The Magic Roundabout (1 Viewer)

This morning's thunderstorms brought in my first Arctic Warbler (87) for the roundabout. Had I had more time I have a strong suspicion I might have found some more migrants.

Good candidates for this time of year include Eastern Crowned Warbler, Siberian Blue Robin and Forest Wagtail, plus the real quality of Drongo Cuckoo, Tiger Shrike, Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher and Fairy Pitta!

Cheers
Mike

Another good day for migrants on the roundabout today. I nearly stayed in the office to work, but decided that 6 hours of meetings through the day entitled me to a break . . .

First up in the core area was a real treat - my first Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler which gave its distinctive 'pink' call and then helpfully pished in very close, showing all the classic features - pale legs, pale-tipped dark bill, long thin super and tail pumping.

It was swiftly followed by an Asian Brown Flycatcher that tried hard to con me in thinking it was a Sooty Flycatcher, but in good light it was clear that it just wasn't dark or small-headed enough and that the bill was way too broad and pale. It did chase off another small passerine, but I never got onto it.

While waiting for the mystery bird to come back a juvenile Asian Paradise Flycatcher with a very extensive dark breast and belly flipped across between two high branches and then posed magnificently, giving excellent views of its freshly moulted chestnut-upperparts.

A couple of minutes later an Arctic Warbler materialised in the tree directly above me, showing the classic clumsy jizz, dark-tipped pale bill and mealy cheeks that made it easy to separate from the Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler.

All these were on the main roundabout with a thin supporting cast of Long-tailed Shrike, Crested Myna, Magpie Robin and a couple of leucopsis White Wagtails. As I was leaving the core area a flicker low down popped up and from the upper reaches of a meelia tree showed just about enough to convince me it was a female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, although I did speculate for a while about one of the awkward sods (owstoni or elisae), as I only had views from below.

The icing on the cake was finding two new Asian Paradise Flycatchers lurking almost side by side on the Western Tangle. Three paradise flycatchers perfectly explain the paradoxical magic of the roundabout!

Cheers
Mike

Wish my local roundabout had a fraction of the birds on yours - if I'm lucky, I get to see a car bash the back of another

Thanks Jos - the concrete jungle has its compensations!

Today provided terrific confirmation that migration had really kicked off as two White-shouldered Starlings, a Brown Shrike and best of all an early and patch-first Black-winged Cuckooshrike (89) all popped up in the core area - in addition to the Asian Brown Flycatcher and a briefly seen Arctic Warbler.

Two of the three juvenile Asian Paradise Flycatchers and probably the same Arctic Warbler were again in the Western Tangle and a Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler and a much more cooperative Yellow-rumped Flycatcher eventually showed themselves on the Northern Bend. Two Barn Swallows completed a fine set of migrants for the day.

Also, for the first time since the Naumann's Thrush twitch, a couple of photographers were on-site.

Cheers
Mike

Glad that no's reaching close to 100. My best wishes that you wil reach it this season. You have turned your little patch into a birding hotspot. Congrats Mike.

Patch work ! Can't beat it !

I trust the photographers were suitably deferential....

The photographers didn't know me from Adam, but were happy to chat at least.

More significant this week was experiencing that painful rite of passage for a new patch watcher - being gripped for the first time. The perpetrator was Graham Talbot, who found a Hwamei, and a kingfisher sp. that was not White-breasted on Wednesday morning.

This raises all sorts of dilemmas: -

1. Do I chase his birds?
2. Do I start an official Magic Roundabout list to which others can contribute?
3. Do I start doing early mornings as well?
4. What was the kingfisher?
5. Was the Hwamei an escape?

The same morning I picked out a snipe sp. crouched on the lawn at the end of the south runway as my bus went past, and at lunchtime I found a feather that can only belong to a juvenile Koel on the roundabout. Other birds included single Asian Paradise, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and Asian Brown Flycatchers, plus an Arctic Warbler and the Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler. There was also a Dusky Shrike on the golf course.

Thursday lunchtime was much the same, but with two each of Asian Paradise and Asian Brown Flycatcher, and the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher plus an Arctic Warbler all hunting in a small stand of trees on the core area. I also had brief views of a Brown Shrike. There was a little variety, in the shape of an unidentified large accro, which perched exactly not long enough for me to get onto it - but with Thick-billed Warbler also seen at Mai Po this week I could not simply assume it was an Oriental Reed Warbler. Shortly after that the Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler had the temerity to buzz me - zipping past my face and calling sharply on the Western Tangle!

Another highlight this week as finding the eggs and tadpoles of Romer's Tree Frog on the Scenic Hill at the southeast corner of the airport island. This tiny tree frog (its just 1.5-2cm long!) was originally endemic to just four islands off Hong Kong, including Chek Lap Kok.

When Chek Lap Kok was flattened to make the current airport only the Scenic Hill remained, and the frogs with them. However as part of the compensation frogs were translocated to eight sites around Hong Kong, and became established at six of them. I visited the site with Dr Michael Lau, the herpetologist who conducted the original translocation project. He confirmed that the eggs and tiny tadpoles were indeed Romer's Tree Frog. It's amazing that they have survived and it was a real privilege to see them!

More information about the frog can be found here

Cheers
Mike

Today teh Flycatchers were all gone and the only migrants I was able to dig out were a single Arctic Warbler and a Brown Shrike, on the Western and Eastern Tangles respectively.

I also had a Spotted Dove, Eastern Great Tit, and Long-tailed Shrike and a mixed party of juvenile Chinese and Crested Bulbuls which have been loitering about the Western Tangle for the last week.

My other highlight from last week was a fine female Blue Rock Thrush which showed bereautifully on the rail of the 7th floor balcony as I waited for a presentation on Friday morning.

Cheers
Mike

What a contrast from last week!

Tuesday and Thursday produced no migrants at all, while Wednesday's return was two Asian Brown Flycatchers, one of them calling persistently and the Brown Shrike.

It seems that migrants tend to keep going on easterly winds and only stop when the wind is against or there's rain to keep them on the deck.

Cheers
Mike

There was a fair quantity of stripped foliage on the ground in the aftermath of the typhoon and I had high hopes of a good migrant or two.

It started well with a female Red Turtle Dove that flew up from the ground on the Grassy Patch and perched nicely while I waited for my bins to un-steam.

The core area held two accipiter sp. - a male a and a female, but of which species, with the briefest of obstructed views, I remained frustratingly ignorant. Both tangles were empty and the Northern Edge held single Arctic Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher.

It was the golf course where I really scored well. Half a dozen Richard's Pipits strutted across the green and fairways, seven splendid Black Drongos, a taivana Yellow Wagtail and at least one and possibly two White-throated Kingfishers were all new for the quarter, and best of all a rather distant Pacific Swift hunting over the most distant of the lakes.

Cheers
Mike

MKinHK said:

There was a fair quantity of stripped foliage on the ground in the aftermath of the typhoon and I had high hopes of a good migrant or two.

Click to expand...

Size of that monster, as suggested by international media, surprised there are any trees left, let alone foliage! Think the migrants are bill-down in mud somewhere half way to Australia :-O

After the massive build-up the typhoon turned out be a bit of a damp squib by HK standards. The eye passed about 50km away and as most of the winds we got were northerly rather than from the sea most places we're less exposed.

Having said that it did kill three people in China. . .

The best typhoon birds were three Long-tailed Skuas over Mai Po, which
makes me think I should have give it a few minutes from my sea watch point!

Cheers
Mike

Tuesday started well with a couple of Cattle Egrets and a Little Egret on the lawn by the south runway from the bus, and a rush round at lunchtime delivered a calling, but unseen Yellow-browed Warbler and in a new area of trees to the left of the roundabout a Wryneck was in with the Crested Bulbuls.

Cheers
Mike

MKinHK said:

After the massive build-up the typhoon turned out be a bit of a damp squib by HK standards. The eye passed about 50km away and as most of the winds we got were northerly rather than from the sea most places we're less exposed.

Having said that it did kill three people in China. . .

The best typhoon birds were three Long-tailed Skuas over Mai Po, which
makes me think I should have give it a few minutes from my sea watch point!

Cheers
Mike

Click to expand...

Thirty Three Mike ! Sustained wind speeds of 109 mph on the mainland (Guangdong). Surprised you didn't get more fall-out.

I'm going to be in HK from 5th to 8th Nov. Let me know by PM if you will be around and have time for a day's outing !

Cheers
Kevin

Today was my first outing of a new quarter and a new year on the Magic Roundabout. I'll do a brief review separately, but as today was a good one I want to get it down while its still fresh in my mind.

First up were two juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons seen from the bus on a roundabout with several large banyan trees. These were swiftly followed by a leucopsis White Wagtail, a Magpie Robin and a couple of Crested Mynas.

My lunchtime walk started well when an Oriental Reed Warbler flew up into a roadside tree a perched in good view for a minute or so, and the first of at least three Asian Brown Flycatchers called repeatedly from one of the meelia trees on the grassy verge. As I crossed over to the Core Area six Chinese Pond Herons flew up out of the grass and disappeared northwards, a Spotted Dove zipped through, Japanese White-eyes showed briefly and a Black Drongo gave the most fleeting of views as it briefly circled above the treetops.

I then spent far too long trying to get views of an extreme skulker that hopped and scuttled just out of sight with great skill. When it did eventually pop up it showed distinct pale tips to the outer tail feathers, allowing me to confirm it as a Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler (90), and a new bird for the patch.

The Eastern Tangle had another skulker, which looked the size of an Oriental Reed Warbler, but altogether colder-toned. It dipped its tail twice then hopped onto the ground and walked in and out of view, briefly showing me a clear supercilium and typical large accro/locustella flat head shape. It did not seem right for Oriental Reed Warbler, and based on its size and behaviour I'm wondering (optimistically) about Gray's . . .

The Western Tangle had the usual bathing Crested Bulbuls and the long-staying Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler, plus a couple of Common Tailorbirds.

Five Richard's Pipits were on the golf course and general scan picked up a dozen Chinese Starlings flying across the far side. Sooty-headed and Chinese Bulbuls also made sure to been seen on the first day of the new birding year, and a late even strolled delivered a Large-billed Crow and a couple of Tree Sparrows for a respectable tally of 20 species.

Cheers
Mike

The fourth quarter (July-September 2013) finished with the patch total for the Roundabout's first birding year at 89 species, of which 42 were recorded in Q4 - which is the same as Q1 and Q2. This total included 5 new species, following 42 in the first quarter (Oct- Dec), 15 in the second (Jan- Mar) and 27 in the third.

It should be noted that the quarters fall so that there is at least one month of passage in each - and particularly it means that there is no quarter that is completely hopeless. I was away for about a week in last weeks of both April and September (my report from Abu Dhabi has been consigned to the trip reports section to avoid John Allcock having another heart attack!), which doubtless kept numbers lower that they might have been. A three week break in July was almost certainly neither here nor there.

The obvious highlight was the wonderful Naumann's Thrush that showed for three days from 27-29 December, before being killed and eaten by a Long-tailed Shrike. This was the best of a fine array of thrushes that also included Dusky and and Orange Headed Thrushes and six other species.

Other highlights included the handsome leucopsis x alboides White Wagtail that stayed long enough to breed with a leucopsis White Wagtail, a probable but ultimately unconfirmed Blyth's Reed Warbler, and a fine passage of flycatchers in both spring (Narcissus and Blue-and-white) and autumn (Yellow-rumped and Asian Paradise).

There was also an exceptional day of passage on 12 April, when a rainstorm downed a fine range of waders on the lawns at the end of the South Runway and these combined with a nice range on the main area of the Roundabout to deliver 31 species - more than a third of all the species seen in the year.

In closing many thanks to everyone who has followed and commented on my posts from this small, grotty, but ultimately hugely rewarding patch.

Cheers
Mike

PS Please note the first report (its a good one!) from the new quarter and birding year can be found in the post above on page 7.

Amazing such a tiny patch can produce so many species. Good luck with your new patch year Mike !

Full credit to your optimism, Mike. Who knew a roundabout could be quite so magic?

Dylan

With passage now in full flow the last couple of days have been very interesting.

Thursday 3rd Oct

Intrigued by the large warbler at the Western Tangle I made an early start yesterday in the hope of getting more on it . . . and struck gold! Walking along the edge of tangle I realised that I could see under some bushes because the tangle was elevated about 5 ft above the road.

I immediately noticed a movement, once again of a warbler walking about in the leaf litter. Even in the dark shadows this looked like a long-legged slim, and significantly larger unstreaked locustella warbler. The impression was heightened when another, stockier bird: shorter-billed, shorter legged and shorter tailed, and distinctly streakier, walked past it - a typical Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler.

In the course of the next hour I got progressively better views of both birds down to four for five metres as they emerged at the nearer and better lit edge of the bushes.

The big question was the identity of the larger bird. There are three contenders: Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler, Styan's Grasshopper Warbler, and Gray's Grasshopper Warbler. Styan's winters regularly in small numbers at and around Mai Po, there are about 5 HK records of Middendorff's, and no records of Gray's from HK - or anywhere else in southern China for that matter!

After referring to Kennerley & Pearson's Reed and Bush Warblers it was clear that it was too big to be Middendorff's, which is very similar in size and shape to Pallas's, leaving me to decide between Styan's and Gray's. Gray's is the larger and typically has a strong heavy bill, while Styan's should be slimmer and should show pale tips to the outer tail feathers (like Pallas's).

Watch this space for more on this potentially monster bird!

I was so focused on this bird that the only other birds to register were two singing Asian Brown Flycatchers - and a flyover Greater Coucal - and species no 91 for the Roundabout! On the way back tothe office I picked up a couple of newly-arrived Dusky Warblers and an Oriental Reed Warbler on the Core Area, and a female Stejneger's Stonechat on the Grassy Verge.


Friday 4th Oct
Today was also productive. Another early start failed to deliver more on the mystery wabler, but did provide more close-up eye level views of the Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler on the Western Tangle.

A lunchtime circuit of the patch was substantialy more productive as a Richard's Pipit was on the Grassy Verge, and two Eastern Crowned Wablers (92)and a Greenish Warbler (93) were hunting in the core area along with a couple of Arctic Warblers, two Asian Brown Flycatchers and a splendid Wryneck.

Another Dusky Warbler and a Brown Shrike (which pounced on and devoured a large fluffy brown moth I inadvertently flushed) were on the Northern Edge, and I had at least two Arctic warblers and an Eastern Crowned Warbler that may have crossed the road in the Eastern Tangle.

Other additions for the new quarter included a Black-necked Starling on the Roundabout itself.

Cheers
Mike

Monday and Tuesday this week were lower-octane than the back end of last week, but a slow but steady arrival of both passage birds and those arriving for the winter, plus filling the gas at the beginning of a new quarter has kept me ticking along . . .

An early start on Monday morning was rewarded with the sight of three Pale Martins (94) flying low over the roundabout proper. Other birds included an Arctic Warbler high in the trees a Stejneger's Stonechat, three Asian Brown Flycatchers and a superb male Red Turtle Dove feeding on the ground on the Northern Edge. There was also a single Chinese Pond Heron that took off from the trees on the Core Area.

Yesterday was also quiet, with the highlight a Pale-legged Leaf Warbler - I think the bird that has been around for a few weeks now - on the Eastern Tangle. The Stejneger's Stonechat, three Asian Brown Flycatchers and two Dusky Warblers are likely around for the duration, as are the Richard's Pipits on the golf course. A Little Egret from the seawatch point was my 38th bird for the quarter, putting me comfortably ahead of last year's Q4 which netted 42 species between October and December.

The big news however was a report of three Amur Falcons reported hunting along the edge of the south Runway on Monday . . . just outside the patch boundary, but not far away at all! I would love to have seen them!

Cheers
Mike

Cheers
Mike