Exploring Lantau (1 Viewer)

MKinHK · Feb 23, 2013

More to come Andrew . . .

This afternoon I brought my wife to Pui O to see the Water Buffalo and walk on the beach in the soft late afternoon light. OK . . . and to do a little birding.

We scored well with the buffalo and did event better by finding a lcal lady selling organic-ish betroot that Carrie will ferment in whey to make a virulent purple electrolyte that is a great restorative after my hockey matches!

New birds for me at Pui O were a monstrous Peregrine that barreled through without stopping and a couple of snipe sp. that were too far away to sort out with bins.

The superb male Verditer from two weks earlier had moved to the campsite along the sandbar and flock of well over 100 Crested Mynas were gathering to roost in the same area.

As the winterers begin to thin out I'll be looking forward to see how Pui O does as a spring migration watchpoint in the coming months.

The real highlight of the visit was watching a hapless young lad hurl his flip flops across the river and then carry his girlfriend across, only to discover that one of her flip flops had fallen short and was drifting merrily upstream on the rising tide. Having landed his damsel he was immediately urged back into the water and waded for a good 100 metres before rescuing it as she bleated useless advice from the safety of the shore.

Cheers
Mike

AndrewHeath · Feb 24, 2013

Maybe next time that lad will make her carry the flipflops in her mouth!

hehe

Lovely crab!

MKinHK · Feb 25, 2013

I was back at Pui O early the next morning, but for only an hour and a half as one of my contact lenses fell out as I got onto the bus and I thought it had simply flipped in half and disappeared inside. It hadn't but I was not ready to accept that until extensive exploration in three different mirrors left me with no choice but to call it a day before I developed a killer headache.

So despite arriving earlier than I ever have before I had to focus on open area birding, where the handicap was not too irritating. I again had the Peregrine from the evening before. It look rather heavy and definitely brown on the rump and tail as it flew off, but I've got overexcited about potential Sakers before . . . so I expect it was simply a brownish young female bird.

The big highlight was a very confiding male Japanese Thrush, which caught and ate a worm in a drainage ditch and then sat still to digest for a few seconds, allowing me a decent shot - evidently digiscoping works fine with one functional eye!

I was once again taken with how small they are, and my first view - all-black from behind - had me wondering what on earth it was. Other highlights were my first, and long overdue, Chinese Pond Heron on Lantau and getting some better shots of the Intermediate Egret on the river, which also held Common, White-throated and Black-capped Kingfishers.

Oddity of the day was seeing half a dozen Large-billed Crows feeding on the emerging flowers in a bombax tree and a Common Myna at the bus stop where I got off the bus.

Cheers
Mike

Shi Jin · Feb 26, 2013

What a great Japanese Thrush photo.

Thanks for posting it.

subbuteo71 · Feb 26, 2013

Looks like a great place to visit regularly, Mike. I am sure you will turn up some great birds this year. Great shot of the Japanese Thrush!

Dylan

MKinHK · Mar 2, 2013

Tanks Steve & Dylan - not many thrushes behave that well for me so this was a real bonus.

Today I had three ambitions - Oriental Pratincole in the buffalo fields, hearing my first Large Hawk Cuckoo of the spring (already reported from Lam Tsuen), and Brown Fish Owl on the river.

The last one is not totally unreasonable - they have been photographed here a few years ago, and by catching the 5:30 bus I was able to get there by 06:20 as the night sky was beginning to lighten.

I dipped on the owls (of course), but did manage to confirm that two Black-capped Kingfishers are wintering along the river, which again held Common and White-throated Kingfishers and the same mix of Little, Cattle and Intermediate Egrets plus two Grey Herons as last weekend.

The only new bird was a Besra that sent the hundred-strong roost of Crested Myna, Black-necked Starling and Silky Starling into a cacophonous frenzy, and the number of Large-billed Crows gathering to feed in the bombax trees had risen to 20.

While thrushes seem to have disappeared from all over Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago, my good run from the airport continued as I had five Chinese Blackbirds this morning and at least three different male Daurian Redstarts. I also had a new high count of seven Little Ringed Plovers.

While the birding was a little quiet the people watching here continues to entertain - I always derive a certain amount of pleasure from the suffering of endurance athletes, so 60-odd triathletes pounding through the sand and then into the sea beneath a chilly grey sky livened up a rather fruitless tour of the campsite on the sandbar which delivered only a few Olive-backed Pipits, and the buzz/rattle of an unseen Red-throated Flycatcher, but must surely be productive as passage gets properly underway.

One issue with the area is the large number of dog-walkers. The lady across the river today with a pack of Russian Wolfhounds, huskies and village mutts was just the most extreme example, but I'm surprised I haven't yet seen problems between the dogs and the buffalo.

It turns out my Crab is a Tiger Crab (Orithyia sinica) - as demonstrated by this fine Korean stamp

Cheers
Mike

thirudevaram · Mar 6, 2013

I have been away from BF for a while due to 24/7 work schedule and in the mean time there is a sudden influx of photos.

Good name for that crab. Was it dead? If not, you have the bold nerves.

Good luck on those Pratincoles, Mike. I'm also waiting to see them in their breeding plumage.

MKinHK · Mar 10, 2013

More crabs and a couple of migrants at Pui O this morning on a late-starting walk with my Mum.

At long last a Red-throated Pipit was among the buffalo and what might have been an arriving Black-winged Cuckooshrike came from the direction of the beachside casuarinas.

The Black-faced Buntings were still knocking where the southern track hits the beach, but all the thrushes had cleared out and I didn't get a single kingfisher.

On the Fery back to Discovery Bay a Great Cormorant and a Reef Egret showed along the northern edge of Silvermine Bay.

The day before a tourist stroll to the wonderful Tai O Heritage Hotel - a refurbished station delivered a calling Blue Magpie and a Crested Goshawk.

Cheers
Mike

Frogfish · Mar 13, 2013

Fun stories Mike .... I see my 3 years in Lantau was completely wasted from the excitement generated by flip-flops and damsels in distress !

MKinHK · Mar 13, 2013

It's all been a bit quiet since moving to DB Kevin, so I've made my entertainment where I can find it.

Its not all doom and gloom - I did scope 8 Great Cormorants on the rocks in the bay from my flat window yesterday.

Cheers
Mike

johnallcock · Mar 14, 2013

Are you sure they were Great, Mike? South Lantau seems as good a place as any in HK for Japanese Cormorant...

DavidJStanton · Mar 14, 2013

I had 8 Great Cormorants looking lost over the Rambler Channel just before sunrise yesterday morning on my way up to Mai Po from the Island. Or were they Japanese............

MKinHK · Mar 15, 2013

At the range I'm seeing them (scoped from more than a kilometre, or, best case, naked eye through the window of the ferry) I have to work pretty hard to be sure they're not Reef Egrets!

Japanese has of course crossed my mind, but frankly I'm just delighted to see waterbirds in the bay.

Cheers
Mike

MKinHK · Mar 29, 2013

After a couple of days of windy and rainy weather I headed off to the western end of Lantau in the hope of some migrants. I was not to be disappointed. Instead of going all the way to Tai O I got off the bus at lower Keung Shan to follow a cathcment trail, and almost immediately found first a Grey Wagtail, then a female Blue-and-White Flycatcher, and soon after an Asian Brown Flycatcher.

All very promising . . . As I continued along the catchment a couple of YBWs called and two different female Daurian Redstarts flipped up and showed well for a minute or so. Coming down past a village and temple I had good views of a couple of Blue Whistling Thrushes, one of which I watched singing from a low branch at eye level - nice!

Walking along the road to Tai O was unproductive, but the marsh/mangrove to the north and west of the town held four Great Egrets, five Grey Herons, two Black-crowned Night Herons, five Olive-backed Pipits, a male Stejneger's Stonechat and a White-breasted Waterhen. Other birds seen here were a displaying Crested Goshawk and a Common Kingfisher.

A walk down to the Discovery Bay plaza with my wife this afternoon was enlivened by ten Barn Swallows hunting close to the beach and three Koels going ballistic in the casuarinas.

the big mystery is why I haven't heard a single Large Hawk Cuckoo anywhere on Lantau - they've been in for a month in Lam Tsuen!

Cheers
Mike

johnallcock · Mar 30, 2013

I haven't heard Large Hawk Cuckoo at Mai Po yet either. They seem to be a bit thin on the ground this year.

Good for you to get a few migrants. I'm sure there'll be more to come...

MKinHK · Mar 31, 2013

. . . and indeed there were John.

Today I had two Narcissus Flycatchers and a Blue-and-white Flycatcher, all males, plus two singing Rufous-tailed Robins, seven Yellow-browed Warblers, a female Daurian Redstart and four Common Sandpipers between Upper Keung Shan, Sham Wat and Tai O.

Cheers
Mike

Jeff Hopkins · Mar 31, 2013

MKinHK said:
. . . and indeed there were John.

Today I had two Narcissus Flycatchers and a Blue-and-white Flycatcher, all males, plus two singing Rufous-tailed Robins, seven Yellow-browed Warblers, a female Daurian Redstart and four Common Sandpipers between Upper Keung Shan, Sham Wat and Tai O.

Cheers
Mike

Send 'em north, Mike. I need them to be in Shanghai next weeked

MKinHK · Apr 1, 2013

I'm sure they'll be with you soon Jeff.

In the meantime a few pix from my wanderings yesterday.

The first is Shek Pik reservoirs, where I stopped briefly to confirm that the small bird on the water was indeed a Dabchick. The Big Buddha is hidden in the mist above.

The second is a spectacular but unknown flower - any insights would be most welcome.

The third shows several Brown Tree Frogs hard at work producing the next generation - with the much smaller males holding tight to the females who re themselves gripping onto a vertical wall.

The fourth pic shows a the head of Chequered Keelback (identified by the two parallel lines on the face) in a water tank full of Gunther's Frog eggs. No less than three snakes were enjoying the bonanza in two separate ponds.

The last pic is of the wonderful mushrooms against the unusual background of the South China Sea!

Cheers
Mike

Gretchen · Apr 3, 2013

Mike, the flower looks familiar, but can't say more |=(|

Love the misty water and beautiful mushrooms. I might have thought that snake was a frog if you hadn't clarified!

johnallcock · Apr 3, 2013

I think the flower is Strophanthus divaricatus.

Exploring Lantau (1 Viewer)

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