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 

Kai Tak and Telford 9 Oct 2019 - still the House Crow

After the annual lecture in HKUST today (I missed the environment and air!), I made a short visit to Kai Tak and Telford.

In Kai Tak, loads of construction are undergoing so not much birds today, only the same House Crow at the same spot. I could not enter the Locustella spot so not many migrants can be seen. Yellow-bellied Prinia is the patch tick.

In Telford, only one naughty Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, again, which is non-photoable.

List 1: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60472380
List 2: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60472873

House Crow

House Crow - what an angle???... Curiosity??

Telford, Ho Man Tin, Kai Tak 7 Oct 2019 - full day birding finally

I finally got a full day off and we visited three places a day - even not very birdy - still a big day indeed.

A morning in Telford resulted two (or three) Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler in rain (where are you lancy), not friendly bird but it is always enjoyable to see a Locustellidae.

Checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60414156

Eurasian Tree Sparrow - with a deformed bill

immature Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler - a strange habitat right? but it likes it.

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler

Then we headed to Ho Man Tin, where we wanted to see some migrants. Birds were still low, of course no Green-backed Flycatcher, but we still saw Accipiter and Falco species b(FF...... Far and Fast....), Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler (! again !), Two-barred Warbler, Asian Stubtail, a single Dollarbird and friendly White-rumped Munia 😏

Checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60416984

Asian Brown Flycatcher - a rather dull individual, with much more dirty underparts

Two-barred Warbler - an extended supercilium with two prominent wingbars are good to tell this is Two-barred, then the call is a final hit. As usual, cannot focus by Canon.

White-rumped Munia

immature White-rumped Munia

immature White-rumped Munia

We explored a new spot after lunch - Kai Tak, the cruise terminal, turned out to be a really good spot for migrants with Striated Heron, Brown Shrike, Collared Crow, Oriental Reed Warbler, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler (again!!!!), Lanceolated Warbler, Dusky and Arctic Warbler, Red-billed Starling, Asian Brown Flycatcher etc.... unexpected were escaped / introduced Yellow-fronted Canary and.... House Crow! (Long time no see lol....😦😬)

Checklist 1: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60418488
Checklist 2: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60418638

My 2019 HK Big Year is 259.

when is my next flight?

House Crow

House Crow - they came to HK by ship, so not surprised to see one in cruise terminal

House Crow - they are used to breed here but it is difficult to find them now

House Crow

House Crow

House Crow

House Crow - well I still haven't seen a real native one

House Crow

House Crow

two Collared Crow

Brown Shrike

first Oriental Reed Warbler

second Oriental Reed Warbler

first gumgum

second gumgum

Stejneger's Stonechat

Grey - the color of Hong Kong

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