Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong (1 Viewer)

johnallcock · Dec 21, 2013

I haven't got around to posting any updates for a while. This has been largely due to work - one week out of the office for a workshop about shorebird conservation and just really busy apart from that. I have managed to find time to get out birding, but for the most part have not succeeded to find much of interest. Duck numbers have continued to be good, though, including a Baer's Pochard for the third successive winter (I think one of the birds from last year). Possibly because of all the ducks, the eagles (Imperial and Greater Spotted) have been putting on a good show.

We had a very cold, wet period at the start of this week, which I was hoping would bring some birds. In fact, the only bird of note I have seen following this was a Red-breasted Flycatcher. There was also a Spoon-billed Sandpiper seen along the Access Road into the reserve at the start of the week, but I missed it.

I have been trying to get out to look for shorebirds on the high tide all week but haven't had the chance. So, although I wasn't working today, I decided to give the tide a try. In fact, it did not rise as high as predicted and the birds were fairly distant. Highlights were the large gulls - a good number of Heuglin's with a few Caspian, 3 Black-tailed and a Slaty-backed.

While heading around the reserve towards the hides, I had stopped to check out the Tufted Ducks. Hearing a strange call I looked up and noticed that the 'cormorant' flying over was actually orange, with a pale head and white underwing - a Ruddy Shelduck (#267). This dropped down onto the main scrape, landing among the ducks at the far end from me. This is the first record for a few years so I was really pleased with the sighting. Unfortunately it seems not to have stayed and I'm not sure that many others saw the bird. And then, just as I was heading out of the reserve in the afternoon a Russet Bush Warbler (#268) started singing just 20m or so from the exit. A great way to end the day and a reminder that the year list is not over yet!

MKinHK · Dec 21, 2013

Congratulations on the Ruddy Shelduck John. With winds like these and more finds like that 275 may just still be possible.

Somewhat gripped that your Red-breasted Flycatcher was not even a year tick!

Cheers
Mike

Neil · Dec 22, 2013

johnallcock said:
I haven't got around to posting any updates for a while. This has been largely due to work - one week out of the office for a workshop about shorebird conservation and just really busy apart from that. I have managed to find time to get out birding, but for the most part have not succeeded to find much of interest. Duck numbers have continued to be good, though, including a Baer's Pochard for the third successive winter (I think one of the birds from last year). Possibly because of all the ducks, the eagles (Imperial and Greater Spotted) have been putting on a good show.

We had a very cold, wet period at the start of this week, which I was hoping would bring some birds. In fact, the only bird of note I have seen following this was a Red-breasted Flycatcher. There was also a Spoon-billed Sandpiper seen along the Access Road into the reserve at the start of the week, but I missed it.

I have been trying to get out to look for shorebirds on the high tide all week but haven't had the chance. So, although I wasn't working today, I decided to give the tide a try. In fact, it did not rise as high as predicted and the birds were fairly distant. Highlights were the large gulls - a good number of Heuglin's with a few Caspian, 3 Black-tailed and a Slaty-backed.

While heading around the reserve towards the hides, I had stopped to check out the Tufted Ducks. Hearing a strange call I looked up and noticed that the 'cormorant' flying over was actually orange, with a pale head and white underwing - a Ruddy Shelduck (#267). This dropped down onto the main scrape, landing among the ducks at the far end from me. This is the first record for a few years so I was really pleased with the sighting. Unfortunately it seems not to have stayed and I'm not sure that many others saw the bird. And then, just as I was heading out of the reserve in the afternoon a Russet Bush Warbler (#268) started singing just 20m or so from the exit. A great way to end the day and a reminder that the year list is not over yet!

Interesting news about the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. I'll have a look for it when I get back in the New Year.
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Neil.

johnallcock · Dec 24, 2013

MKinHK said:
Somewhat gripped that your Red-breasted Flycatcher was not even a year tick!

I fully agree, Mike. I was a bit gutted that a bird of this quality was already on the year list. A bit like getting Swinhoe's Mionivets in both spring and autumn!

Another highlight from last week came from two pythons near our office, both present on two successive days. Presumably these were trying to warm up after the cold snap at the start of the week. The smaller individual was probably almost 2m long, the larger coming up for 3m. I find it's always great to get such good views of these fantastic animals - perfect while we're still in the year of the snake.

johnallcock · Jan 2, 2014

Well, I've reached the end of the year. I was not working for most of the last week of the year, so had little chance to add to the year and try to reach the target. With nothing more added by 30th December, and not working on 31st, it looked like that was going to be it. But I figured that I would go to the reserve on 31st for one last chance. We were due a morning of ringing for the week, so I headed to the reedbed to see what would turn up...

Ringing itself was not too bad. The highlight was a Manchurian Reed Warbler - a retrap of the same bird trapped way back at the start of January, to close the year as it had started. Other good birds were three Japanese Bush Warblers, Pallas's Leaf Warbler and a few more Penduline Tits.

Mid-morning I heard something call. The call was familiar but somehow seemed out of place and I couldn't place what it was. I looked around but there was no sign of the bird. A few seconds later it called again and the penny dropped. It was familiar because I hear it most days at home in Ng Tung Chai - Scarlet Minivet (#269). This was a complete surprise - this was the first record actually on the reserve (there has been one previous record at the car park). Unfortunately the bird went straight over and I didn't see it until it was distant and heading to the tall Casuarinas a couple of hundred metres away.

So that was it. A total of 269 for the year. Not quite up to the target of 275 that Mike set at the start of the year. To be honest, I always thought that would be a challenge, but it had to be worth a try. I am aware of a further 21 species claimed on the reserve this year, so 275 was definitely possible. I'm quite pleased with the fact that I came so close without relying too much on twitching - in fact only one species (Baikal Teal) was reliant on a twitch across site. Ringing did really help to boost the total though. On top of the species counted, I saw three species that are considered to be escapes (Alexandrine Parakeet, Common Pheasant and Bearded Reedling).

It has been a year with a few surprises. The real stand-outs to me were European Golden Plover, Purple Swamphen and Eurasian Oystercatcher. I managed both Swinhoe's Minivet and Red-breasted Flycatcher twice, and Common Tern on three separate occasions (all are pretty rare at Mai Po). And I never would have guessed at the start of the year that I would finish with three species of Minivet and Laughingthrush!

But of course there has been the disappointments. I think this is the first spring I have missed Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher in HK (despite both being seen by others). And, however hard I tried, I just never managed to find Watercock this autumn, despite several records at various locations. I probably did see Pintail Snipe, but never had a view that would rule out Swinhoe's (and was not there when any were trapped). I was also pretty sure I heard Mountain Tailorbird calling this autumn but never managed to confirm. But surprisingly few 'misses' over the course of the year.

This year has started a bit quieter and I'm not going to put the same effort into year-listing in 2014. But we did get a good start to the year, with two Ruddy Shelducks seen on the reserve this afternoon.

Neil · Jan 2, 2014

johnallcock said:
Well, I've reached the end of the year. I was not working for most of the last week of the year, so had little chance to add to the year and try to reach the target. With nothing more added by 30th December, and not working on 31st, it looked like that was going to be it. But I figured that I would go to the reserve on 31st for one last chance. We were due a morning of ringing for the week, so I headed to the reedbed to see what would turn up...

Ringing itself was not too bad. The highlight was a Manchurian Reed Warbler - a retrap of the same bird trapped way back at the start of January, to close the year as it had started. Other good birds were three Japanese Bush Warblers, Pallas's Leaf Warbler and a few more Penduline Tits.

Mid-morning I heard something call. The call was familiar but somehow seemed out of place and I couldn't place what it was. I looked around but there was no sign of the bird. A few seconds later it called again and the penny dropped. It was familiar because I hear it most days at home in Ng Tung Chai - Scarlet Minivet (#269). This was a complete surprise - this was the first record actually on the reserve (there has been one previous record at the car park). Unfortunately the bird went straight over and I didn't see it until it was distant and heading to the tall Casuarinas a couple of hundred metres away.

So that was it. A total of 269 for the year. Not quite up to the target of 275 that Mike set at the start of the year. To be honest, I always thought that would be a challenge, but it had to be worth a try. I am aware of a further 21 species claimed on the reserve this year, so 275 was definitely possible. I'm quite pleased with the fact that I came so close without relying too much on twitching - in fact only one species (Baikal Teal) was reliant on a twitch across site. Ringing did really help to boost the total though. On top of the species counted, I saw three species that are considered to be escapes (Alexandrine Parakeet, Common Pheasant and Bearded Reedling).

It has been a year with a few surprises. The real stand-outs to me were European Golden Plover, Purple Swamphen and Eurasian Oystercatcher. I managed both Swinhoe's Minivet and Red-breasted Flycatcher twice, and Common Tern on three separate occasions (all are pretty rare at Mai Po). And I never would have guessed at the start of the year that I would finish with three species of Minivet and Laughingthrush!

But of course there has been the disappointments. I think this is the first spring I have missed Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher in HK (despite both being seen by others). And, however hard I tried, I just never managed to find Watercock this autumn, despite several records at various locations. I probably did see Pintail Snipe, but never had a view that would rule out Swinhoe's (and was not there when any were trapped). I was also pretty sure I heard Mountain Tailorbird calling this autumn but never managed to confirm. But surprisingly few 'misses' over the course of the year.

This year has started a bit quieter and I'm not going to put the same effort into year-listing in 2014. But we did get a good start to the year, with two Ruddy Shelducks seen on the reserve this afternoon.

Still a good year John and probably about 100 more than I saw, although I did get the Watercock.
Let's hope that 2014 brings some nice surprises.
Neil.

MKinHK · Jan 2, 2014

A terrific effort and a great read John. Its been fascinating to follow what is possible at HK's best birding location.

Cheers
Mike

johnallcock · Jan 4, 2014

I had wondered how long it would be before I saw a species I missed in 2013. And it turned out it was lunchtime on my second day at the reserve (3rd Jan) - after looking all winter, I bumped into a female Greater Scaup.

johnallcock · Jan 22, 2014

I've been aware for a couple of weeks about a roost of Black-collared Starlings on the reserve - I've been hearing them from the office when I leave in the evenings. So earlier this week I thought it might be worth going to see how many there were.
I had been expecting a count of around 200-250, but was in for a surprise - at least 675 birds! By far the highest count on record in Hong Kong. I wonder how far they were arriving from?

cwpbirder · Feb 6, 2014

I've a chance to visit Mai Po either 2 or 3 May and need to arrange permit etc.....are there any reliable tide tables online to check those dates out, and how tide-dependent are the waders/Spoonbills etc on the pools ( for photography) as opposed to Deep Bay?

johnallcock · Feb 6, 2014

The tides on 2nd and 3rd May should be very good for waders. Predicted tides can be found online at: http://www.hko.gov.hk/tide/eTBTtide.htm Anything above about 2.2m should push waders into roost - they usually roost in good numbers on the reserve, although can vary slightly about exactly where they favour each year. Waders will be close to the hides in Deep Bay from about 1.7m, so it is worth going to these hides on the rising and/or falling tide (some birds should be close enough for photography there).

There should be a good diversity of waders at Mai Po in early May, which is during the peak period of passage migration. Most should also be in breeding plumage. You may, however, be a bit late for Black-faced Spoonbills. Peak departure for these is mid-April, but some usually remain into May, so you should see them. There will also be landbird migration underway - look out for flycatchers, warblers, bee-eaters, raptors, etc.

May 1st is a public holiday in Hong Kong and China. Combined with the good tides, it is possible that the reserve will be busy that week. I would recommend booking a permit for the reserve early. Check out the details of the solo walk permit at: http://www.wwf.org.hk/en/getinvolved/gomaipo/spetour/

Jon Turner · Feb 6, 2014

johnallcock said:
The tides on 2nd and 3rd May should be very good for waders. Predicted tides can be found online at: http://www.hko.gov.hk/tide/eTBTtide.htm Anything above about 2.2m should push waders into roost - they usually roost in good numbers on the reserve, although can vary slightly about exactly where they favour each year. Waders will be close to the hides in Deep Bay from about 1.7m, so it is worth going to these hides on the rising and/or falling tide (some birds should be close enough for photography there).

There should be a good diversity of waders at Mai Po in early May, which is during the peak period of passage migration. Most should also be in breeding plumage. You may, however, be a bit late for Black-faced Spoonbills. Peak departure for these is mid-April, but some usually remain into May, so you should see them. There will also be landbird migration underway - look out for flycatchers, warblers, bee-eaters, raptors, etc.

May 1st is a public holiday in Hong Kong and China. Combined with the good tides, it is possible that the reserve will be busy that week. I would recommend booking a permit for the reserve early. Check out the details of the solo walk permit at: http://www.wwf.org.hk/en/getinvolved/gomaipo/spetour/

Interesting info there John, I now have 90% of my day permit sorted for next Thursday (they need a new fax of my Passport which didn't transmit very well apparently) What of the tides next week? I hope to arrive at 9ish and wander about for a few hours. Look forward to meeting you if you're around? Let me know if anything spectacular turns up before then? Greatly looking forward to it.

cwpbirder · Feb 7, 2014

John, that's very helpful, thanks for the info, trying to sort logistics flights etc

Jon Turner · Feb 7, 2014

Yay permit organised! Bring on the birds!

johnallcock · Aug 23, 2014

I haven't posted anything for over 6 months. Very slack of me.
But now that autumn migration is underway at Mai Po, I thought I should get back to giving some updates. And it turns out today was the right day to start.

I mentioned that autumn's underway. It's actually been going for several weeks with the shorebirds. Several hundred redshank and greenshank have been roosting on the reserve, plus a couple of hundred Black-tailed Godwits and last week I counted 14 Asian Dowitchers and 11 Long-toed Stints. There have been a few Yellow Wagtails around over the last few days (mostly heard only) and four Pintail/Swinhoe's Snipe yesterday.

For most of the week the highlight has actually been just outside the reserve. A very obliging male Ferruginous Duck has been on one of the ponds along the access road, allowing good views for birders and photographers. A few photos here: http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/redirect.php?tid=21554&goto=lastpost#lastpost and http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/viewthread.php?tid=21558&extra=page=1

And so to today. I was on duty, and had a lot to do around the site in the morning so not much time for birding. And then I got a call to say that there was a Greylag Goose on the scrape. I must have already cycled past this bird 6 or 7 times! This is only the 6th record for Hong Kong, and is a surprising time of year for a bird that would normally be expected in winter. But the last record was in July, coincidentally turning up 5 days after a Ferruginous Duck (as this year), and eight days after an Oriental Stork. So maybe these birds can turn up here mid-summer, but why?
Anyway, I finally managed to get out to see today's bird just before lunch. It showed no signs of damage to plumage or bare parts, and was incredibly wary, being flushed by a Black Kite about 5 minutes after I turned up, at which point it flew out to Deep Bay. Fortunately it came back mid-afternoon and looked like it may stay the night - it will be interesting to see if it sticks around for a while.

While I was on the phone getting the message about the goose, I could hear a bird of some sort nearby, making loads of noise. It sounded like heron chicks and I wondered whether it could be a Striated Heron nest. Going to investigate I was surprised to find an adult Purple Heron with two recently-fledged young. We had been hoping that they might breed this year, after the first confirmed nesting in HK in 2013. But there have been few Purple Heron sightings all summer, and it looked like they weren't nesting. So it's great to know that they have found somewhere secluded and out of the way, and have managed to successfully breed again. Hopefully they'll be back again in future years as well.

Maroon Jay · Aug 23, 2014

Would one of you HK residents (or someone who has been there) be willing to write a short article for my travel website as a guest blogger about going to Mai Po. I would need it to be partly about birds and partly about permits and how to get there. PM me please.

Neil · Aug 23, 2014

Good news about the Purple Heron chicks John. Can't wait to get back to see them.

johnjemi · Aug 28, 2014

I missed the Greylag, but here are a couple of shots with juvenile Asian Dowitchers, taken yesterday...

johnallcock · Sep 3, 2014

While heading out of the reserve yesterday evening (2nd), I heard a flock of White-shouldered Starlings along the Mai Po Access Road. I haven't seen many of these around recently and was wondering how many were around. 10-15 years ago this was a really rare breeding species in HK, but numbers have increased a lot in recent years, since they adapted to use artificial sites for nesting.

Fortunately last night's flock started to move from a pre-roost gathering across into the roost trees usually used by Crested Mynas, so it was possible to count the number as they passed me. Based on the noise level and the fact I haven't seen too many recently, I was expecting about 50-100 birds. According to the 2012 Hong Kong Bird Report, the record count of the species in Hong Kong is 120 birds, but I seem to remember hearing of a count of over 200 a year or two ago.

So when last night's count passed 150, I knew it was a good total. There were still birds in the pre-roost, moving across in flocks of 15-20 into the main roost. The total reached 250, and I was fairly confident this was now a record count with more still to come...

...There was a slight lull when the count reached 420. This must be about it, I thought. There's still a few calling and perched on a bare tree, but surely not too many more. And then the flocks (now up to 50-70 birds) started moving again and the count increased: 500...600...700...

My final estimate was an amazing 950 birds, absolutely smashing the previous HK record for this species (I don't know how high the peak counts are elsewhere for this species). Towards the end I was really hoping to pass 1,000, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a count that high in the next couple of weeks as more migrants pass through. Worth keeping an eye out I think!

To round the evening off well, I turned around to see a Eurasian Hobby hunting bats. This is a regular sight along the road in the evening in late summer, when large numbers of bats leave roosts nearby. A couple of bats seemed to dive-bomb the hobby, perhaps mobbing it, but the bird seemed not to notice them as it fed.

johnallcock · Sep 18, 2014

Much of this week has been dominated by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which swept past of HK to the south on Tuesday night. Fortunately Mai Po avoided significant damage, although we have had a few branches down around the reserve. The storm brought in a few birds, most notably terns - a count of 36 Common Terns (including several juveniles) in Deep Bay on Tuesday was an impressive total here, and there were also a couple of Gull-billed, a Little and a few Whiskered and White-winged, although not as many of the last two as I expected (I have heard of 2-300 on ponds near the reserve). Also on the reserve was a flock of just over 200 Red-necked Phalaropes and a similar number of Garganey, as well as an Oriental Plover and an Oriental Cuckoo.

The surprise of the week, though, came while ringing today. It had been a relatively good morning in the reedbed - Manchurian Reed Warbler, two Pechora Pipits, the first Lanceolated Warbler of the autumn, a few Oriental Reed Warblers and Pallas's Grasshopper Warblers, and a flyover flock of Daurian Starlings.
And then, as we were packing up, a Bay Woodpecker was sitting in the net. A completely unexpected bird, in an unexpected location - it was between two patches of reeds rather than among the nearby trees. This is the first for the reserve, and not a species we would have expected to turn up here.

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