A birdwatching society boat trip, on a boat intermediate in size between these....
![](//3.bp.blogspot.com/_2echr0cKeuc/S96Er9g3L4I/AAAAAAAABvo/0H81Xg07PhY/s400/boats_1001-01.jpg)
A couple of Arctic Skuas were seen... this one flew closest to the boat...
Arctic Skua
And a shearwater, doing exactly what it says in the species job description ...
Short-tailed Shearwater
We saw over one hundred phalarope on the open sea. Their presence in is usually a good sign that seabird migrants are around. Although, until yesterday, I'd seen more phalarope at Mai Po than at sea !
Red-necked Phalarope
Other visible migrants included a Peregrine, a couple of Barn Swallows and a few Little and Cattle Egrets, but my "bird-of-the-day" was THIS... a Hong Kong "tick" for yours truly, a beast that has been hiding from me for some time now..
Ancient Murrelet
Only one, only a fly-by, but in Sunday's light the view was clear enough.
A fine start to May !
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2echr0cKeuc/S96Er9g3L4I/AAAAAAAABvo/0H81Xg07PhY/s400/boats_1001-01.jpg)
A couple of Arctic Skuas were seen... this one flew closest to the boat...
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2echr0cKeuc/S96EtGyCc5I/AAAAAAAABwA/tqrh7B4r8cY/s400/Skua_0874-01.jpg)
And a shearwater, doing exactly what it says in the species job description ...
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2echr0cKeuc/S96Es-vUL8I/AAAAAAAABv4/zTxOLSDVw-8/s400/S%27water_0944-01.jpg)
We saw over one hundred phalarope on the open sea. Their presence in is usually a good sign that seabird migrants are around. Although, until yesterday, I'd seen more phalarope at Mai Po than at sea !
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2echr0cKeuc/S96Esb3AI4I/AAAAAAAABvw/4QEb16w-CtE/s400/phalarope_0780-01.jpg)
Other visible migrants included a Peregrine, a couple of Barn Swallows and a few Little and Cattle Egrets, but my "bird-of-the-day" was THIS... a Hong Kong "tick" for yours truly, a beast that has been hiding from me for some time now..
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2echr0cKeuc/S96Etbg76xI/AAAAAAAABwI/-GY8dRgaXAU/s400/Murrelet_1006-01.jpg)
Only one, only a fly-by, but in Sunday's light the view was clear enough.
A fine start to May !
Nice in slight shoots.
ReplyDeletePower of Canon EOS-1D Mark IV ;)
Hi Tabib,
ReplyDeleteYes, the 1D IV is very useful..
You are midway between Fraser's Hill and Taman Negara, I guess ?
Jemi and I have passed through Raub, I think !
Hello.
ReplyDeleteI rode a birding boat in Hokkaido, Japan at 9/May. I saw hundreds of Short-tailed Shearwater and thousands of Phalaropes (including Grey Phalarope) on the open sea.
Sea birds' migration started in Japan too.
Hi "Martesorex",
ReplyDeleteOur seabirds must be heading towards Japan - mostly northwards, anyway - at this time of the year.
As for landbirds - every Japanese Paradise Flycatcher here makes me think of Japan, too !
John
Hi John
ReplyDeleteInterestingly we are getting some of the same species coming up the west coast of Malaysia. Not sure where they'll go next though!
Dave,
ReplyDeleteAre they lost ? Will they do an "about face" in the Bay of Bengal and head back towards the Pacific ?
Seabirds... mysterious...and underwatched !