thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
Roundabout is having a very promising quarterly results. Congrats on the back to back Egrets, Mike.
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The Magic Roundabout (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter MKinHK
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MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Thanks Dev
In a hugely busy week I got my first opportunity for a walk round the Roundabout yesterday lunchtime. It was pretty quiet with just a the usual resident birds until I flushed a larger bird I couldn't quite convince myself was a Large-billed Crow from the Western Tangle. It didn't circle like the Crested Serpent Eagle had done a couple of weeks earlier, but thinking it might have slipped across to the Northern Edge I pushed on through under the flyover and stopped for a brief look from my seawatching point.
And there it was, hunched on the metal walkway in the sea that supports the landing lights - an Osprey! This is the first bird I've seen on these railings - and I well chuffed to add another unexpected raptor to the list - no. 83.
Back in the office a couple of swifts zipped by the window a couple of times, but with corner of the eye views I could not confirm whether they were Pacific or House Swift. I need the latter for this quarter's list.
Cheers
Mike
In a hugely busy week I got my first opportunity for a walk round the Roundabout yesterday lunchtime. It was pretty quiet with just a the usual resident birds until I flushed a larger bird I couldn't quite convince myself was a Large-billed Crow from the Western Tangle. It didn't circle like the Crested Serpent Eagle had done a couple of weeks earlier, but thinking it might have slipped across to the Northern Edge I pushed on through under the flyover and stopped for a brief look from my seawatching point.
And there it was, hunched on the metal walkway in the sea that supports the landing lights - an Osprey! This is the first bird I've seen on these railings - and I well chuffed to add another unexpected raptor to the list - no. 83.
Back in the office a couple of swifts zipped by the window a couple of times, but with corner of the eye views I could not confirm whether they were Pacific or House Swift. I need the latter for this quarter's list.
Cheers
Mike
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MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
It's been a baking hot three weeks since I last posted, so on Thursday I walked round the patch to prove to myself I hadn't been missing anything. . . and . . . mission accomplished. I saw juvenile White Wagtails and Black-collared Starlings, plus a couple each of Chinese and Crested Bulbuls, and that was about it.
I did however add a new species which tracked left out the window behind the CEO's head as he was delivering his weekly remarks to the management team. Thankfully it was only a Feral Pigeon (84), so I wasn't distracted for too long and my wandering attention was not noticed.
I also confirmed House Swift for the Q2 list a few days earlier.
Cheers
Mike
I did however add a new species which tracked left out the window behind the CEO's head as he was delivering his weekly remarks to the management team. Thankfully it was only a Feral Pigeon (84), so I wasn't distracted for too long and my wandering attention was not noticed.
I also confirmed House Swift for the Q2 list a few days earlier.
Cheers
Mike
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MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
A post on the Roundabout is long overdue. I've been aestivating - well avoiding the summer heat anyway (technically aestivating happens in hot dry places, but for me it happens in hot humid birdless places).
Since there is an outside chance of picking up a rain-downed wader or even a rogue tern over the sea or golf course ponds in August I will need to get back out there to kick off the final quarter of my first year on the Magic Roundabout. For the patch the birding year begins in October as I did not start birding here until then, and it allows me to split the year into three quarters, all of which have at least some worthwhile birding months.
The third quarter (April - June 2013) finished with the patch total for the first nine months at 84 species, of which 53 were recorded in Q3 - making it the most productive month by 11 species, which is 25% more productive than either of the other two quarters. This total included 27 new species, following 42 in the first quarter (Oct- Dec) and 15 in the second (Jan- Mar).
The obvious target for Q4 is to reach 100 species for the year, which I think will be a tall order.
I've also posted the report of my trip to Japan on the Vacational Trip Reports thread.
Cheers
Mike
Since there is an outside chance of picking up a rain-downed wader or even a rogue tern over the sea or golf course ponds in August I will need to get back out there to kick off the final quarter of my first year on the Magic Roundabout. For the patch the birding year begins in October as I did not start birding here until then, and it allows me to split the year into three quarters, all of which have at least some worthwhile birding months.
The third quarter (April - June 2013) finished with the patch total for the first nine months at 84 species, of which 53 were recorded in Q3 - making it the most productive month by 11 species, which is 25% more productive than either of the other two quarters. This total included 27 new species, following 42 in the first quarter (Oct- Dec) and 15 in the second (Jan- Mar).
The obvious target for Q4 is to reach 100 species for the year, which I think will be a tall order.
I've also posted the report of my trip to Japan on the Vacational Trip Reports thread.
Cheers
Mike
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Good luck on Q4, surely some good stuff possible on return migration
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
Trap pool photographing, mist net birding wil tally your target Mike!
Good luck for Q4. Roundabout was an underdog among the patches. Eager to hear what you can pull off this season.
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Thanks for the encouragement gents.
Feeling I should visit at least once in July a swift half hour did produce some birds, including juveniles (and thus proven breeding) for Tree Sparrow, Chinese Bulbul and best of all Sooty-headed Bulbul.
I was pleased to find the alboides x leucopsis White Wagtail lurking between two refuse trucks and a Barn Swallow hawking nearby, while Magpie Robin, Black-necked Starling and Crested Mynas were not unexpected and brought the toal for the new quarter to a modest eight.
I'll have to work on getting ardeids from the bus, as they perch on the silt nets set out in the bay by the contractors recaiming the sea to build the boundary crossing for the Hogn Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
Cheers
Mike
Feeling I should visit at least once in July a swift half hour did produce some birds, including juveniles (and thus proven breeding) for Tree Sparrow, Chinese Bulbul and best of all Sooty-headed Bulbul.
I was pleased to find the alboides x leucopsis White Wagtail lurking between two refuse trucks and a Barn Swallow hawking nearby, while Magpie Robin, Black-necked Starling and Crested Mynas were not unexpected and brought the toal for the new quarter to a modest eight.
I'll have to work on getting ardeids from the bus, as they perch on the silt nets set out in the bay by the contractors recaiming the sea to build the boundary crossing for the Hogn Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
Cheers
Mike
subbuteo71
Member
Sooty-headed bulbul is a bit of a surprise bird, it's not one I would associate with that habitat (they definitely seem to prefer scrubby grassland) or close to the sea. Have you seen Chestnut Bulbul there yet?
I will be passing your patch in a few days on my way home, I'll keep an eye out for a monster tick!
I will be passing your patch in a few days on my way home, I'll keep an eye out for a monster tick!
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
I was surprised too Dylan. No Chestnut Bulbul yet (and not even sure I've had them elsewhere on Lantau), but I did get a couple of Black Bulbuls back in December.
A couple more for the quarter from the bus this week - Great Egret, Little Egret and a single Reef Egret out in the bay around the reclamation works plus a Large-billed Crow on a lamp post and a Spotted Dove and a brings the total up to 13 species.
Cheers
Mike
A couple more for the quarter from the bus this week - Great Egret, Little Egret and a single Reef Egret out in the bay around the reclamation works plus a Large-billed Crow on a lamp post and a Spotted Dove and a brings the total up to 13 species.
Cheers
Mike
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
And the first autumn migrant, and patch tick no 85, arrives - a female/juv Yellow-rumped Flycatcher in the Western Tangle that responded very briefly to a hopeful pish.
Other birds included Long-tailed Shrike, the leucopsis x alboides White Wagtail lurking under a garbage truck and Black-necked Starlings feeding two brown-washed juveniles. There were also a pair of Common Tailorbirds, single Chinese and Sooty-headed Bulbuls, several Crested Bulbuls and a Great Tit.
Cheers
Mike
Other birds included Long-tailed Shrike, the leucopsis x alboides White Wagtail lurking under a garbage truck and Black-necked Starlings feeding two brown-washed juveniles. There were also a pair of Common Tailorbirds, single Chinese and Sooty-headed Bulbuls, several Crested Bulbuls and a Great Tit.
Cheers
Mike
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
Brilliant! How the hell it flew through the hot zone?
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Thanks Dev.
Another big score today as an Asian Paradise Flycatcher (86) followed a bunch of newly fledged Chinese Bulbuls into a fruiting fig on the Northen Edge. This is my sixth flycatcher on the patch.
I also discovered the grassland that the Naumann's Thrush first appeared on is wet enough to have a few small pools hidden in the long grass. This is ideal habitat for a lost "Swintail" Snipe or Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler, which should be coming through over the next month or so.
The only other bird of interest was a Dusky Shrike on the golf course.
Cheers
Mike
Another big score today as an Asian Paradise Flycatcher (86) followed a bunch of newly fledged Chinese Bulbuls into a fruiting fig on the Northen Edge. This is my sixth flycatcher on the patch.
I also discovered the grassland that the Naumann's Thrush first appeared on is wet enough to have a few small pools hidden in the long grass. This is ideal habitat for a lost "Swintail" Snipe or Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler, which should be coming through over the next month or so.
The only other bird of interest was a Dusky Shrike on the golf course.
Cheers
Mike
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Jeff Hopkins
Just another...observer
Dark morph of long-tailed shrike.
subbuteo71
Member
The Lam Tsuen Asian Paradise Flycatcher is also hanging around in a fruiting fig tree- must bring in a lot of insects. I'll have to back and see if anything else turns up!
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