27 Feb 2012

Baer's Pochard at Mai Po

Much of Sunday  (26th Feb) was spent at the Mai Po boardwalk hides after the tide came up at midday.  Despite grey, cold weather a good variety of the usual winter waterbirds were in view.

Baer's Pochard (Athya baeri) - Sadly, NO LONGER a "usual winter bird" at Mai Po




Red-billed Starlings (Sturnus sericeus)




Red Turtle Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica)




Saunders's Gull (Saundersilarus saundersi)





Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris)





Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus) 




Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)




Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)


Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)





Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)





Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)


We had been told that the Baer's Pochard - a female, first noted in mid-February - could be seen on Pond 20, and so it proved.

A recent posting by Taej Mundkur on the "Oriental Birding" email group mentioned that Baer's Pochard s being "uprated" by Birdlife International from "Endangered" to "Critically Endangered".

Sobering news on a grey day.




Baer's Pochard (Athya baeri)


Baer's Pochard (Athya baeri) - female at rear, with Tufted Duck (Athya fuligula)


5 comments:

  1. A splendid series of images. I guess more and more species are getting endangered everywhere in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some people from the UK twitched a Baers..................near Tokyo.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's just sad when I think of the Baer's Pochard. Just a decade ago when I first started birding, I still remember seeing them in flocks mixing with Ferruginous Pochards. Right now, it's already quite miracle to find a single bird each winter.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm having trouble commenting in blogger again. My earlier comment seems to be disappeared from your blog. Anyway, I was about to say that it's just sad for me when thinking about the Baer's Pochard. Just a decade ago when I first started biridng, I could still see them swimming in flocks with Ferruginous Pochards in Thailand. Right now, it's almost miracle to find just one bird each year.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great Pied KF shot mate. Lovely action.

    ReplyDelete