John's Hong Kong Birding: "Up close and personal" with the Tragopan V3 Hide

28 Sept 2013

"Up close and personal" with the Tragopan V3 Hide

Typhoon Usagi came and went last weekend, and its' tidal surge damaged some of Mai Po's floating boardwalk hides, which are now closed for repair.

Little Ringed Plover - Charadrius dubius

So I've dusted off a present Jonathan Martinez gave me a few months ago; the Tragopan V3 hide.

http://www.tragopan-shop.com/en/e-shop/catalogue/hide/7751-photography-hide-tragopan-v3-brown.html

A short drive from home is a broad storm drain that Hong Kong's commoner waterbirds find irresistible.

There is plenty of space to park a standalone hide at the edge of the water.

Tragopan V3 hide in situ

Here's the view from the hide...

Up the creek...

Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus

In the driving seat

At this time of the year I was hoping for a the odd exotic migrant, but was happy to settle for close views of a variety of the more common passage migrant and winter visitors...

Common Sandpiper - Actitis hypoleucos

Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus

Common Greenshank - Tringa nebularia

Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus

Wood Sandpiper - Tringa glareola

(Juvenile) Black-crowned Night Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax

Chinese Pond Heron - Ardeola bacchus

Here's a video of Jonathan demonstrating folding up the hide. My hand-eye co-ordination is pretty poor, but even I can do it !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y4hXJWmn8I&feature=player_embedded

There are eight small windows (top of each hide "face") for good all-round vision, and -if required- more than one of the four large windows can be used simultaneously.

A couple more pics..