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| Common Snipe - Gallinago gallinago |
I started 2nd October in my "Tragopan" portable hide, overlooking the concreted creek where a few autumnal waders pottered about ( "Pottered" - I hope this sounds scientific and disciplined.)
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| Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis (bengalensis) |
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| Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis (bengalensis) |
The good news is that a Common Kingfisher did me the honour of briefly field-testing my perch !
"WoodSand" and "GreenSand" also obliged with close views.
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| Wood Sandpiper - Tringa glareola |
(Note to self: - Must clean the litter off the possible background areas... !)
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| Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus |
THEN: a tip-off from Andrew Hardacre that he was in Long Valley, looking at a Red-backed Shrike (possibly HK's fifth), that had been originally found there the previous day.
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| "Long Valley" - a rare patch of cultivated lowland in Hong Kong |
After some directions were given, I found the right field, found Andrew (and James Lambert) and found the bird.
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| Red-backed Shrike - Lanius collurio |
It was perched on a wire above a patch of wet reeds. It was regularly diving into the foliage for caterpillars. The ginger-brown overall colouration, traces of grey on the hind neck, and squarish tail all seemed like good ID "pointers" to separate from Brown Shrike, our most-likely confusion species.
As I'd missed Hong Kong's previous Red-backed Shrikes, this was a "HK Tick" for me.
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| Red-necked Phalarope - Phalaropus lobatus |
More photos and shrike identification debate on the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society website :
And what lovely cool weather we're having, too !
The photos are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGreetings, RW & SK