Juvenile Chinese Pond Heron, Mai Po Village egretry, July 2013
LATEST SIGHTINGS - July 2017
July 1-9
July continued as June ended – hot and humid with heavy thundery showers at times.
Three juvenile Indochinese Green Magpies were reported from Hok Tau on 4th, indicating successful breeding in the Lau Shui Heung/Hok Tau area for the second year in succession.
A Black-winged Kite was photographed at Mai Po on 1st. Two hundred and fifty Greater Sand Plovers and six Little Terns were on the mud flats on 6th. Little Tern and Gull-billed Tern were reported from Mai Po on 9th.
Also on 9th an adult-summer Black-headed Gull and 3rd-summer Caspian Gull (mongolicus) were present at Tsim Bei Tsui – presumably these are the same individuals as were seen in the same location on June 11th.
July 1-9
July continued as June ended – hot and humid with heavy thundery showers at times.
Three juvenile Indochinese Green Magpies were reported from Hok Tau on 4th, indicating successful breeding in the Lau Shui Heung/Hok Tau area for the second year in succession.
A Black-winged Kite was photographed at Mai Po on 1st. Two hundred and fifty Greater Sand Plovers and six Little Terns were on the mud flats on 6th. Little Tern and Gull-billed Tern were reported from Mai Po on 9th.
Also on 9th an adult-summer Black-headed Gull and 3rd-summer Caspian Gull (mongolicus) were present at Tsim Bei Tsui – presumably these are the same individuals as were seen in the same location on June 11th.
July 10-16
There were fourteen species of wader at Mai Po on 14th including 287 Greater Sand Plovers, 39 Terek Sandpipers and a Far Eastern Curlew. Three Far Eastern Curlews were seen there on 15th and the number of Greater Sand Plovers had increased to 500 on 16th. Also on 16th, post-breeding parties of White-shouldered Starlings on the reserve totalled at least 180 birds.
An unseasonal male Russet Sparrow was at Lam Tsuen on 15th.
There were fourteen species of wader at Mai Po on 14th including 287 Greater Sand Plovers, 39 Terek Sandpipers and a Far Eastern Curlew. Three Far Eastern Curlews were seen there on 15th and the number of Greater Sand Plovers had increased to 500 on 16th. Also on 16th, post-breeding parties of White-shouldered Starlings on the reserve totalled at least 180 birds.
An unseasonal male Russet Sparrow was at Lam Tsuen on 15th.
July 17-31
Generally quiet, but shorebird migration is well underway with an increase in the variety of species passing through. Long Valley held three Common Sandpipers, nine Wood Sandpipers, ten Little Ringed Plovers and five Black-winged Stilts on 24th.
On 26th, there were 17 species of wader at Mai Po including at least 315 Greater Sand Plovers, 270 Common Redshanks, 45 Black-tailed Godwits, two Far Eastern Curlews, five Curlew Sandpipers, seven Red-necked Stints and a Dunlin. The summering Caspian Gull (mongolicus) was also out on the mud flats and the annual post-breeding gathering of Eastern Cattle Egrets totalled 182 birds. Other birds on the reserve included Besra, Asian Barred Owlet and two Chinese Blackbirds.
On 27th, the fish ponds at San Tin held an unseasonal Eurasian Teal, two Whiskered Terns and ten species of wader, the majority of them on a pond that that was being drained down. Counts included 42 Common Redshanks, 47 Wood Sandpipers, three Green Sandpipers. nine Long-toed Stints, three Red-necked Stints and four Curlew Sandpipers.
The waders were more settled on the drained pond at San Tin over the high tide period on 28th, allowing for a full count to be made: 19 Black-winged Stilts, 58 Little Ringed Plovers, 132 Common Redshanks, a Marsh Sandpiper, two Common Greenshanks, 120 Wood Sandpipers, four Common Sandpipers. seven Red-necked Stints, eight Long-toed Stints and 25 Curlew Sandpipers. The Eurasian Teal was also present.
There was another unseasonal duck in the northwest New Territories- this time a Northern Pintail - at Mai Po on 29th and there were also the first autumn sightings of Asian Dowitcher and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Wader counts included 500+ Common Redshanks and 139 Black-tailed Godwits.
Generally quiet, but shorebird migration is well underway with an increase in the variety of species passing through. Long Valley held three Common Sandpipers, nine Wood Sandpipers, ten Little Ringed Plovers and five Black-winged Stilts on 24th.
On 26th, there were 17 species of wader at Mai Po including at least 315 Greater Sand Plovers, 270 Common Redshanks, 45 Black-tailed Godwits, two Far Eastern Curlews, five Curlew Sandpipers, seven Red-necked Stints and a Dunlin. The summering Caspian Gull (mongolicus) was also out on the mud flats and the annual post-breeding gathering of Eastern Cattle Egrets totalled 182 birds. Other birds on the reserve included Besra, Asian Barred Owlet and two Chinese Blackbirds.
On 27th, the fish ponds at San Tin held an unseasonal Eurasian Teal, two Whiskered Terns and ten species of wader, the majority of them on a pond that that was being drained down. Counts included 42 Common Redshanks, 47 Wood Sandpipers, three Green Sandpipers. nine Long-toed Stints, three Red-necked Stints and four Curlew Sandpipers.
The waders were more settled on the drained pond at San Tin over the high tide period on 28th, allowing for a full count to be made: 19 Black-winged Stilts, 58 Little Ringed Plovers, 132 Common Redshanks, a Marsh Sandpiper, two Common Greenshanks, 120 Wood Sandpipers, four Common Sandpipers. seven Red-necked Stints, eight Long-toed Stints and 25 Curlew Sandpipers. The Eurasian Teal was also present.
There was another unseasonal duck in the northwest New Territories- this time a Northern Pintail - at Mai Po on 29th and there were also the first autumn sightings of Asian Dowitcher and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Wader counts included 500+ Common Redshanks and 139 Black-tailed Godwits.