LATEST SIGHTINGS - APRIL 2019
April 1-7
April 1-7
Humid and cloudy with fresh easterly winds until 5th, after which the winds blew from the south and temperatures rose to 30⁰C in the New Territories on 6th.
The third potential new bird for Hong Kong in 2019 (after the Fire-capped Tit in January and the Western Yellow Wagtail in March) was a Wood Warbler discovered on Po Toi on 2nd, remaining until at least 7th. This phylloscopus warbler winters in Africa and breeds from Western Europe east to the Crimea and northwest Caucasus. It is, therefore, way out of its range. However, vagrants have been recorded in central Siberia, India, Taiwan and Japan so its occurrence in Hong Kong is not altogether surprising, although an autumn sighting would perhaps have been more expected. One possibility is that as a result of mirror-image migration - which occurs when a departing bird takes a correct bearing with respect to the north-south axis but chooses the wrong east-west side of that axis - the bird turned up somewhere in south-east Asia in autumn and wintered there rather than Africa. For images of this bird, see: http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/redirect.php?tid=28110&goto=lastpost#lastpost .
As a result of the presence of the vagrant Wood Warbler, Po Toi received a great deal of coverage during the week and there were a good number of migrants to be found. A Malayan Night Heron - an immature bird in its second calendar year - was seen on 4th and 6th; see http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/viewthread.php?tid=28128 for stunning photographs of this individual. A small passage of raptors on 4th consisted of six Grey-faced Buzzards and single Japanese and Eurasian Sparrowhawks; two further Grey-faced Buzzards were seen on 5th. A Swinhoe’s Minivet and 40 Ashy Minivets were present on 3rd, with single-digit counts of the latter on other days throughout the week. Flycatchers recorded during the week consisted of up to six Asian Brown, two Blue-and white, two Ferruginous, and single Narcissus, Mugimaki and Red-breasted Flycatchers. A Black-naped Monarch was noted on 5th. Bunting reports involved up to six Tristram’s, four Black-faced and two Little Buntings; a Yellow-browed Bunting was seen on 4th and a Japanese Yellow Bunting on 5th. In addition, three Bramblings were seen on 4th.
At Mai Po, there were clear signs of shorebird migration. The first Asian Dowitcher was seen on 2nd although no more than two were reported during the week; the first Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was also seen on 2nd, followed by the first Long-tailed Stint on 3rd, Ruddy Turnstone and Little Stint on 4th and Sanderling on 5th. Nordmann’s Greenshank numbers rose from one on 2nd to 14 on 5th. 67 Great Knots were counted on 2nd and 30 Oriental Pratincoles were present on 5th & 6th. A Long-billed Dowitcher was recorded on 5th & 6th and five Oriental Plovers were along the access road on 6th & 7th. A Brown-headed Gull was seen on 1st. Up to three 1st-year Saunders’s Gulls lingered during the week and the bleached and abraded 1st-year Slaty-backed Gull from March was again seen on 3rd & 4th. A Black-tailed Gull was reported on 6th. There were counts of 48 Caspian Terns on 1st and 95 Gull-billed Terns on 5th. Up to six Little Terns were seen during the week and five Whiskered Terns occurred on 2nd. Other birds of note were a Swinhoe’s Egret on 2nd, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk along the access road on 6th, a Styan’s Grasshopper Warbler calling in the boardwalk mangroves on 3rd, and 20 Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and two Common Reed Buntings on 5th.
At Ho Man Tin, Narcissus Flycatchers were regularly seen during the week with a peak count of three on 5th.
40 Grey-faced Buzzards moved east over Lung Fu Shan in 20 minutes on 1st.
Hong Kong Wetland Park held Crested Honey Buzzard and Narcissus Flycatcher on 2nd. A Chinese Barbet and two Plain Flowerpeckers were singing at Tai Po Kau on the same date.
Three Whiskered Terns and a Yellow-breasted Bunting were at San Tin on 6th.
The Two Glossy Ibis remained at Nam Sang Wai/Tai Sang Wai throughout and the Western Yellow Wagtail remained at Tai Sang Wai until at least 6th.
An Oriental Scops Owl was heard briefly at Shing Mun on the evening of 6th. Presumably this is the race malayanus which breeds in south China from Yunnan east to Guangdong province and winters in southeast Asia and Indonesia. This is only the second occurrence of this taxon in Hong Kong, the first being a bird calling at Tai Po Kau from April to June 2000. (The taxon Otus sunia stictonotus occurs in the territory as a scarce autumn passage migrant.)
The third potential new bird for Hong Kong in 2019 (after the Fire-capped Tit in January and the Western Yellow Wagtail in March) was a Wood Warbler discovered on Po Toi on 2nd, remaining until at least 7th. This phylloscopus warbler winters in Africa and breeds from Western Europe east to the Crimea and northwest Caucasus. It is, therefore, way out of its range. However, vagrants have been recorded in central Siberia, India, Taiwan and Japan so its occurrence in Hong Kong is not altogether surprising, although an autumn sighting would perhaps have been more expected. One possibility is that as a result of mirror-image migration - which occurs when a departing bird takes a correct bearing with respect to the north-south axis but chooses the wrong east-west side of that axis - the bird turned up somewhere in south-east Asia in autumn and wintered there rather than Africa. For images of this bird, see: http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/redirect.php?tid=28110&goto=lastpost#lastpost .
As a result of the presence of the vagrant Wood Warbler, Po Toi received a great deal of coverage during the week and there were a good number of migrants to be found. A Malayan Night Heron - an immature bird in its second calendar year - was seen on 4th and 6th; see http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/viewthread.php?tid=28128 for stunning photographs of this individual. A small passage of raptors on 4th consisted of six Grey-faced Buzzards and single Japanese and Eurasian Sparrowhawks; two further Grey-faced Buzzards were seen on 5th. A Swinhoe’s Minivet and 40 Ashy Minivets were present on 3rd, with single-digit counts of the latter on other days throughout the week. Flycatchers recorded during the week consisted of up to six Asian Brown, two Blue-and white, two Ferruginous, and single Narcissus, Mugimaki and Red-breasted Flycatchers. A Black-naped Monarch was noted on 5th. Bunting reports involved up to six Tristram’s, four Black-faced and two Little Buntings; a Yellow-browed Bunting was seen on 4th and a Japanese Yellow Bunting on 5th. In addition, three Bramblings were seen on 4th.
At Mai Po, there were clear signs of shorebird migration. The first Asian Dowitcher was seen on 2nd although no more than two were reported during the week; the first Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was also seen on 2nd, followed by the first Long-tailed Stint on 3rd, Ruddy Turnstone and Little Stint on 4th and Sanderling on 5th. Nordmann’s Greenshank numbers rose from one on 2nd to 14 on 5th. 67 Great Knots were counted on 2nd and 30 Oriental Pratincoles were present on 5th & 6th. A Long-billed Dowitcher was recorded on 5th & 6th and five Oriental Plovers were along the access road on 6th & 7th. A Brown-headed Gull was seen on 1st. Up to three 1st-year Saunders’s Gulls lingered during the week and the bleached and abraded 1st-year Slaty-backed Gull from March was again seen on 3rd & 4th. A Black-tailed Gull was reported on 6th. There were counts of 48 Caspian Terns on 1st and 95 Gull-billed Terns on 5th. Up to six Little Terns were seen during the week and five Whiskered Terns occurred on 2nd. Other birds of note were a Swinhoe’s Egret on 2nd, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk along the access road on 6th, a Styan’s Grasshopper Warbler calling in the boardwalk mangroves on 3rd, and 20 Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and two Common Reed Buntings on 5th.
At Ho Man Tin, Narcissus Flycatchers were regularly seen during the week with a peak count of three on 5th.
40 Grey-faced Buzzards moved east over Lung Fu Shan in 20 minutes on 1st.
Hong Kong Wetland Park held Crested Honey Buzzard and Narcissus Flycatcher on 2nd. A Chinese Barbet and two Plain Flowerpeckers were singing at Tai Po Kau on the same date.
Three Whiskered Terns and a Yellow-breasted Bunting were at San Tin on 6th.
The Two Glossy Ibis remained at Nam Sang Wai/Tai Sang Wai throughout and the Western Yellow Wagtail remained at Tai Sang Wai until at least 6th.
An Oriental Scops Owl was heard briefly at Shing Mun on the evening of 6th. Presumably this is the race malayanus which breeds in south China from Yunnan east to Guangdong province and winters in southeast Asia and Indonesia. This is only the second occurrence of this taxon in Hong Kong, the first being a bird calling at Tai Po Kau from April to June 2000. (The taxon Otus sunia stictonotus occurs in the territory as a scarce autumn passage migrant.)
April 8-14
The first four days of the period under review were very hot and sunny with southerly winds and temperatures up to 30⁰C. A trough of low pressure from 12th onwards brought fresh easterly winds, cooler temperatures (down to 20⁰C) and heavy showers and thunderstorms.
There was late news of a Booted Warbler at Tai Sang wai from 5th until 8th, and of a Common Cuckoo heard in Tai Po Kau after dark on 6th. The Booted Warbler will be the fifth Hong Kong record if accepted. The Common Cuckoo will only be the second record if accepted after one on Po Toi on 4 April 2007.
A Thick-billed Green Pigeon seen at Shek Kong catchwater on 11th will be the seventh record if accepted.
There was late news of a Booted Warbler at Tai Sang wai from 5th until 8th, and of a Common Cuckoo heard in Tai Po Kau after dark on 6th. The Booted Warbler will be the fifth Hong Kong record if accepted. The Common Cuckoo will only be the second record if accepted after one on Po Toi on 4 April 2007.
A Thick-billed Green Pigeon seen at Shek Kong catchwater on 11th will be the seventh record if accepted.
Birds reported from Mai Po on 8th included an Oriental Plover (along the access road), 20 Oriental Pratincoles, a Saunders’s’ Gull, a Greater Spotted Eagle, four Eastern Buzzards, an Ashy Minivet, a Black-naped Oriole and three Black-faced Buntings. During the week, numbers of Asian Dowitchers and Nordmann’s Greenshanks on the reserve remained low with peak counts of four Asian Dowitchers on 13th and eight Nordmann’s Greenshanks on 14th. A Long-billed Dowitcher was present from 11th to 14th, and the highest reported count of Little Stints was of four on 13th. 382 Gull-billed Terns were counted on 10th, two Little Terns were noted on 13th & 14th, and 40 Whiskered Terns were seen on 14th. A Swinhoe’s Egret was seen on 13th & 14th. Four Blue-tailed Bee-eaters flew over the reserve on 10th, 20 were noted along the access road on 13th and 15 were seen in the area on 14th. Other birds of interest were two Styan’s Grasshopper Warblers heard in the boardwalk mangroves on 10th & 11th, a Cinnamon Bittern and a Yellow-breasted Bunting on 11th, a Japanese Sparrowhawk, two Sand Martins and two Red Turtle Doves on 12th, and a Grey-faced Buzzard, 32 Oriental Pratincoles, an adult Brown-headed Gull and five Sand Martins on 14th.
The two Glossy Ibis remained at Tai Sang Wai throughout. The Western Yellow Wagtail of the race leucocephala, now showing far more white on the head than when it was first reported, was present at least until 9th. A Grey-headed Lapwing was seen on one of the fish ponds on 8th & 9th.
On 9th, Po Toi held an Oriental Plover (a new bird for the island, bringing the Po Toi list to 344 species – information courtesy of Geoff Welch), Japanese Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Hoopoe, 28 Ashy Minivets, Eye-browed Thrush, Red-billed Starling, and Little, Black-faced and Tristram’s Buntings. The Oriental Plover was still there on 13th; also present on that date were four Grey-faced Buzzards, three Chinese Sparrowhawks, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk and two Ashy Minivets. On 14th, three Grey-faced Buzzards, 12 Chinese Sparrowhawks, a Japanese Sparrowhawk, an Ashy Minivet and two Swinhoe’s Minivets were recorded.
During the week, there were regular sightings of the wintering Radde’s Warblers at Ho Man Tin (three reported on 13th) as well as a Narcissus Flycatcher on 8th, a Chinese Grosbeak on 8th & 11th, and an Orange-headed Thrush and a Black Bulbul on 11th.
At Tai Po Kau, the Chinese Barbet was singing regularly and a Brown-breasted Flycatcher and six Hainan Blue Flycatchers were noted on 11th. Up to five Plain Flowerpeckers were singing along the red and blue walks during the week. The wintering Brown Shrike was still present on 11th. An Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo, a Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and a Forest Wagtail occurred on 14th.
An Oriental Dollarbird was at Uk Tau and a Black-naped Monarch was at Cheung Chau on 13th.
Twenty Grey-faced Buzzards and a Japanese Thrush were at south Lamma on 14th. Also on 14th, there were more reports of migrating Blue-tailed Bee-eaters over the northwest New Territories; in addition to those noted at Mai Po, seven were at Tai Sang Wai and six were at Long Valley.
The two Glossy Ibis remained at Tai Sang Wai throughout. The Western Yellow Wagtail of the race leucocephala, now showing far more white on the head than when it was first reported, was present at least until 9th. A Grey-headed Lapwing was seen on one of the fish ponds on 8th & 9th.
On 9th, Po Toi held an Oriental Plover (a new bird for the island, bringing the Po Toi list to 344 species – information courtesy of Geoff Welch), Japanese Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Hoopoe, 28 Ashy Minivets, Eye-browed Thrush, Red-billed Starling, and Little, Black-faced and Tristram’s Buntings. The Oriental Plover was still there on 13th; also present on that date were four Grey-faced Buzzards, three Chinese Sparrowhawks, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk and two Ashy Minivets. On 14th, three Grey-faced Buzzards, 12 Chinese Sparrowhawks, a Japanese Sparrowhawk, an Ashy Minivet and two Swinhoe’s Minivets were recorded.
During the week, there were regular sightings of the wintering Radde’s Warblers at Ho Man Tin (three reported on 13th) as well as a Narcissus Flycatcher on 8th, a Chinese Grosbeak on 8th & 11th, and an Orange-headed Thrush and a Black Bulbul on 11th.
At Tai Po Kau, the Chinese Barbet was singing regularly and a Brown-breasted Flycatcher and six Hainan Blue Flycatchers were noted on 11th. Up to five Plain Flowerpeckers were singing along the red and blue walks during the week. The wintering Brown Shrike was still present on 11th. An Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo, a Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and a Forest Wagtail occurred on 14th.
An Oriental Dollarbird was at Uk Tau and a Black-naped Monarch was at Cheung Chau on 13th.
Twenty Grey-faced Buzzards and a Japanese Thrush were at south Lamma on 14th. Also on 14th, there were more reports of migrating Blue-tailed Bee-eaters over the northwest New Territories; in addition to those noted at Mai Po, seven were at Tai Sang Wai and six were at Long Valley.
April 15-21
A week of unsettled cloudy, weather with occasional showers and thunderstorms. For the most part, temperatures remained in the mid-twenties. An afternoon thunderstorm on 20th was particularly violent, turning night into day and bringing torrential rain and strong winds; over 9,000 lightning strikes were recorded in an 18-hour period, mostly between 2 and 3 pm as the storm swept through the territory.
There was a good passage of shorebirds at Mai Po during the week, with the dynamic of the mud flat constantly changing. Peak passage occurred on 16th when hundreds of Curlew Sandpipers and Red-necked Stints were feeding close to the north hide in Deep Bay; this was also the day when the only Spoon-billed Sandpiper of the spring so far was seen on the rising tide in the early morning. There was a further influx of waders on 20th with a high count of Asian Dowitchers on that day. A small movement of raptors was noted at various sites, especially on 16th & 17th. There were small numbers of migrants at the traditional hotspots of Po Toi and Ho Man Tin during the period under review, and also – more surprisingly perhaps – from Tai Lam Country Park and Ho Pui reservoir on 17th. A morning boat trip to southern waters on 20th turned up some interesting sightings, including seven species of tern.
Sightings of note during the week included:
Red-breasted Merganser: two in southern waters on 20th were the first of this much-declined species since March 2014
Eurasian Bittern: one at San Tin on 19th
Swinhoe’s Egret: one reported at Mai Po on 18th
Lesser Frigatebird: one over Chung Mei, Plover Cover reservoir on 15th
Black Baza: six at Uk Tau on 18th
Crested Serpent Eagle: eight together in flight over She Shan on 17th
Chinese Sparrowhawk: seven at Sha Lo Tung on 16th, five at Lam Tsuen on 17th, one at Mai Po on 18th, and one at Po Toi on 20th with three there on 21st
Japanese Sparrowhawk: singles at Mai Po on 16th & 17th; one at San Tin on 19th
Grey-faced Buzzard: one at Ho Man Tin on 16th, with two at Mai Po and one at HK Wetland Park on 17th, and two at Po Toi on 21st
Ruddy Turnstone: one at Long Valley on 15th & 17th – an unusual location for this species
Long-toed Stint: 55 at San Tin on 16th
Spoon-billed Sandpiper: one at Mai Po on 16th
Little Stint: up to two at Mai Po and San Tin during the week
Asian Dowitcher: up to eight during the week with an influx on 20th when numbers suddenly rose to 94
Long-billed Dowitcher: one at Mai Po from 16th to 19th; one at HK Wetland Park on 19th
Red-necked Phalarope: 540 in southern waters on 20th
Nordmann’s Greenshank: small numbers only at Mai Po with a high count of five on 15th
Oriental Pratincole: up to 20 at Mai Po during the week
Saunders’s Gull: a late bird at Mai Po on 20th
Greater Crested Tern: seven in southern waters on 20th
Aleutian Tern: 97 in southern waters on 20th
Bridled Tern: 17 in southern waters on 20th
Roseate Tern: one in southern waters on 20th
Common Tern: 37 in southern waters on 20th; one at Mai Po on 20th
Parasitic Jaeger: six in southern waters on 20th
Red Turtle Dove: 30 at San Tin on 20th
Oriental Cuckoo: reports of singles at Po Toi on 16th & 21st, and Mai Po on 20th
Grey Nightjar: one over the sea in southern waters on 20th
Himalayan Swiftlet: one at Lok Ma Chau on 15th
Blue-tailed Bee-eater: eight at San Tin and eight at Mai Po on 16th
Chinese Barbet: heard at Tai Po Kau throughout the week
Eurasian Hobby: one at Mai Po on 19th
Brown Shrike: the wintering lucionensis was still at Tai Po Kau on 19th
Japanese Paradise Flycatcher: one at Tai Lam Country Park on 17th
Eastern Crowned Warbler: one at Ho Pui reservoir on 17th
Ferruginous Flycatcher: one at Tai Lam Country Park on 17th
Eyebrowed Thrush: two at Ho Man Tin on 20th
Hainan Blue Flycatcher: high counts of singing birds were 11 in Tai Lam Country Park and 13 at Ho Pui reservoir on 17th, and 22 in the Wu Kau Tang area on 18th
Blue-and-white Flycatcher: singles at Ho Man Tin on 15th & 16th, and at Tai Po Kau on 18th
Narcissus Flycatcher: two at Ho Man Tin on 15th, and singles at Ho Man Tin and Tai Po Kau Headland on 17th, and again at Ho Man Tin on 20th
Yellow-browed Bunting: one at Long Valley on 15th
Yellow-breasted Bunting: two at San Tin on 20th.
There was a good passage of shorebirds at Mai Po during the week, with the dynamic of the mud flat constantly changing. Peak passage occurred on 16th when hundreds of Curlew Sandpipers and Red-necked Stints were feeding close to the north hide in Deep Bay; this was also the day when the only Spoon-billed Sandpiper of the spring so far was seen on the rising tide in the early morning. There was a further influx of waders on 20th with a high count of Asian Dowitchers on that day. A small movement of raptors was noted at various sites, especially on 16th & 17th. There were small numbers of migrants at the traditional hotspots of Po Toi and Ho Man Tin during the period under review, and also – more surprisingly perhaps – from Tai Lam Country Park and Ho Pui reservoir on 17th. A morning boat trip to southern waters on 20th turned up some interesting sightings, including seven species of tern.
Sightings of note during the week included:
Red-breasted Merganser: two in southern waters on 20th were the first of this much-declined species since March 2014
Eurasian Bittern: one at San Tin on 19th
Swinhoe’s Egret: one reported at Mai Po on 18th
Lesser Frigatebird: one over Chung Mei, Plover Cover reservoir on 15th
Black Baza: six at Uk Tau on 18th
Crested Serpent Eagle: eight together in flight over She Shan on 17th
Chinese Sparrowhawk: seven at Sha Lo Tung on 16th, five at Lam Tsuen on 17th, one at Mai Po on 18th, and one at Po Toi on 20th with three there on 21st
Japanese Sparrowhawk: singles at Mai Po on 16th & 17th; one at San Tin on 19th
Grey-faced Buzzard: one at Ho Man Tin on 16th, with two at Mai Po and one at HK Wetland Park on 17th, and two at Po Toi on 21st
Ruddy Turnstone: one at Long Valley on 15th & 17th – an unusual location for this species
Long-toed Stint: 55 at San Tin on 16th
Spoon-billed Sandpiper: one at Mai Po on 16th
Little Stint: up to two at Mai Po and San Tin during the week
Asian Dowitcher: up to eight during the week with an influx on 20th when numbers suddenly rose to 94
Long-billed Dowitcher: one at Mai Po from 16th to 19th; one at HK Wetland Park on 19th
Red-necked Phalarope: 540 in southern waters on 20th
Nordmann’s Greenshank: small numbers only at Mai Po with a high count of five on 15th
Oriental Pratincole: up to 20 at Mai Po during the week
Saunders’s Gull: a late bird at Mai Po on 20th
Greater Crested Tern: seven in southern waters on 20th
Aleutian Tern: 97 in southern waters on 20th
Bridled Tern: 17 in southern waters on 20th
Roseate Tern: one in southern waters on 20th
Common Tern: 37 in southern waters on 20th; one at Mai Po on 20th
Parasitic Jaeger: six in southern waters on 20th
Red Turtle Dove: 30 at San Tin on 20th
Oriental Cuckoo: reports of singles at Po Toi on 16th & 21st, and Mai Po on 20th
Grey Nightjar: one over the sea in southern waters on 20th
Himalayan Swiftlet: one at Lok Ma Chau on 15th
Blue-tailed Bee-eater: eight at San Tin and eight at Mai Po on 16th
Chinese Barbet: heard at Tai Po Kau throughout the week
Eurasian Hobby: one at Mai Po on 19th
Brown Shrike: the wintering lucionensis was still at Tai Po Kau on 19th
Japanese Paradise Flycatcher: one at Tai Lam Country Park on 17th
Eastern Crowned Warbler: one at Ho Pui reservoir on 17th
Ferruginous Flycatcher: one at Tai Lam Country Park on 17th
Eyebrowed Thrush: two at Ho Man Tin on 20th
Hainan Blue Flycatcher: high counts of singing birds were 11 in Tai Lam Country Park and 13 at Ho Pui reservoir on 17th, and 22 in the Wu Kau Tang area on 18th
Blue-and-white Flycatcher: singles at Ho Man Tin on 15th & 16th, and at Tai Po Kau on 18th
Narcissus Flycatcher: two at Ho Man Tin on 15th, and singles at Ho Man Tin and Tai Po Kau Headland on 17th, and again at Ho Man Tin on 20th
Yellow-browed Bunting: one at Long Valley on 15th
Yellow-breasted Bunting: two at San Tin on 20th.
April 22-30
Hot weather from 22nd – 26th with southerly winds and temperatures up to 31⁰C. Unsettled and slightly cooler at the end of the month, with easterly winds bringing showers and thunderstorms.
The highlight of the period was a Collared Owlet heard at Tai Po Kau on 23rd & 24th, and seen and photographed on 25th. The bird was then seen daily until the end of the month (apart from 27th when it proved elusive). Although I believe there have been previous claims of vocalising birds in Tai Po Kau, these reports seem to have led nowhere so this will be yet another first record for Hong Kong if accepted, which brings the total number of potential firsts so far this year to four.
Also of particular interest was a Chinese Bamboo Partridge heard by John Allcock at Robin’s Nest on 22nd. Apparently, there have also been reports of calling birds near Ho Sheung Heung and Sandy Ridge in the past two years, as well as in the Pat Sin Leng range on 21 April 2018. Chinese Bamboo Partridge is currently classified as Category III i.e. species for which all published Hong Kong records are considered likely to relate to birds that have escaped or have been released from captivity. However, these recent records suggest the species may be establishing itself in the northeast New Territories and if the trend continues, its status may need to be reassessed. It is known to occur in Guangdong c. 80 kilometres from Hong Kong.
Also at Robin’s Nest on 22nd, two Indochinese Green Magpies were seen. There were further reports of this magpie – one at Sha Lo Tung on 23rd and three at Kuk Po on 28th. This is another Category III species, but as it is known to breed in the northeast New Territories and as it seems to be expanding its range, there is strong potential for it to be transferred to Category IIB i.e. an extralimital species that, although originally introduced to Hong Komg by man, maintains a regular feral breeding stock without necessary recourse to further introduction.
Also of note during the period under review were small numbers of Chinese Sparrowhawks and Oriental Dollarbirds moving through the territory. Chinese Sparrowhawks were reported from Tai Po Kau (four on 28th, one on 30th), Po Toi (three on 28th, two on 30th), Kuk Po (one on 28th), Shek Kong catchwater (two on 29th) and Kam Tin (one on 29th). Oriental Dollarbirds were seen at Man Uk Pin (four on 22nd), Sha Lo Tung (one on 23rd), Uk Tau (one on 27th) and Kam Tin (two on 29th).
Other records of note included an adult male Siberian Thrush, 23 Eyebrowed Thrushes, four Black Bulbuls, three Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoos and a Chinese Barbet at Tai Lam Country Park on 22nd. Two Black Bulbuls and three Eyebrowed Thrushes were at the same site on the following day, and 14 Eyebrowed Thrushes and a pair of nesting Black Bulbuls were seen on 28th.
Ng Tung Chai held a Grey-faced Buzzard, three Black Bulbuls and three Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoos on 22nd. Five Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and an Oriental Pratincole flew over Robin’s Nest on the same day.
On 24th, a singing Rufous-faced Warbler was reported from Tai Tong; this is unprecedented as the species is a scarce winter visitor with a latest date of 20 February. Also on 24th, the two Glossy Ibis were again at Nam Sang Wai and a Grey-headed Lapwing and a singing Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler were at San Tin.
At Mai Po, five Asian Dowitchers, a Himalayan Swiftlet and a Styan’s Grasshopper Warbler were seen on 27th. A wide variety of waders were seen there on 28th - although overall numbers were significantly lower than in mid-April - including 12 Asian Dowitchers and a Nordmann’s Greenshank; also seen were a Swinhoe’s Egret and two Little Terns.
A boat trip to southern waters on 27th turned up two Short-tailed Shearwaters, seven Gull-billed Terns, a Bridled Tern, three Aleutian Terns, seven Black-naped Terns, 42 White-winged Terns and two Little Terns. Another boat trip to Po Toi and the East Lamma Channel on 28th found four Greater Crested Terns, two Little Terns, 71 Bridled Terns, an Aleutian Tern, 34 Black-naped Terns, 19 Whiskered Terns and 17 White-winged Terns.
On 28th, a Japanese Sparrowhawk and a Grey-faced Buzzard were on a rather-quiet Po Toi. On 30th the island held a Grey-streaked Flycatcher.
Ho Man Tin had a Black Baza, an immature male Siberian Thrush and a male White-throated Rock Thrush on 29th. The rock thrush is unusually late, the latest spring date on record being 9 April. The Siberian Thrush was seen again on 30th when a Brown Shrike was also noted.
The highlight of the period was a Collared Owlet heard at Tai Po Kau on 23rd & 24th, and seen and photographed on 25th. The bird was then seen daily until the end of the month (apart from 27th when it proved elusive). Although I believe there have been previous claims of vocalising birds in Tai Po Kau, these reports seem to have led nowhere so this will be yet another first record for Hong Kong if accepted, which brings the total number of potential firsts so far this year to four.
Also of particular interest was a Chinese Bamboo Partridge heard by John Allcock at Robin’s Nest on 22nd. Apparently, there have also been reports of calling birds near Ho Sheung Heung and Sandy Ridge in the past two years, as well as in the Pat Sin Leng range on 21 April 2018. Chinese Bamboo Partridge is currently classified as Category III i.e. species for which all published Hong Kong records are considered likely to relate to birds that have escaped or have been released from captivity. However, these recent records suggest the species may be establishing itself in the northeast New Territories and if the trend continues, its status may need to be reassessed. It is known to occur in Guangdong c. 80 kilometres from Hong Kong.
Also at Robin’s Nest on 22nd, two Indochinese Green Magpies were seen. There were further reports of this magpie – one at Sha Lo Tung on 23rd and three at Kuk Po on 28th. This is another Category III species, but as it is known to breed in the northeast New Territories and as it seems to be expanding its range, there is strong potential for it to be transferred to Category IIB i.e. an extralimital species that, although originally introduced to Hong Komg by man, maintains a regular feral breeding stock without necessary recourse to further introduction.
Also of note during the period under review were small numbers of Chinese Sparrowhawks and Oriental Dollarbirds moving through the territory. Chinese Sparrowhawks were reported from Tai Po Kau (four on 28th, one on 30th), Po Toi (three on 28th, two on 30th), Kuk Po (one on 28th), Shek Kong catchwater (two on 29th) and Kam Tin (one on 29th). Oriental Dollarbirds were seen at Man Uk Pin (four on 22nd), Sha Lo Tung (one on 23rd), Uk Tau (one on 27th) and Kam Tin (two on 29th).
Other records of note included an adult male Siberian Thrush, 23 Eyebrowed Thrushes, four Black Bulbuls, three Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoos and a Chinese Barbet at Tai Lam Country Park on 22nd. Two Black Bulbuls and three Eyebrowed Thrushes were at the same site on the following day, and 14 Eyebrowed Thrushes and a pair of nesting Black Bulbuls were seen on 28th.
Ng Tung Chai held a Grey-faced Buzzard, three Black Bulbuls and three Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoos on 22nd. Five Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and an Oriental Pratincole flew over Robin’s Nest on the same day.
On 24th, a singing Rufous-faced Warbler was reported from Tai Tong; this is unprecedented as the species is a scarce winter visitor with a latest date of 20 February. Also on 24th, the two Glossy Ibis were again at Nam Sang Wai and a Grey-headed Lapwing and a singing Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler were at San Tin.
At Mai Po, five Asian Dowitchers, a Himalayan Swiftlet and a Styan’s Grasshopper Warbler were seen on 27th. A wide variety of waders were seen there on 28th - although overall numbers were significantly lower than in mid-April - including 12 Asian Dowitchers and a Nordmann’s Greenshank; also seen were a Swinhoe’s Egret and two Little Terns.
A boat trip to southern waters on 27th turned up two Short-tailed Shearwaters, seven Gull-billed Terns, a Bridled Tern, three Aleutian Terns, seven Black-naped Terns, 42 White-winged Terns and two Little Terns. Another boat trip to Po Toi and the East Lamma Channel on 28th found four Greater Crested Terns, two Little Terns, 71 Bridled Terns, an Aleutian Tern, 34 Black-naped Terns, 19 Whiskered Terns and 17 White-winged Terns.
On 28th, a Japanese Sparrowhawk and a Grey-faced Buzzard were on a rather-quiet Po Toi. On 30th the island held a Grey-streaked Flycatcher.
Ho Man Tin had a Black Baza, an immature male Siberian Thrush and a male White-throated Rock Thrush on 29th. The rock thrush is unusually late, the latest spring date on record being 9 April. The Siberian Thrush was seen again on 30th when a Brown Shrike was also noted.
All images & text © David Diskin unless otherwise stated
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