LATEST SIGHTINGS - AUGUST 2019
August 1-18
August 1-18
Asian Dowitchers, Common Redshanks and Black-tailed Godwits at Mai Po in August (Birding Hong Kong archive)
Hot and steamy with temperatures up to 35⁰C. Winds mainly from the southwest, bringing localised showers and thunderstorms.
A Common Tern was in Tolo Harbour on 2nd and four more were at San Tin on 3rd – presumably birds swept in because of the passage of Tropical Storm Wipha off to the southwest.
A Eurasian Hobby and a Himalayan Swiftlet were reported from Lam Tsuen on 3rd.
A Barred Buttonquail seen at Ping Yeung on 10th was an unusual summer sighting. If accepted, this will be only the sixth record of this species in Hong Kong since 1999. Extreme dates are 22nd September to 4th February. There is one summer record of an unidentified Buttonquail sp. – one at Lok Ma Chau on 22 July 2015 - although this was thought most likely to be a Yellow-legged Buttonquail.
Birds at Mai Po on 11th included two over-summering Black-faced Spoonbills, a Long-billed Dowitcher in breeding plumage, two Asian Dowitchers, six Grey-headed Lapwings, two Oriental Pratincoles, two Little Terns and a Chestnut-winged Cuckoo. A Cinnamon Bittern was seen there on 15th, and the two spoonbills and the three dowitchers were still present on 16th.
Two drake Mandarin Ducks were at Long Valley on 12th.
Amur Paradise Flycatchers were reported from Tai Po Kau (two on 11th and 13th), and Lau Shui Heung and Ho Man Tin (singles on 16th).
A Eurasian Hobby was seen harassing two Peregrine Falcons in the skies above Lau Shui Heung on 16th.
A Forest Wagtail was at Lung Fu Shan on 17th.
On 18th an Eastern Crowned Warbler and three Brown-breasted Flycatchers were in Tai Lam Country Park and another Eastern Crowned Warbler was at Ho Man Tin. A Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler was also reported from Ho Man Tin, which will be a new early date for this species-pair if accepted (current earliest date is 24 August).
A Common Tern was in Tolo Harbour on 2nd and four more were at San Tin on 3rd – presumably birds swept in because of the passage of Tropical Storm Wipha off to the southwest.
A Eurasian Hobby and a Himalayan Swiftlet were reported from Lam Tsuen on 3rd.
A Barred Buttonquail seen at Ping Yeung on 10th was an unusual summer sighting. If accepted, this will be only the sixth record of this species in Hong Kong since 1999. Extreme dates are 22nd September to 4th February. There is one summer record of an unidentified Buttonquail sp. – one at Lok Ma Chau on 22 July 2015 - although this was thought most likely to be a Yellow-legged Buttonquail.
Birds at Mai Po on 11th included two over-summering Black-faced Spoonbills, a Long-billed Dowitcher in breeding plumage, two Asian Dowitchers, six Grey-headed Lapwings, two Oriental Pratincoles, two Little Terns and a Chestnut-winged Cuckoo. A Cinnamon Bittern was seen there on 15th, and the two spoonbills and the three dowitchers were still present on 16th.
Two drake Mandarin Ducks were at Long Valley on 12th.
Amur Paradise Flycatchers were reported from Tai Po Kau (two on 11th and 13th), and Lau Shui Heung and Ho Man Tin (singles on 16th).
A Eurasian Hobby was seen harassing two Peregrine Falcons in the skies above Lau Shui Heung on 16th.
A Forest Wagtail was at Lung Fu Shan on 17th.
On 18th an Eastern Crowned Warbler and three Brown-breasted Flycatchers were in Tai Lam Country Park and another Eastern Crowned Warbler was at Ho Man Tin. A Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler was also reported from Ho Man Tin, which will be a new early date for this species-pair if accepted (current earliest date is 24 August).
August 19-25
The summer drags on – hot and humid with daily temperatures above 30⁰C. Tropical Cyclone Bailu passed north of the Philippines on 23rd and through southern Taiwan on 24th before making landfall in Fujian province on 25th. The outer air bands generated by Bailu caused temperatures in the northern New Territories to soar above 36⁰C on 24th, and brought a day of rain on 25th.
Bird-wise, it was a good week with a number of migrants recorded, notably the first potential August record of Green-backed Flycatcher – an occurrence presumably connected in some way to the passage of Tropical Cyclone Bailu to the north. Records of note listed by species below:
Black-faced Spoonbill: the two over-summering birds were present until at least 21st
Malayan Night Heron: one at Tai Tong on 25th
Black-shouldered Kite: one at Fung Lok Wai on 21st
Lesser Sand Plover: at least two of the atrifrons group - considered by some authorities to be a separate species, Tibetan Sand Plover - were at Mai Po on 20th
Asian Dowitcher: six at Mai Po on 21st
Long-billed Dowitcher: the adult in breeding plumage remained at Mai Po until at least 21st
Red Turtle Dove: one at Fung Lok Wai on 21st
Black-capped Kingfisher: one at Mai Po on 20th
Amur Paradise Flycatcher: five reported from Tai Po Kau on 21st is a new high count, the previous being of four at Mai Po on 30 September 2004
Eastern Crowned Warbler: four at Tai Po Kau on 21st with one there on 23rd;
Arctic Warbler: one at Ho Man Tin on 23rd
Oriental Reed Warbler: three at San Tin on 24th
Hainan Blue Flycatcher: six reported from Tai Po Kau on 21st; four at Ng Tung Chai on 24th
Slaty-backed Forktail: two at Shing Mun on 24th
Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler: two at San Tin on 25th
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher: one at Po Toi on 22nd; two at Ho Man Tin on 23rd, including an adult male
Green-backed Flycatcher: one photographed at Ho Man Tin on 23rd. The 4th to 6th record of this species in Hong Kong if accepted (two October 2018 records await confirmation), and the first August record (extreme dates in autumn for this species and Narcissus/Green-backed birds unidentified to species-level are 21 October – 13 November)
Stejneger’s Stonechat: three at San Tin on 24th with two there on 25th
Forest Wagtail: one at Po Toi on 22nd
Eastern Yellow Wagtail: singles at Tai Sang Wai on 20th and Fung Lok Wai on 21st, two at San Tin on 24th
Yellow-breasted Bunting: one at San Tin on 25th, a new early date by three days.
The summer drags on – hot and humid with daily temperatures above 30⁰C. Tropical Cyclone Bailu passed north of the Philippines on 23rd and through southern Taiwan on 24th before making landfall in Fujian province on 25th. The outer air bands generated by Bailu caused temperatures in the northern New Territories to soar above 36⁰C on 24th, and brought a day of rain on 25th.
Bird-wise, it was a good week with a number of migrants recorded, notably the first potential August record of Green-backed Flycatcher – an occurrence presumably connected in some way to the passage of Tropical Cyclone Bailu to the north. Records of note listed by species below:
Black-faced Spoonbill: the two over-summering birds were present until at least 21st
Malayan Night Heron: one at Tai Tong on 25th
Black-shouldered Kite: one at Fung Lok Wai on 21st
Lesser Sand Plover: at least two of the atrifrons group - considered by some authorities to be a separate species, Tibetan Sand Plover - were at Mai Po on 20th
Asian Dowitcher: six at Mai Po on 21st
Long-billed Dowitcher: the adult in breeding plumage remained at Mai Po until at least 21st
Red Turtle Dove: one at Fung Lok Wai on 21st
Black-capped Kingfisher: one at Mai Po on 20th
Amur Paradise Flycatcher: five reported from Tai Po Kau on 21st is a new high count, the previous being of four at Mai Po on 30 September 2004
Eastern Crowned Warbler: four at Tai Po Kau on 21st with one there on 23rd;
Arctic Warbler: one at Ho Man Tin on 23rd
Oriental Reed Warbler: three at San Tin on 24th
Hainan Blue Flycatcher: six reported from Tai Po Kau on 21st; four at Ng Tung Chai on 24th
Slaty-backed Forktail: two at Shing Mun on 24th
Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler: two at San Tin on 25th
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher: one at Po Toi on 22nd; two at Ho Man Tin on 23rd, including an adult male
Green-backed Flycatcher: one photographed at Ho Man Tin on 23rd. The 4th to 6th record of this species in Hong Kong if accepted (two October 2018 records await confirmation), and the first August record (extreme dates in autumn for this species and Narcissus/Green-backed birds unidentified to species-level are 21 October – 13 November)
Stejneger’s Stonechat: three at San Tin on 24th with two there on 25th
Forest Wagtail: one at Po Toi on 22nd
Eastern Yellow Wagtail: singles at Tai Sang Wai on 20th and Fung Lok Wai on 21st, two at San Tin on 24th
Yellow-breasted Bunting: one at San Tin on 25th, a new early date by three days.
August 26-31
Indochinese Green Magpie at Lau Shui Heung, 28 August 2019
Amur Paradise Flycatcher at Lau Shui Heung, 28 August 2019
Tropical Storm Podul moved west across the South China Sea towards Vietnam from 27th – 30th. T1 was raised on 28th when Podul was 640 km south-south-east of Hong Kong. The temperature reached 35⁰C in the New Territories on that day. The storm brought some heavy showers and fresh winds to Hong Kong during its passage but it was too far away to be of any great significance.
Records from Ho Man Tin included an Arctic Warbler and a Brown Shrike on 26th, an Asian Brown Flycatcher on 27th, and a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and Asian Brown Flycatcher on 30th.
On the afternoon of 26th, after a morning of heavy rain, Long Valley held 40 Pintail/Swinhoe’s Snipes, 13 Black Drongos, an Oriental Reed Warbler, a Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, three Stejneger’s Stonechats and 15 Eastern Yellow Wagtails.
On 27th, an Eastern Crowned Warbler was seen at Tai Lam CP and a juvenile Tiger Shrike was at Hok Tau. A Forest Wagtail was at Hok Tau on the following day.
On 28th, Lau Shui Heung turned up three Amur Paradise Flycatchers, an Eastern Crowned Warbler and five Indochinese Green Magpies (Cat. III); four of the magpies were in a loose party that included at least one adult and a juvenile, indicative of local breeding.
In addition, single Amur Paradise Flycatchers were reported from Tai Po Kau on 28th, and Tai Tong and Ho Man Tin on 31st.
Bird of the week was a Collared Kingfisher belatedly reported from Sha Tin Park on 28th. If accepted, this will be only the fifth Hong Kong record and the first since 2005.
Mai Po held three Asian Dowitchers, the breeding-plumaged Long-billed Dowitcher and six Common Terns on 29th. On the same day, 47 Red-necked Phalaropes and a Black-naped Oriole were noted at Po Toi.
Records from Ho Man Tin included an Arctic Warbler and a Brown Shrike on 26th, an Asian Brown Flycatcher on 27th, and a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and Asian Brown Flycatcher on 30th.
On the afternoon of 26th, after a morning of heavy rain, Long Valley held 40 Pintail/Swinhoe’s Snipes, 13 Black Drongos, an Oriental Reed Warbler, a Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, three Stejneger’s Stonechats and 15 Eastern Yellow Wagtails.
On 27th, an Eastern Crowned Warbler was seen at Tai Lam CP and a juvenile Tiger Shrike was at Hok Tau. A Forest Wagtail was at Hok Tau on the following day.
On 28th, Lau Shui Heung turned up three Amur Paradise Flycatchers, an Eastern Crowned Warbler and five Indochinese Green Magpies (Cat. III); four of the magpies were in a loose party that included at least one adult and a juvenile, indicative of local breeding.
In addition, single Amur Paradise Flycatchers were reported from Tai Po Kau on 28th, and Tai Tong and Ho Man Tin on 31st.
Bird of the week was a Collared Kingfisher belatedly reported from Sha Tin Park on 28th. If accepted, this will be only the fifth Hong Kong record and the first since 2005.
Mai Po held three Asian Dowitchers, the breeding-plumaged Long-billed Dowitcher and six Common Terns on 29th. On the same day, 47 Red-necked Phalaropes and a Black-naped Oriole were noted at Po Toi.
All images & text © David Diskin unless otherwise stated
dadiskin@netvigator.com
dadiskin@netvigator.com