Not just birds

2019年12月27日星期五

Long Valley and Tai Lam 27 Dec 2019 - birding with friend from Singapore after Yunnan trip...

After a quick two-day trip to Yunnan, we went birding with Catalina today.

Our first stop is Long Valley, hoping for some buntings and resulted Little and a late Yellow-breasted Bunting (critically endangered!), Plaintive Cuckoo, dozens Common Snipe and Catalina's third lifer today - Taiga Flycatcher which she has not seen in Singapore yet.

After lunch, we switched to Tai Lam for Brown Wood Owl but the owls were naughty today, not showing at all......... only 3 Rufous-faced Warbler and the same Hume's Warbler left. Anyway, let's try again next time!

Checklist in Long Valley: https://ebird.org/checklist/S62656100
Checklist in Tai Lam: https://ebird.org/checklist/S62677519

Plaintive Cuckoo - no tail....

Plaintive Cuckoo

Sniping time

Common Snipe

Common Snipe - sleeping

late Yellow-breasted Bunting and Scaly-breasted Munia

Olive-backed Pipit

Northern Shoveler

Taiga Flycatcher - there was one in Singapore this year and it is the first documented national record. In Hong Kong, this is a common winter visitor.

Rufous-faced Warbler - always difficult to shoot

2019年12月25日星期三

Tai Lam 25 Dec 2019 - Xmas Day

On this Xmas Day we headed to Tai Lam for warbler and robins before going to a 2 days trip in Yunan.

We dipped the Japanese Robin, but still got male Small Niltava, Brown Wood Owl, Rufous-faced Warbler and typical Hume's Warbler. And an odd Yellow-browed Warbler which some birders in HK wrongly identified as Chinese Leaf Warbler, luckily we focus more on the ID rather than a tick,

Serious birding is more suitable for us. Anyway, we had a funny day in Xmas🎄.

Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S62603860

Brown Wood Owl - hided in morning

Brown Wood Owl - wrong exposure

Brown Wood Owl

Yellow-browed Warbler - I really cannot see anything identifiable as a Chinese Leaf. Anyway even if it is a real Chinese, we won't tick it by just a crap shot.

Yellow-browed Warbler - and I won't say this is a hybrid until I got reasonable view or DNA sample

Yellow-browed Warbler - and for other features like no crown stripes, fitting Yellow-browed much more than Chinese

Yellow-browed Warbler - maybe the wing formula can tell? only the experts know haha.

Yellow-browed Warbler - I am quite sure the Chinese Leaf they called did not show any rump.

Yellow-browed Warbler - remind us the "Sichuan Leaf Warbler" few years ago

Hume's Warbler - being serious birders are what we want

Hume's Warbler - and read more books for learning ID

Hume's Warbler

Small Niltava - male

Small Niltava - male feeding

Small Niltava - male

Black Bulbul - call like cat

https://www.hbw.com/ibc/sound/black-bulbul-hypsipetes-leucocephalus/call-cat

Hume's Warbler

https://www.hbw.com/ibc/sound/humes-leaf-warbler-phylloscopus-humei/call-0

Hume's Warbler

https://www.hbw.com/ibc/sound/humes-leaf-warbler-phylloscopus-humei/call-1

Yellow-browed Warbler - atypical call

https://www.hbw.com/ibc/sound/yellow-browed-warbler-phylloscopus-inornatus/atypical-call

2019年12月22日星期日

Tai Po Kau and Kowloon Walled City Park 22 Dec 2019 - White-spectacled Warbler finally!!!!

We finally got our reward after 33 visits for the White-spectacled Warbler - a distant bird was found outside the wave when I was playing the Collared Owlet call!

Besides, we also heard a real Collared Owlet, still the Plain Flowerpecker, Two-barred Warbler, and a weird looking Brown Shrike. Not much else even we bumped a big wave, anyway, still a remarkable day in Tai Po Kau.

Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S62519376

We then headed to Kowloon Walled City Park, for the Chestnut-tailed Starling which we saw two there. This is a species we all saw in Kowloon Park long time ago so we aimed to get some better record, and its status is rather uncertain in HK. Also, an Asian Azure-winged Magpie was also seen there, quite an unexpected species outside New Territories.

Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S62520343

And my 2019 HK Big Year is finally 300.