LATEST SIGHTINGS - MAY 2018
May 1-6
May 1-6
Grey-streaked Flycatcher at Mai Po in spring (archive photograph)
The month began with anticyclonic conditions; winds were southerly with temperatures up to a hot 33⁰C on 2nd. The winds turned to fresh easterlies on 3rd bringing slightly cooler conditions to the territory. A trickle of typical late-spring migrants and arriving summer visitors were recorded at widespread locations as follows:
Cinnamon Bittern: three in farmland below Shek Kong catchment on 1st; one at HK Wetland Park on 6th
Chinese Sparrowhawk: one at Cheung Chau on 4th
Slaty-legged Crake: one calling at Uk Tau on 4th
Spoon-billed Sandpiper: one at Mai Po on 5th
Grey Nightjar: one calling at Wonderland Villas on 5th
Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo: heard at Tai Po Kau on 1st, 2nd & 4th
Lesser Cuckoo: heard at Ng Tung Chai on 1st and Tai Po Kau on 4th
Oriental Dollarbird: one at Shek Kong catchment on 4th
Blue-tailed Bee-eater: six at Po Toi on 3rd
Brown Shrike: singles at Kowloon Park on 2nd, HK University on 4th, HK Wetland Park on 6th
Arctic Warbler: two at Shek Kong catchment and one at Tai Po Kau on 4th, one at HK Wetland Park on 6th
Styan’s Grasshopper Warbler: one Mai Po on 5th
Grey-streaked Flycatcher: two at Po Toi on 3rd, three at Shek Kong catchment and two at HK University on 4th
Brown-breasted Flycatcher: one at Tai Po Kau on 2nd
Eastern Yellow Wagtail: 60 of the nominate race tschutschensis at San Tin on 4th.
A boat trip to southern waters on 5th turned up six Streaked and three Short-tailed Shearwaters, 48 Red-necked Phalaropes, 19 Sanderlings, a Pomarine Skua, four Arctic Jaegers, and four Little, 59 White-winged, 30 Bridled, 38 Aleutian, five Common and three Great Crested Terns.
Cinnamon Bittern: three in farmland below Shek Kong catchment on 1st; one at HK Wetland Park on 6th
Chinese Sparrowhawk: one at Cheung Chau on 4th
Slaty-legged Crake: one calling at Uk Tau on 4th
Spoon-billed Sandpiper: one at Mai Po on 5th
Grey Nightjar: one calling at Wonderland Villas on 5th
Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo: heard at Tai Po Kau on 1st, 2nd & 4th
Lesser Cuckoo: heard at Ng Tung Chai on 1st and Tai Po Kau on 4th
Oriental Dollarbird: one at Shek Kong catchment on 4th
Blue-tailed Bee-eater: six at Po Toi on 3rd
Brown Shrike: singles at Kowloon Park on 2nd, HK University on 4th, HK Wetland Park on 6th
Arctic Warbler: two at Shek Kong catchment and one at Tai Po Kau on 4th, one at HK Wetland Park on 6th
Styan’s Grasshopper Warbler: one Mai Po on 5th
Grey-streaked Flycatcher: two at Po Toi on 3rd, three at Shek Kong catchment and two at HK University on 4th
Brown-breasted Flycatcher: one at Tai Po Kau on 2nd
Eastern Yellow Wagtail: 60 of the nominate race tschutschensis at San Tin on 4th.
A boat trip to southern waters on 5th turned up six Streaked and three Short-tailed Shearwaters, 48 Red-necked Phalaropes, 19 Sanderlings, a Pomarine Skua, four Arctic Jaegers, and four Little, 59 White-winged, 30 Bridled, 38 Aleutian, five Common and three Great Crested Terns.
May 7-13
Short-tailed Shearwater in southern waters of Hong Kong, 12 May 2018
A trough of low pressure on 8th brought unsettled weather to the South China coast with showers and thunderstorms; temperatures were in the mid-twenties. It became hot and sunny on 12th & 13th with temperatures reaching 32⁰C.
Mai Po held Swinhoe’s Egret, two Nordmann’s Greenshanks and 83 Red Knots on 7th, with Swinhoe’s Egret, two late Grey-headed Lapwings, Nordmann’s Greenshank, a late Black-headed Gull, 515 White-winged Terns and 53 Whiskered Terns on 8th. An Oriental Cuckoo was seen on 12th.
Po Toi had six Oriental Dollarbirds and a Black-naped Oriole on 8th, and 40 Bridled Terns were seen from the ferry. A number of interesting migrants were on the island on 10th, including Malayan Night Heron, Striated Heron, three Chinese Sparrowhawks, Black-capped Kingfisher, an Oriental Dollarbird, 52 Brown Shrikes and two Grey-streaked Flycatchers. A Short-tailed Shearwater was seen over the sea. On 11th, 68 Brown Shrikes were counted, although their numbers had dwindled to 25 on 12th when three Arctic Warblers and two Grey-streaked Flycatchers were also seen.
Nam Chung turned up two Chestnut-winged Cuckoos, two Oriental Dollarbirds, Oriental Reed Warbler and Black-browed Reed Warbler on 8th, and three Oriental Dollarbirds were seen there on 10th. Three Chestnut-winged Cuckoos were present on 13th.
Tai Po Kau had Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and Brown-breasted Flycatcher on 12th, and Lesser Cuckoo on 13th. Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo were at Tate’s Cairn on 13th.
A boat trip to southern waters on 12th turned up at least three Short-tailed Shearwaters, Arctic Skua, 222 White-winged Terns , six Aleutian Terns, three Common Terns, 76 Bridled Terns and 33 Black-naped Terns, the vast majority of the Bridled and Black-naped Terns being summer visitors that breed on Po Toi rock.
Other terns reported during the week included 600 White-winged Terns off Cheung Chau on 11th and 80 Black-naped Terns between Wong Shek and Tap Mun on 12th.
A Lesser Frigatebird was off Sai Kung pier on 12th & 13th.
Mai Po held Swinhoe’s Egret, two Nordmann’s Greenshanks and 83 Red Knots on 7th, with Swinhoe’s Egret, two late Grey-headed Lapwings, Nordmann’s Greenshank, a late Black-headed Gull, 515 White-winged Terns and 53 Whiskered Terns on 8th. An Oriental Cuckoo was seen on 12th.
Po Toi had six Oriental Dollarbirds and a Black-naped Oriole on 8th, and 40 Bridled Terns were seen from the ferry. A number of interesting migrants were on the island on 10th, including Malayan Night Heron, Striated Heron, three Chinese Sparrowhawks, Black-capped Kingfisher, an Oriental Dollarbird, 52 Brown Shrikes and two Grey-streaked Flycatchers. A Short-tailed Shearwater was seen over the sea. On 11th, 68 Brown Shrikes were counted, although their numbers had dwindled to 25 on 12th when three Arctic Warblers and two Grey-streaked Flycatchers were also seen.
Nam Chung turned up two Chestnut-winged Cuckoos, two Oriental Dollarbirds, Oriental Reed Warbler and Black-browed Reed Warbler on 8th, and three Oriental Dollarbirds were seen there on 10th. Three Chestnut-winged Cuckoos were present on 13th.
Tai Po Kau had Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and Brown-breasted Flycatcher on 12th, and Lesser Cuckoo on 13th. Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo were at Tate’s Cairn on 13th.
A boat trip to southern waters on 12th turned up at least three Short-tailed Shearwaters, Arctic Skua, 222 White-winged Terns , six Aleutian Terns, three Common Terns, 76 Bridled Terns and 33 Black-naped Terns, the vast majority of the Bridled and Black-naped Terns being summer visitors that breed on Po Toi rock.
Other terns reported during the week included 600 White-winged Terns off Cheung Chau on 11th and 80 Black-naped Terns between Wong Shek and Tap Mun on 12th.
A Lesser Frigatebird was off Sai Kung pier on 12th & 13th.
Black-naped Tern at Po Toi rock. 12 May 2018
May 14-20
Anticyclonic conditions. Fine and Hot. Southerly winds with temperatures up to 33⁰C, reaching 36⁰C at Tai Po on 19th. Bird-wise, a very quiet period after a decidedly underwhelming spring.
Reports from Mai Po included Chinese Spot-billed Duck, Lesser Frigatebird and Oriental Pratincole on 14th and two Nordmann’s Greenshanks, Oriental Pratincole and Sanderling on 16th & 19th. 31 Black-faced Spoonbills remained on the reserve on 19th.
Lesser Cuckoos were singing at Plover Cove on 14th, Tai Po Kau and Ma On Shan on 17th, and Tai Lam CP on 18th. A Chinese Barbet was also heard at Tai Po Kau on 17th and 19th, with a Brown-breasted Flycatcher seen there on the latter date. A Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo was singing at Pak Sha O on 20th.
A breeding-tern survey in Mirs Bay on 20th turned up 413 Bridled Terns and 153 Black-naped Terns.
Anticyclonic conditions. Fine and Hot. Southerly winds with temperatures up to 33⁰C, reaching 36⁰C at Tai Po on 19th. Bird-wise, a very quiet period after a decidedly underwhelming spring.
Reports from Mai Po included Chinese Spot-billed Duck, Lesser Frigatebird and Oriental Pratincole on 14th and two Nordmann’s Greenshanks, Oriental Pratincole and Sanderling on 16th & 19th. 31 Black-faced Spoonbills remained on the reserve on 19th.
Lesser Cuckoos were singing at Plover Cove on 14th, Tai Po Kau and Ma On Shan on 17th, and Tai Lam CP on 18th. A Chinese Barbet was also heard at Tai Po Kau on 17th and 19th, with a Brown-breasted Flycatcher seen there on the latter date. A Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo was singing at Pak Sha O on 20th.
A breeding-tern survey in Mirs Bay on 20th turned up 413 Bridled Terns and 153 Black-naped Terns.
May 21-31
Very hot and very dry with daily temperatures up to 34⁰C, reaching a high of 37⁰C at a couple of places in the New Territories. The hottest and driest May on record.
Up to 19 Black-faced Spoonbills remained at Mai Po until at least 27th. A male Greater Painted-snipe with two very young chicks was on pond 8a on 23rd, which means at least two pairs of Greater Painted Snipes have successfully bred on the reserve so far this spring. Out on the mud flats on 23rd were a Nordmann’s Greenshank and a Little Tern, along with a few Caspian, Gull-billed, Whiskered and White-winged Terns. A Lesser Whistling Duck was seen in flight over the northern end of the marshes on 25th; although it appeared to land, it could not be relocated. On 26th a Black-winged Kite and two Nordmann’s Greenshanks were present, and there were also five Oriental Pratincoles on the scrape. The number of pratincoles had swollen to nine on 27th, including one juvenile, suggesting that some of these birds may have bred not too far to the north. Seven birds were still present on 31st.
The Wetland Park held a late Tufted Duck and a late Great Cormorant to the end of the month.
A Chinese Barbet was heard singing from high in the forest at Tai Po Kau from 23rd to the end of the month. A Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo was also heard lower down in the forest on 26th.
Eight Black-throated Tits were at Shing Mun on 22nd and 23rd, and 11 Hainan Blue Flycatchers were counted there on the latter date.
Two Lesser Cuckoos were singing on Tai Mo Shan on 27th, with one there on 30th. One was also heard at Plover Cove on 28th.
A juvenile Large Hawk Cuckoo was seen being fed by a Masked Laughingthrush at the Wetland Park on 31st. Surprisingly perhaps, this is the first time that a host species for Large Hawk Cuckoo has been identified in Hong Kong, although host species recorded elsewhere in China include Masked Laughingthrush, Chinese Hwamei and Eurasian Magpie.
Very hot and very dry with daily temperatures up to 34⁰C, reaching a high of 37⁰C at a couple of places in the New Territories. The hottest and driest May on record.
Up to 19 Black-faced Spoonbills remained at Mai Po until at least 27th. A male Greater Painted-snipe with two very young chicks was on pond 8a on 23rd, which means at least two pairs of Greater Painted Snipes have successfully bred on the reserve so far this spring. Out on the mud flats on 23rd were a Nordmann’s Greenshank and a Little Tern, along with a few Caspian, Gull-billed, Whiskered and White-winged Terns. A Lesser Whistling Duck was seen in flight over the northern end of the marshes on 25th; although it appeared to land, it could not be relocated. On 26th a Black-winged Kite and two Nordmann’s Greenshanks were present, and there were also five Oriental Pratincoles on the scrape. The number of pratincoles had swollen to nine on 27th, including one juvenile, suggesting that some of these birds may have bred not too far to the north. Seven birds were still present on 31st.
The Wetland Park held a late Tufted Duck and a late Great Cormorant to the end of the month.
A Chinese Barbet was heard singing from high in the forest at Tai Po Kau from 23rd to the end of the month. A Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo was also heard lower down in the forest on 26th.
Eight Black-throated Tits were at Shing Mun on 22nd and 23rd, and 11 Hainan Blue Flycatchers were counted there on the latter date.
Two Lesser Cuckoos were singing on Tai Mo Shan on 27th, with one there on 30th. One was also heard at Plover Cove on 28th.
A juvenile Large Hawk Cuckoo was seen being fed by a Masked Laughingthrush at the Wetland Park on 31st. Surprisingly perhaps, this is the first time that a host species for Large Hawk Cuckoo has been identified in Hong Kong, although host species recorded elsewhere in China include Masked Laughingthrush, Chinese Hwamei and Eurasian Magpie.
All images & text © David Diskin unless otherwise stated
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