Ng Tung Chai, Hong Kong (1 Viewer)

MKinHK · Mar 27, 2010

What is probably the last cold front of winter made for a very pleasant visit to the woods on the NE edge of the patch. An old army road winds up to a lovely patch of woods in a steep ravine which held a Red-flanked Buetail, Pallas' Leaf, Yellow-browed and singing Mountain Bush Warblers.

There were also three or four thrushes , of which at least one was a first summer Grey-backed Thrush and a flock of Greater-necklaced Laughingthrushes were also of interest.

The Black-faced Buntings and Olive-backed Pipits remain and one of the Chinese Pond Herons was pretty close to full breeding plumage. After having the colony in the village obliterated by freak winds last year I very much hope they breed here again.

Cheers

Mike

MKinHK · Mar 28, 2010

I went off-patch this morning but when I came back at lunchtime the nearly pristine Chinese Pond Heron was on the veggie patch pond, and while walking around Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden this afternoon a Great Barbet perched high on the opposite ridge across the farm was the first I've seen this year.

Cheers
Mike

MKinHK · Apr 1, 2010

A quiet morning on the patch, and disappointing.

I got up early and full of expectation as flycatchers have started to arrive and Dylan had a Blue-and-white on Sunday, but I didn't get a single spring migrant!

There was some compensation in the shape of the Black Bulbuls and an Ashy Drongo, but it was hardly overwhelming.

By way of compensation a couple of pix of one of the very similar-looking forest skinks.

I'll also post a couple of pix from my visit to Mai Po last weekend on the Mai Po thread (v grumpy that its closed for the best 3 weeks of the year for bird flu (&&**&£@£@$!!)

Best wishes for a happy Easter

Mike

china guy · Apr 1, 2010

Does &&**&£@£@$!! = 糟糕

The stuff that goes on where I live - I have to say 糟糕 frequently every day!!!!!!

Gretchen · Apr 2, 2010

Well, despite your last day's quiet nature (actually, I usually think I like quiet nature, but this is a different kind!) it seems you've had some nice birds. I have to admit that I read too quickly and thought you had at first seen a pristine pond heron! (one that only occupies really clean ponds?) I think the skink pictures are terrific - and for me would be worth at least several birds.

Hope your pond herons are successful in nesting this year!

MKinHK · Apr 6, 2010

The first day of the holiday when the fog lifted I headed up the valley to try my hand at digiscoping some of the forest birds and, after a long quiet couple of hours, had nowt to show but dodgy pix of an Ashy Drongo and a Scarlet Minivet.

It was not until I headed down past the stream that I found a female Blue-and-white Flycatcher that was perched on a bamboo and reshuffling its feathers after a wash - my first flycatcher of the year in the valley.

On the way back down I jammed into a male Japanese Paradise Flycatcher at the bottom row of graves. It flipped out to catch an insect and then showed very well for about an hour, and even allowed me to get a couple of shots. To add icing on the cake a male Narcissus Flycatcher appeared a couple of times in the same trees, and a few minutes later a Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike showed well and sang briefly.

The day before 5 White-shouldered Starlings were in the village both first thing in the morning and in the afternoon, and a White-cheeked Laughingthrush posed briefly on the edge of the veggie patch.

Cheers
Mike

Gretchen · Apr 7, 2010

Nice flycatcher day! It sounds like you really got some nice time with the paradise flycatcher in particular.

MKinHK · Apr 7, 2010

It totally rocked Gretchen! Very rarely get the opportunity to enjoy one like this - and real beginner's luck to get a photo too!

Cheers
Mike

rockfowl · Apr 7, 2010

Now that's what you call good birding, I'm envious of the Paradise, very smart!

MKinHK · Apr 7, 2010

Thanks Rockfowl

Actually it was the last hurrah of a top long Easter weekend (5 days off including the Ching Ming grave sweeping festival on Tuesday).

Friday: New HK high count of 17 Red-tailed Robins on Dong Ping Chau Island (none seen but singing beautifully) and a giant migrating flock of 4-5,000 Chinese Bulbuls bursting under attack from a Peregrine.
Saturday: A few migrants around Tsim Bei Tsui, with a flock of 40 Ashy Minivets the highlight.
Sunday: Boat trip including Po Toi: 4 Yellow-throated Buntings, Ferruginous Fly and my first self-found Brown Hawk Owl (which gave terrific views) on Po Toi, then Pom, Arctic & LT Skuas (all pale phase birds in breeding plumage) + Greater Crested Tern all very close to the boat in the afternoon
Monday: 5 Chinese Starlings at home, plus 7 Long-toed Stints and a pic of Barn Swallows and Tree Spugs I like very much fom Lut Chau at the southern end of Mai Po.
Tuesday: on-patch birding (see above)

All it need was for Mai Po to be open, but H5N1 scaremongering (by Govt, not WWF) has it closed for three weeks . . . still, I'm not really grumbling. . . much!

And today on the way to work . . . the first "workle" call of a Chinese Pond Heron inspecting the egretry that was wiped out by the freak winds last year . . .

Cheers
Mike

Gretchen · Apr 8, 2010

MKinHK said:
Friday: ... a giant migrating flock of 4-5,000 Chinese Bulbuls bursting under attack from a Peregrine.
Saturday: ...with a flock of 40 Ashy Minivets the highlight.

Always lots of birds in your reports that I'm just learning about, but was impressed with these! I've seen flocks of Chinese bulbuls - but never more than 100 - wow! Also I've only ever seen minivets in small groups - must be nice to see a sizable flock like that!

(Didn't realize the Paradise was quite such an unusual op :eek!: - I just expect you to have great exotic birds at hand there :-O )

PS. like the swallows and sparrows photo too, they're a bit segregated, but in the same area together.

MKinHK · Apr 8, 2010

Thanks Gretchen!

On average I get Japanese Para about once every two years in the valley so I certainly savour them when they do appear - especially when one shows as well as this.

I reckon the sparrow/swallow pic is perfect for a caption competition, but no I have inspiration myself just yet.

Today I went for a very gloomy early morning walk before work and again struggled until a male Siberian Rubythroat sat up and sang from an uncharacteristically prominent perch - its been a quiet winter with just a few birds, so if this is the last one at least the species is signing off in style.

Lingering winter visitors included three Black-faced Buntings, a Dusky Warbler, several Olive-backed Pipits a couple of Siberian Stonechats and a Grey Wagtail were still knocking about.

The sad find of the day was a long-dead Woodcock in a mist net, which was a real downer that was only alleviated by the first visible Large Hawk Cuckoo, and a group of Hair-crested Drongos, and Ashy Drongo and a Black-winged Cuckooshrike hanging around some bee-hives in Pak Tin Kong.

And the first breeding success goes to . . . leucopsis White Wagtail - an adult with a begging youngster were flitting about on the field close to the Rubythroat

Cheers

Mike

Shi Jin · Apr 9, 2010

Hi Mike

Your Japanese Paradise Flycatcher does want it says on the can...

Wow!!

Congratulations.

(Beats photographing gulls to be sure ;-)

MKinHK · Apr 10, 2010

Thanks Shi Jin

I have very limited aspirations when it comes to hand-held digiscoping, so a Japanese Para showing well at the perfect range and sitting still for long enough was way, way beyond my expectations.

Actually gulls from the Boardwalk are much more my sort of level!

Sorry not to be of any help with your Heini/Kamchatka Gulls. Although we do get both there they're almost always scummy first winter birds, with an occasional bedraggled second winter for variety!

Cheers
Mike

MKinHK · Apr 11, 2010

A rather quiet day a home - fog in the valley yet again - but when it cleared there were a few birds close to the house.

However it started promisingly, with at least five Chinese Starlings and an Oriental Turtle Dove putting in an early appearance, but the weather was so humid that the scope misted up immediately and I lost the opportunity.

In the afternoon there were a few birds around, including a fine Crested Goshawk, which seems to like the telegraph pole behind the house, three Zitting Cisticolas and a pair of Siberian Stonechats but not the hoped-for Dollarbird.

The Crested Myna was perched decoratively, and the frog in the aerial, either suggest that it really does rain frogs or a Magpie brought it up there.

Cheers
Mike

johnjemi · Apr 12, 2010

"Frog in the aerial" ? Wasn't that a painting by Salvador Dali ?

Gretchen · Apr 13, 2010

Nice to have the goshawk (I guess there's a crest :h?

hanging about. The zitting cisticola pic is quite nice too.

Interesting thought that magpies hang their food about like shrikes (I think it is?).

MKinHK · Apr 14, 2010

Not certain it was a magpie that dropped the frog, Gretchen, but the Long-tailed Shrikes are rarely up on the rooftops.

Yesterday I sneaked a shot of a cuckoo that I saw as I left for work. General consensus is for either Horsfield's or Himalayan Cuckoo - which used to be lumped as Oriental.

Cheers
Mike

firstreesjohn · Apr 14, 2010

Indian Cuckoo ?

Although not being particularly current on oriental cuckoos, might your bird not be one of these ?

I'm looking at the contrasting colours and depth of colour between the brownish wings and grey head etc. Some of this might be due to the light conditions, of course.

It would be interesting to know from those who know better.

MKinHK · Apr 16, 2010

Hi firstreesjohn

The ID was confirmed not only by those know better, but those who know best!
Two HK records committee members, one of whom regularly contributes ID papers in Birding World , Dutch Birding etc have gone for Oriental/Horsfield's. and even in the dull light on Tuesday morning it was always too pale and grey for Indian.

Cheers
Mike

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