Orange-headed Thrush on Lamma Island, HK
 

Seems the Orange-headed Thrush (shown below) is an extremely uncommon bird in Hong Kong & a friend has notified the "HK Birdline".

Seems I'm lucky - bird is at the same place every day & has even come within 1' of me sitting behind my green coloured mosquito net.
Has been identified as being a female, which figures & explains my growing affection for her.
Shall go back & see her again today & see if I can take a photo that does her justice.

Outstanding A G
Brings back fond memories of my trip to Sri Lanka & Goa, they are a truly gorgeous bird and very obliging.
Well done. :clap:

She been back everyday for the last 6 days & comes back 3-4 times a day
Have got about 30 keepable pics of her so far without upsetting her..

Interest is mounting, seems somebody from HKBWS wants to visit her - I think to verify the sighting, & am taking people up to see her every day.

Is getting interesting, because in the same 2 square metre spot have seen the following:

Japanese Thrush (male)
Grey-backed Thrush (female)
Greater Coucal
Magpie Robin
Crested Mynah
Red-whiskered Bulbul (30+ at one time)
Light-vented Bulbul (30+ at one time)
Tree Sparrow (30+ at one time)
Red-billed Starling
Common Tailorbird (bad pic)
Long-tailed Tailorbird (no pic)
Manchurian Bush-warbler
Japanese White-eye
Grey-spotted Dove
White headed / white breasted Moorhen (bad pic)
A largish Black bird (looks like UK Blackbird but about twice the size I think - no pic).
Yellow-browed Warbler - I think (no pic yet)

& just when I'm starting to enjoy myself have to start work on Monday - that's life.
Think it's about time to move to a new spot soon anyway....

Good luck - Guy

I think Common Tailorbird and Long-tailed Tailorbird are the same species Guy. I do envy you all those thrushes!

No, don't think so (but I could be wrong being new at this) - Common Tailorbird is predominately copperish & green coloured (photo attached) with a shortish tail, whereas Long-tailed Tailorbird is (if my eyesight serves me right) is mainly brown (no pic yet) with a distinctly longer tail

Just checked a Singapore site, & it seems they refer to the Common & the Long-tailed as one, but to me they look like completely different birds - unlerss I've got the "common" one wrong
Guy

As a youngster in HK my first bird-in-a-cage was a Japanese white-eye (zosterops japonica). No sooner had I taken it home and tried to adjust the cage door than the bird flew away. I was heartbroken.

"A robin redbreast in a cage
puts all Heaven in a rage." -- William Blake.

But I'm sure the "White-eye" didn't mind - beautiful birds & susch a gentle personality

In HK caged birds are extremely common, especially amongst old & retired men.
They take them "out for a walk" every day & go to "sitting out" areas, which are essentially concreted urban parks. There the men sit around playing mahjong all day with the cages hanging from tree branches. Is quite a sight...., & noisy with all the birds "chatting to one another".

Over in Mongkok (Kowloon) there are a couple of streets known as "Bird Street" where the only thing on sale is caged birds - haven't been there for a few years, but for sure it's still there....., bit of an institution.

Your parents would have got yr bird from the original "bird Street" which was in Yau Ma Tei, a long thin alleyway that was absolutely crammed with caged birds.

Another thing that goes on, is that people buy the birds (sometimes dozens of them), mainly Tailorbirds & set them free in woodland areas, as good luck, or (I think) after the death of a relative, as a sort of messenger (can't quote me on that).

Some things don't change in Hong Kong, although if you haven't been here for a few years, a lot of it will seem like a different place.
Been here 18 years & seen a few changes.

Try & make it out here sometime...Guy
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[quote=anonymous_guy]

>Another thing that goes on, is that people buy the birds (sometimes dozens of them), mainly Tailorbirds & set them free in woodland areas, as good luck, or (I think) after the death of a relative, as a sort of messenger (can't quote me on that).

That's a nice way to say "goodbye"...

Yeah, they do that in Thailand, where I'm from, a lot. It means 'freedom'. People do buy the birds and set them free as a sign of good luck and good will. I haven't heard a case where someone does it for the death of a close one but it can work like that.

Unfortunatly, some people who sell these birds catch them manually and drug them inside the food that the seller would give them. This drug makes them want to come back to the seller after they are set free by a buyer. It's slightly 'cheating'; I don't entirely like it;I only like doing this when I know the bird has not been drugged and is truly traditonal. Very few people who sell these birds actually breed them themselves or catch them without drugging.

Was buying my maggots today from a bird shop ready for "Ching Ming" (Grave sweeping) holiday tomorrow to attract birds & saw a cage full of Scaly-breasted munias, so I bought 13 of them to set free - supposed to be good luck - not for me, for the birds.

Have plenty of grassland & shrubs around the house so hopefully I'll be doing them a good turn.
If they manage ok I'll get some more.

Understand I'll be perpetuating the trade but don't think my dozen or so will make much difference, and besides they'll be in a really nice environment round where I live.

I'll keep an eye on them.