Productive First Month

 January been a very productive month to begin my year with, with a good numbers of rarities dotted around the place. I have been focusing more on areas close to my home, namely Wu Kau Tang and Tai Mei Tuk Catchment, and the effort put there certainly paid off! These areas are slightly less popular amongst birders, therefore I suspect highly underbirded throughout most of the year. Wu Kau Tang especially been very good of late, the flock of 30 Common Rosefinches returned yet again this year, but views were often quite far.

Common Rosefinch

I often walked the trail from Wu Kau Tang towards Kau Tam Tso, lately I also been exploring several different areas, including the Sheung Ha Miu Tin area with some nice patches of forest. That area got a lot of potential for good birds, although I only found some regular winter migrants there mainly. Indochinese Green Magpies are regularly sighted around this part of Hong Kong, although getting any clear view of photograph is still a huge challenge, this one found following a flock of Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush was kind enough to let me grab a few records shots. Towards Sheung Miu Tin I had a White's Thrush on a fruiting tree, although it was quite skittish. A very friendly female Tristram's Bunting was a nice addition though. Back towards Kau Tam Tso I had a male Hainan Blue Flycatcher, a species that seems to be wintering in Hong Kong more often than before.

Indochinese Green Magpie

White's Thrush

Tristram's Bunting

Hainan Blue Flycatcher - male

Around the village I yielded several species of Flycatchers, including a Taiga Flycatcher, a pair of Verditer Flycatcher were spotted within a bird wave but only the female allowed a photo. The best one for me was probably a very good looking male Mugimaki Flycatcher. I also spotted several good warblers, including Hartert's Leaf Warblers, at least one Kloss's Warbler and Greenish Warbler, however both left me without any photo.

Taiga Flycatcher

Verditer Flycatcher - female

Mugimaki Flycatcher - male

Hartert's Leaf Warbler

Some of the best birds in the area were found closer to the village of Ho Pui, Abdel reported a Barred Cuckoo-dove a little earlier, and seeing that a few friends had success relocating it, I gave it a try. To my surprise, I saw at least two and highly possibly three birds along the valley, very likely there is a fruiting tree of their liking nearby, although it was not in view from the footpath, to find more than one of this often elusive species was quite the thrill! The same area also hosted a very nice looking male Small Niltava plus a Fujian Niltava, though both a little shy it was great to see them in the area. It just shows how much potential this area has and who knows what else we may find in the future!

Barred Cuckoo-dove - in flight

Small Niltava - male

Fujian Niltava - male

Along Tai Mei Tuk Catchment, only one female Grey Bushchat remained, and it is getting more and more difficult to locate, I suspect it is now ranging out slightly. The Grey-backed Shrike continued to show on and off, although it doesn't always show itself. A Brown Shrike also taken up residence in the area, which was not surprising given the area is very shrike friendly. One of the more interesting find was a Japanese Tit of race minor found by Roman Lo, I was able to relocate the bird and got a few photos. The overall situation of 'Great Tit' in Hong Kong is quite confusing, a few years back it was suggested those in Hong Kong were Cinereous Tit based on completely monotone greyish mantle, it was then changed again to Japanese Tit race commixtus, the thing is it really depends on which authority you follow. None the less, it is an interesting bird to look at and certainly a vagrant bird of a different race.

Grey Bushchat - female

Brown Shrike

Japanese Tit - race minor

Sha Lo Tung is another area not far from my home, but I rarely explored, lately at least four Grey Bushcats been observed. The path towards Hok Tau runs through some good habitats that is worth exploring, I was able to locate a pair of Bay Woodpeckers where the female allowed a quick photo before disappearing again. The interesting thing about Sha Lo Tung is that there are still plenty of grassy areas there, which hosted a good range of shrubland birds, including Sooty-headed Bulbuls, there were plenty of Russet Bush Warblers calling as well.

Grey Bushchat - male

Grey Bushchat - female

Bay Woodpecker - female

Sooty-headed Bulbul

Over at Tai Sang Wai, I had a very confiding Little Bunting along the road. Hundreds of Swallows have been seen around the fish ponds, perfect to test any photographers skills in taking BIF shots. A few fish ponds were being drained, and that attracted plenty of Black-faced Spoonbills to feast on the fish and shrimps. The best bird I found in the area was again a Carrion Crow amongst the Collared and Large-billed Crows.

Little Bunting

Barn Swallow

Black-faced Spoonbill

Carrion Crow

The Plumbeous Redstart at Chun Shin Road was still present, now 'abandoned' by photographers, I was able to observe this handsome male in peace. I totalled 197 species for January, not a bad count for just one month.

Plumbeous Redstart - male

Cold Spell - Birding's Magic

Mugimaki Flycatcher

Start of February and we are experiencing some pretty bitter cold, Tai Mo Shan froze over and temperature dropped down to -1.8℃, while temperature around New Territories dropped to just 4℃. Weather like this certainly affects the birds, I experienced this first hand when I saw this dead Common Tailorbird which couldn't make it through the bitter night. Although in general colder weather means that birds in general are easier to observe, with some often shy species changing their behaviour completely, it's a good time to go out and experience the magic...

Common Tailorbird - unfortunate victim of the cold

I visited Shek Kong Airfield before I had work to do, a trio of Common Rosefinch greeted me. They were quite busy feeding and showed beautifully, there were two males and a single female together. Although an annual winter visitor, it's still a real privilege to see them so well.

Common Rosefinch - male & female

At nearby Lam Tsuen, a flock of Hair-crested Drongos were feeding much lower than usual, at one point I observed one bird coming down to the ground to pick off an insect. A Common Kingfisher was also found along the Lam Tsuen River, a regular species along this stretch.

Hair-crested Drongo

Common Kingfisher

I visited Mai Po again with Hoiling on the 1st, our main target was the Oriental Stork which Hoiling had not seen before. While walking there we observed an aerial battle between an Eastern Marsh Harrier and a Collared Crow, later joined in by a Black Kite! It was quite a show with three birds chasing one another, I was quite pleased to be able to capture a photo with all three birds all in one frame!

Fight between Eastern Marsh Harrier, Collared Crow and a Black Kite

We waited at pond 23 for the Stork when we didn't see it at pond 21. It was very cold to stand in the wind, our hot tea kept us happy. We waited for what felt like 30 minutes in the cold with nothing happening, as we were just about to leave a great commotion of egrets caught our attention and we were suddenly seeing the huge stork in flight! It soon landed on pond 23 for some perched views, although it was quite far away for any decent shots. Also present was an adult Peregrine Falcon, the rather dark face mask indicates this as race peregrinator.

Oriental Stork

Peregrine Falcon - spp. peregrinator

The alteration of birds behaviour was especially apparent at a BBQ site in Sai Kung, where a few birds had been seen feeding out in the open. One of such example was a 1st winter male Mugimaki Flycatcher, actively feeding near the ground and occasionally coming to within a few feet.

Mugimaki Flycatcher - feeding on the ground

A 1st winter male Fujian Niltava was also present, although not showing as well as the Mugimaki, but still offered fairly good looks briefly. Fujian Niltavas are rare winter visitors in Hong Kong, their absolutely stunning plumage makes them joyous birds to look at and a thrill to see every time.

Fujian Niltava - 1st winter male

Around the same area, a 1st winter Orange-headed Thrush foraged out in the open. It was still a little skittish, but you kind of feel it's urgency to find more food and would occasionally even venture out to the benches and tables. Although it kept a safe distance away from me the whole time and later went back into the thickets when a large group of tourists arrived.

Orange-headed Thrush - 1st winter

There were a few "less attractive" present, namely a duo of female Daurian Redstarts, they will occasionally chase the Mugimaki Flycatcher around, probably not as much as it would do in warmer weather. A 1st winter male Siberian Rubythroat also made a brief entrance, but mainly stuck within the thickets and out of view as usual!

Daurian Redstart - female

Siberian Rubythroat - 1st winter male

Other than the winter visitors, a few resident species also made an appearance, other than a lot of Common Tailorbirds and Cinerous Tits, a Mountain Tailorbird also dropped in briefly, feeding fairly low down at eye-levels. A large dove flew by and landed in a tree near me, a quick look revealed it to be an immature Emerald Dove; a usually shy species which stayed long enough for me to grab a half decent record shot.

Mountain Tailorbird

Emerald Dove

Despite the long cold spell, nothing out of the ordinary had appeared so far, was kind of hoping for something like Yellow-bellied Tit...but I should remain hopeful as long as the cold persists!

Bride's Pool Delights

Crested Kingfisher - One of the best bird on offer at Bride's Pool at the moment

A great day at Bride's Pool earlier this month urged me for more visits, this area can be quite good during winter months, you may also yield some surprising birds occasionally. It is relatively difficult to get to without a car, so it's usually quiet during early mornings, while weekends can be slightly crowded with hikers and people firing up the barbecues. I usually starts by descending on the long steps down to the main barbecue site, often there will be a large bird wave passing through. I was fortunate enough to encounter the pair of Verditer Flycatchers at close range, which landed me the shot that I've always wanted! They are truly stunning birds and their turquoise blue is unmistakable.

Verditer Flycatcher - male, pleasing to the eye front or back!

There were also two Grey-headed Canary Flycatchers amongst the bird wave, giving fairly good views. Across the road to the other side I found a 1st winter male Mugimaki Flycatcher, it's male patterns are just about showing but overall still very washed out.

Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Mugimaki Flycatcher - 1st winter male

Other then some more common birds, there were a few Mountain Bulbuls around. One of a more surprising find amongst the bird wave was perhaps an Eastern Crowned Warbler, a species that is more common during passage, so it's either a wintering bird or a very late migrant. Wintering Olive-backed Pipits are common here.

Mountain Bulbul

Eastern Crowned Warbler

Olive-backed Pipit

The trademark species you can't miss here is the Plumbeous Redstart. Near the reservoir I found yet another pair, this time a male and a female. Both were equally photogenic and extremely cooperative. They are always a delight to see, and no doubt a winter specialty.

Plumbeous Redstart - male

Plumbeous Redstart - female

It was around the same area that I heard the call of the Crested Kingfisher, this is a species that had greatly decreased in recent years and rarely reported nowadays. John Allcock saw one near Ting Kok last month, but it had not been relocated since. I followed the shoreline of the reservoir and sure enough flushed a large kingfisher from the trees ahead! For the next two hours I observed the bird a few more times, always flying low over the reservoir, and on a few occasions perched quietly on trees near the water edge. They really are huge, measuring up to 43cm, definitely adds to the "wow" factor. In China they favours large rivers with a good flow of water; a habitat we lack in Hong Kong, so they often make use of wide channels within the reservoirs. I hope they will become a more regular bird again in Hong Kong, they are difficult to get bored of.

Crested Kingfisher - perched on the opposite side of the reservoir

The other rarity that had been spotted at Bride's Pool was a Rufous-faced Warbler. I heard a bell like ringing call last week but couldn't get a sight confirmation so I was not confident enough to report the bird, Kwan found this one on Sunday morning and I decided to give it a try on Tuesday. Long and I arrived early morning and within ten minutes of our arrival we locked our bins onto the bird, a tiny warbler with an unmistakable rufous face. The last time I saw one in Hong Kong was all the way back in 2004 at Tai Po Kau, so I am glad to be able to connect with this little guy. After encountering these great birds, who knows what else may be lurking around the corner at Bride's Pool!

Rufous-faced Warbler - quite a tiny stunner