speckled Piculet, even though it was a little bit responsive, saw a migrating Eurasian Hobby, Lesser Shortwing, Hartert's Leaf Warbler and heard a Radde's Warbler (no time to wait!), Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, a single Verditer Flycatcher, and the best one should be the female White-throated Rock Thrush.

Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S60962328

The WTRT is added and now the HK 2019 Big Year is 269.

Eurasian Hobby

Yellow-browed Warbler - we saw a Hartert's Leaf Warbler in a flock of Yellow-browed Warbler but we failed to take any shots.....

female White-throated Rock Thrush - I flushed this bird and I thought this was Tiger Shrike in flight lol.... Anyway not a lifer but still my first time to see a female in HK.

Chinese Mountain Snake - really forgot this little beauty

Tai Lam 26 Oct 2019 - Brown Wood Owl

We spent a very quick morning like 30 mins to have a look of the Brown Wood Owl before work, a species we have all seen in HK but need a photo..

Brown Wood Owl - will be split as Mountain Wood-owl from the SE Asian taxon

feathered leg and comb-edged leading primary 

Brown Wood Owl

Telford, Kai Tak and San Tin 20 Oct 2019 - same stress, different birds

Same stressed mood but I could at least relax a bit by birding.

The first place we visited is Telford, to check any new migrants there, which we saw at least four Black-browed Reed Warbler, two Dusky Warbler and the same Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler.

Not really super exciting, especially they were not friendly enough for photos, so we moved to Kai Tak, again for newly migrants after the cold front.

The habitat changed a bit, still some newly arrived Black-browed and Oriental Reed Warbler, four unexpected Yellow-breasted Bunting while no sign of the House Crow.

Checklist of Telford: https://ebird.org/checklist/S60768672
Checklist of Kai Tak: https://ebird.org/checklist/S60771473

Black-browed Reed Warbler - we bumped an influx

You cannot expect to find Critically Endangered Species in such place... And Jon and I shared the camera today, before we buy Sony.

We made the afternoon birding in San Tin, hopefully for raptors or buttonquails. Not really super birdy but at least we found many Black-browed and Oriental Reed Warbler, again four Yellow-breasted Bunting, a Pheasant-tailed Jacana in winter plumage, single Sand Martin (default ID) and the bird of the day - Manchurian Reed Warbler, which can be the same bird reported weeks ago (but I do not know the exact spot of that bird).

Not much else and two Amur Falcon ended the day.

Checklist of San Tin: https://ebird.org/checklist/S60777288

2019 HK Big Year is 268.

Whiskered Tern - most of them were immature, like this first winter bird

immature Whiskered Tern

adult winter Whiskered Tern in molt

Pheasant-tailed Jacana in flight

Manchurian Reed Warbler - I knew this was something good by the ginger tone and comparative weaker supercilium (more white but not black) than Black-browed Reed Warbler. The head shape is also distinguishable from Black-browed and the tail here is longer and more graduated as seen above. This may cause a prinia-like jizz so that's also why Jon said Plain Prinia at first!

Manchurian Reed Warbler - the head pattern is also different from Paddyfield Warbler, which will be my lifer. Interestingly this bird was quite responsive to every Accro call.. Anyway, still good to see one of my favourite bird.

Manchurian Reed Warbler - we saw better view last time in Mai Po but this time was closer. (https://lovingthetodiesforever.blogspot.com/2018/10/mai-po-9-oct-2018-manchurian-reed.html)

Amur Falcon

Wood and Green Sandpiper - note the size, shape and pattern difference

birding is relaxed

Sunset

Beer time

Ho Man Tin and Long Valley 19 Oct 2019 - what a life

After more than a month, I think its time to stop and think twice about the future path. While birding is really a good way to assist thinking.

We visited Ho Man Tin in the morning first, well, I still could not find my luck back. I missed the Orange-headed Thrush and only saw Brown Shrike, Arctic Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher, these common migrants.

Ho Man Tin: https://ebird.org/checklist/S60732560

Masked Laughingthrush - when can I continue my birding work

Light-vented Bulbul - a nice perch

We went Long Valley in the afternoon, slightly better, the noticeable migrants are 13 Yellow-breasted Bunting, a Chestnut-eared Bunting, single Common Kestrel, two Eastern Buzzard, two Oriental Honey Buzzard and the naughty Japanese Quail. 11 Greater Painted Snipe and the escaped White-headed Munia were also highlights of the day.

Long Valley: https://ebird.org/checklist/S60735414

And my 2019 HK Big Year is 264.

Chinese Blackbird - in flight

White-headed Munia and Scaly-breasted Munia

Common Kestrel

Chestnut-eared Bunting

Oriental Honey Buzzard

Eastern Buzzard

I even did not realise this is the October Big Day...

Book Review - a preview of Birds of Mongolia

Finally received some books which I pre-ordered in summer, during the HK Book Fair. However, sadly I don't have any spare time to read. Anyway, I still went through several pages and make a preview here.

I have only been to Inner Mongolia, for travel not for birding, but not Mongolia. The two field guides I bought will be a great tool for my travel in future. The first one is the Princeton Field Guides - Birds of Mongolia (right) written by Gombobaatar Sundev & Christopher Leahy and the second one is A Field Guide to the Birds of Mongolia (left) written by Dorj Ganbold & Chris Smith.

the two field guides

For the first one, the illustration is exactly the same style (or even the same) as the other Princeton Field Guides, like the Birds of East Asia, Birds of Central Asia or Birds of Japan. So I don't expect there is excitement about the illustration. For the taxonomy order, it is a little bit random. For example, they put the buttonquail side by side of the quail and pheasant, or a Great Cormorant in between geese and ducks. But still, this guide is comparatively easy-handing and lighter than the following one. 

Birds of Mongolia - buttonquail in pheasant

similar pictures to the Birds of East / Central Asia

For the second field guide - A Field Guide to the Birds of Mongolia, as seen in the above photo, it is a bit bigger than the first one. Also, the cover page is a bit harder than the first book, make it harder to be flipped. I love the style of this field guide more than the first one (a Collin's Style? which I prefer to follow when I publish mine) but the 'jizz, scale and color' of illustration is rather strange (a little bit unnatural?). 

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mongolia - I love the style with identification points the arrow)

Birds of Mongolia - difference of Ruff

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mongolia 

Birds of Mongolia - don't forget we have seen Mongolia Lark in Hong Kong already haha!

If I need to choose one of them, I still prefer the second one. At least more identification basis and more organised. Anyway, I still need to make my final recommendation after reading the whole book. 

San Tin and Mai Po 13 Oct 2019 - another banana day

Well this may be the darkest hour of the week, which I dipped everything.

First in San Tin, only flushed a Yellow-legged Buttonquail but with very poor view, dipped the Rosy Starling and Manchurian Reed Warbler.

Checklist as here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60573764

Then changed to Mai Po for better luck, which turned out to be even poorer. No Little Curlew nor Ruff were seen, and I saw an unidentifiable Aythya species before entering the hide, which was in fact the male Ferruginous Duck reported. On the way back, nothing special anyway and dipped the personata White Wagtail.

So birdless that I even did not record the full list: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60573754

And...... My first time to test the Sony mirrorless in field.... We are sooooo impressed!

Eastern Cattle Egret

Pacific Golden Plover

Sand Martin and Barn Swallow

Sand Martin and Barn Swallow - the default sand martin species in HK

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern - many juvenile here

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Intermediate Egret - note the gape

Oriental Magpie

Ho Man Tin and Long Valley 12 Oct 2019 - banana day

Really boring for the holiday weekend, visited Ho Man Tin first but lifeless, best bird was Mountain Tailorbird, quite an early migrant in this hot autumn.

Checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60540015

We changed to Long Valley after an hour, also nothing, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Taiga Flycatcher and Yellow-breasted Bunting were the highlights. And we had fun with a male Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker.

Checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60542492

Mountain Tailorbird

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

Whtie-throated Kingfisher

Wood Sandpiper

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Yellow Wagtail - or Citrine? the supercilium is so broad and the back is so grey, any comment is welcome

same one

Blue-tailed Bee-eater - you need some imagination