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

Jiangxi Wuyuen 31 May - 2 Jun - laughing in weekend

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush Garrulax courtoisi (Ianthocincla courtoisi in eBird, also called Courtois's Laughingthrush) is split from Yellow-throated Laughingthrush Garrulax galbanus and 'upgraded' as a Critically Endangered species which is endemic in Guangxi, restricted to Wuyuen. My first time seeing this species was in Ocean Park in HK, where they are having some captive program there.

In the first weekend of June, thanks to Jon, I could have a quick twitch of the laughingthrush, cleared one more endangered Chinese endemic in my bucket list.

This was really a weekend birding trip, we could have only one full-day for the birds, mainly the Blue-crowned Laughingthrush and Pied Falconet, my two lifers. For the others, we tried our luck but no success, maybe due to the rainy weather. Anyway, less than 50 species were recorded which was much fewer than I expected!

Itinerary

31 May 2019
I took the flight HX 272 (1415-1605) directly from Hong Kong to Nanchang. Stayed a night in Vienna Hotel Nanchang Railway Station, the hotel is not bad, close to the Nanchang railway station and some restaurants and convenient shops.

the plane was hiding... a small A320

  

coffee time

better photos when boarding

heavy rain outside

goodbye Hong Kong, for a weekend

um... the meal, so familiar

I m too bored on a plane with no entertainment

landing Jiangxi

the first bird welcomed me was Silky Starling, carrying food too

the small A320

the hotel, around 10 mins walk to rail station

found a random restaurant for dinner... I really have no idea what is good in Jiangxi

beef.. well I admitted that I ordered to much, not realized the size is big...

beer too, and spicy stuff

Crayfish, this one was the best among the three

ice cream time for every trip

also wine with Games of Throne

1 June 2019
Wuyuen locates east of Nanchang, closer to Zhejiang Province. We took the rail D6262 from 0656, arrived Wuyuen station at 0939. Arriving Wuyuen we went straight forward to Caomencun Village 曹门村 for Courtois's Laughingthrush. Then we tried for Scaly-sided Merganser and Short-tailed Parrotbill in another spot (石梘) but both failed, especially wrong season for the merganser. Afternoon, back to the Inn in Xiaoqi 晓起 for Pied Falconet.

eBird checklist of Caomencun Village: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56952985
eBird checklist of Xiaoqi: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56951860

Nanchang station

Nanchang station

nearly 3 hours from Nanchang to Wuyuen

breakfast in rail

Caomencun Village here we were. The lady owner can bring you take photos of Blue-crowned Laughingthrush, of course you needa pay. Her number is +8613387939095, Ms. Ng 吴

we could spot the Laughingthrush right parked the car, in the big tree behind her house.

this big tree holds many nests of Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

coordinates of the village is 29.165278, 117.842222. Scaly-sided Merganser can be found in the river in winter while Short-tailed Parrotbill can be found in the bamboo forest behind the village. Sad both were not seen this time.

the bamboo forest

the GPS of the Inn for watching Pied Falconet: 29.3945935, 118.0263879

the Inn

a view from the rooftop and the falconet perch. The falconets nest in the big tree on the left.

beer after watching the falconets

and dinner of course

2 June 2019
I still had a morning so waited the falconet again from 0630 to 0955. The couple showed for two rounds with food for their chicks. I took the high speed rail G1619 from 1123 in Wuyuen to Nanchang West at 1316, then the flight HX 273 (1730-1920) back to Hong Kong.

a nice breakfast 

Pied Falconet digiscoped by phone

quickly back to Nanchong Station

high speed train

lunch in the train

highspeed train

it is quite convenient to take airbus to airport from Nanchong West Station

the airport

small plane again

goodbye Jiangxi, probably visit next time in winter

and simple meal again

the flight was delayed so I made a check in flight radar

um.... little bit strange

Bird List (taxonomy following eBird)

Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha 

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 

Rock Dove Columba livia 

Rufous Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis 

Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis 

Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus 
- heard only

Swift / Swiftlet species. 
- one unID distant bird in Wuyuen station on 2 June

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 

Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus 

Grey-headed Lapwing in rain

Grey-headed Lapwing - adult, which has red iris

Little Egret Egretta garzetta 

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 

Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus 

Black-crowned Night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax 

Northern Boobook Ninox japonica 
- one adult and one chick in tree hole in Caomencun Village

Northern Boobook in nest - with a white baby

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis 

Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis 

Pied Falconet Microhierax melanoleucos 
- two adults and one chick seen in Xiaoqi

the nest hole for Pied Falconet

a distant view of Pied Falconet - panda face

Pied Falconet - it is really small in size

Pied Falconet in rain

Pied Falconet

Pied Falconet - the front view is cute

Pied Falconet

Pied Falconet - we revisited in the next morning, and they were much more active and caught a baby bird (chicken?)

Pied Falconet - then they caught another one, falconet is really a mini-raptor

Pied Falconet with prey

Grey-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus solaris 

Brown-rumped Minivet Pericrocotus cantonensis 

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach 

Red-billed Blue-Magpie Urocissa erythroryncha 

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 

Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica 

Japanese Tit Parus minor 

Collared Finchbill Spizixos semitorques 

Collared Finchbill

Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
- heard only

Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis

Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus

Black Bulbul - really resemble Taiwan Thrush which I need lol

Chestnut Bulbul Hemixos castanonotus

Rufous-faced Warbler Abroscopus albogularis
- heard only

Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris
- heard only

Rufous-capped Babbler Cyanoderma ruficeps 

Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis 

Grey-sided Scimitar-Babbler Megapomatorhinus swinhoei 
- heard only

Huet's Fulvetta Alcippe hueti 
- interestingly birder also reported David's Fulvetta on eBird......

Huet's Fulvetta - should be this species in this range... the pale base of mandible and weak supercilium may indicate this is a juvenile?

Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Carrulax monileger 

Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush - yellow iris separated from Greater

Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush - the necklace pattern is also different

Chinese Hwamei Garrulax canorus 
- heard only

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush Ianthocincla courtoisi 
- estimated more than 20 individuals were seen in Caomencun Village, including nest and fledged chicks

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - they were quite common in this spot

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - excellent view but difficult to photo

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - they were bust breeding here

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - they also fed on fruits

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - not always easy to see its bluish crown

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Uppertail of Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Undertail of Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - waiting to bath

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - in love

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - showing the yellow throat

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - poor light

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - front view

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - a little bit far

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - busy breeding everyone

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - a wet one

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - need good light for showing the blue crown

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - a recently fledged chick

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - a family

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush

Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis 

Chinese Blackbird Turdus mandarinus 

Red-billed Starling Spodiopsar sericeus 

nest hole for Red-billed (Silky) Starling

Red-billed Starling

Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus 

White Wagtail Motacilla alba 

Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 

White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata