Ho Man Tin 5 Oct 2019 - dipped flycatcher

After dipping the Pale-footed Bush Warbler, we made a second dip in a week - dipped the Green-backed Flycatcher...

An early morning in Ho Man Tin resulted nothing special, like Ashy Drongo, Brown Shrike, Arctic Warbler.... And... we were so happy with the friendly White-rumped Munia..................😑

The checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60386000

Brown Shrike

White-rumped Munia

White-rumped Munia

White-rumped Munia

immature Oriental Magpie Robin

Identifying Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix

Quite a little bit stressed recently and I don’t even have time to do a full day proper birding. Anyway, I can still do some online birding and hopefully I can start some more writing soon.

Phylloscopus are always my favourite but identification is not always straight forward, so I will study and review whenever I can see a new phyllo.

The first phyllo of my Identifying series is the Wood Warbler, quite a straight forward one and a vagrant in HK. Putting it here mainly because the photo is acceptable to show as many ID features as it can, and it is quite fresh - just taken this spring.

The first impression of Wood Warbler is a longish warbler (like the Arctic Warbler complex) but showing lemon yellow throat, supercilium, and upper breast (in good lighting), the underparts is then silvery white which is also distinctive in certain angle. When look at its back, the fringes on tertials recall Yellow-browed Warbler but the primary projection is much much longer than any other usual Phylloscopus in HK.

Anyway, Wood Warbler is quite unmistakable in acceptable view but of course the best identification feature of Phylloscopus is call/song (or DNA well...). And we are glad we didn’t dip this first official record in HK.

Wood Warbler in Hong Kong, Apr 2019

Chai Wan 1 Oct 2019 - National Day

Had a walk during the National Day, still quiet, migrants are Light-vented Bulbul, Yellow-browed and Arctic Warbler and Grey Wagtail.

ebird: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60255427

hot dog

3.27km

Common Tailorbird

Eastern Spotted Dove

Telford 29 Sep 2019 - dipped the warbler

As expected we dipped the Pale-footed Bush Warbler, only the Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler left...

immature Eurasian Tree Sparrow

immature Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler - focus on tail

Long Valley 28 Sep 2019 - Red-backed Shrike

Heard the news of a Red-backed Shrike in LV so we tried in afternoon though it is mot my HK tick nor lifer. The shrike was found shortly after arrival, and got great view. Studying bird ID is my favorite and probably I am going to write a post about the Red-backed shrike.

Other migrants were slow, only Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Oriental Reed Warbler and Plaintive Cuckoo worth mentioning (well also an escaped White-headed Munia) before I got the news of a Pale-footed Bush Warbler in Kowloon at 5pm. Can I trade the Red-backed Shrike with a HK tick lol....

2019 HK big year is 257 and the full list here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60168989

Red-backed Shrike - shrikes are wire lover, note the whitish belly and small bill. Also the browner ear coverts than Brown Shrike

Red-backed Shrike - the back. For the first winter Red-backed Shrike you can see black subterminal band on tertials, greater coverts and scaling upperparts, a bit different from Brown Shrike. The long primary projection is not easy to be seen in this photo.

Red-backed Shrike - other key features comparative to Brown Shrike are more whitish short supercilium, white fringes on undertail (more prominent on outer two feathers) and the tail is more square-ended

Red-backed Shrike - the whole jizz is also more compacted than Brown.

Ho Man Tin 22 Sep 2019 - infinite working days

Getting a bit tired after infinite works, no time for a proper birding so Ho Man Tin is the only choice.

No Tiger Shrike or other interesting flycatcher, we got a calling Taiga Flycatcher, Orange-headed Thrush and a single Ashy Minivet. For the phylloscopus, at least one calling Pale-legged Leaf Warbler (other are non-vocal), some Arctic and Yellow-browed Warbler.

Wish there is no mega rarity before I am free. 👽👽👽

My 2019 HK Big Year is 254.

Today’s list as here (well I walked 5km ?!):  https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S59996909

Pale-legged / Sakhalin Leaf Warbler 1

male Orange-headed Thrush

male Orange-headed Thrush

Pale-legged / Sakhalin Leaf Warbler 2

Ashy Minivet

Blue Whistling Thrush

Ho Man Tin 21 Sep 2019 - Tiger Shrike

A mid afternoon walk, I did not see any flycatchers while other saw Blue-and-white and Yellow-rumped Flycatcher. Anyway, still several phylloscopus in the migrant list including Yellow-browed, Arctic, Pale-legged and Dusky Warbler.

Best bird should be the Tiger Shrike thanks to Peter.

List: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S59967540

Spotted Dove

Arctic Warbler - this one showed two prominent wingbars

Arctic Warbler

Yellow-browed Warbler - note the fringed tertials

Tiger Shrike

Tiger Shrike

Tiger Shrike

Cheungchau 14 Sep 2019 - Alcohol night

We enjoyed a night full with alcohol and one Brown Fish Owl (sadly gone quickly without photo) and 5 Black-crowned Night Heron....

Beer

Wine

Sake

dont froget to eBird: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S59792151

Chai Wan 8 Sep 2019 - migrantless backyard

A really hot day with zero migrants..... Highlight?... Black-throated Laughingthrush without photos.

14 species list: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S59599523

Japanese Tit

Eastern Spotted Dove - a perfect raptor perch....

Red-whiskered and Light-vented Bulbul - secret bulbul bath

Ho Man Tin 7 Sep 2019 - hot morning

A very quiet and hot morning resulted Hainan Blue Flycatcher and non-calling Arctic Warbler....

eBird: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S59567830

Common Tailorbird

Hainan Blue Flycatcher - female through the leaf

Hainan Blue Flycatcher - always out focus

Arctic Warbler - not calling

Long Valley 1 Sep 2019 - new season

We had a very causal walk to start the new season, I did not even bring my bins out. The target is still the Swinhoe’s Snipe but only Swinhoe’s / Pintail Snipe can be recorded in the list today, none is safely identifiable.

No Grasshopper-warbler too, only an Oriental Reed Warbler was flushed.

The full list: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S59420185

Swinhoe's / Pintail Snipe 1

Swinhoe's / Pintail Snipe 2

Swinhoe's / Pintail Snipe 3 - presumed to be Pintail Snipe by the unclear tail pattern

Oriental Reed Warbler

Common Sandpiper

immature Scaly-breasted Munia

Green and Wood Sandpiper

Red-necked Stint

Identifying Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca

Wildfowl watching in HK is usually not as enjoyable as in Japan, but sometimes, rare ducks in HK can still give you good view.

One summer, a male Ferruginous Duck was found and a twitch was made successfully. Identifying a male Ferruginous Duck in HK is not problematic: smart white iris, reddish tone on head, flank, and upper breast and white vent and undertail coverts. It lacks the pale whitish flanks which usually occur on Baer's Pochard, a species which can be confused with when both are in female or immature plumage.

In general, the Ferruginous Duck is extremely similar to Hardhead and Madagascar Pochard, luckily they do not overlap in theory.

Ferruginous Duck in Aug 2014, Hong Kong

Cheung Chau 18 Jul 2019 - a night before One Summer's Day

What were we doing at the night before the first one summer's day? Preparing the list for book-fair or planning for a visit of Brown Fish Owl, a species which started everything?

We visited Cheung Chau tonight, a night before one summer's day, resulted a Brown Fish Owl and 5 Black-crowned Night Heron, to cease the darkness killing me.

Brown Fish Owl

Brown Fish Owl

Brown Fish Owl

Identifying Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola

July is usually the most boring season in Hong Kong. Though some waders migrants are already on their way back, I'm still busy and too hot for a walk outside.

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola, also called Black-bellied Plover (usually talking the new world population), is a widely spread species and the largest among the genus Pluvialis.

In the subfamily Pluvialinae, there are four species while three can be found in HK (Grey and Pacific Golden are the two commons, European Golden is a vagrant, we are waiting for the first American Golden!). Being the largest member, Grey Plover can be easily spotted out in a wader flock but for distant birds in winter plumage, they can be confused especially with Pacific Golden Plover.

For Grey Plover, the bill is much stronger than the other three Golden Plover, and the upperparts are greyish, not showing any golden tone. Hallux is unique in this plover species but always difficult to be seen. In flight or stretching, white wing bars, mainly formed by the white spots on the inner primaries, white rump and the distinctive black axillaries should be enough for the identification.

Grey Plover in April 2013 - together with Marsh Sandpiper and Common Greenshank