9 Jan 2014

A "Twitch" for Long-billed Plover

A good "East Asian" plover, Long-billed Plover (Charadrius placidus) breeds in northeast China and adjacent parts of Russia. With a preference for rocky riverbed habitat, it is nowhere common. Wintering birds disperse south, with records scattered through south China.
Long-billed Plover (Charadrius placidus) 
There are very few records of Long-billed Plover in Hong Kong, with the official "first" a bird found by Paul Aston (as I recall) near Kam Tin in February 1994. That bird was around for a month and I well remember it. There was also a one-day-only appearance of a Long-billed Plover in 1998 at Pak Nai.

This afternoon I received a message to the effect that John Allcock had found a Long-billed Plover in the concrete drainage channel (officially, - the "Kam Tin River" ) just north of the Kam Sheung Road West Rail Train station.


Long-billed Plover (Charadrius placidus) - top right - with Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) - bottom left
A fifteen minute drive, and there it was.  Looking larger and a shade duller than the numerous Little Ringed Plovers that also inhabit the area, it was poking around the slimy concrete.

Long-billed Plover (Charadrius placidus) 
Long-billed Plover (Charadrius placidus) 
Various birders turned up in the hour-and-a-half we were there. Like most HK "Twitches" it was a pleasant social occasion.


There was also a mystery pipit to keep us entertained… A first-winter Richard's (A. richardi) or a Blyth's (A. godlewski).




I don't know which, quite frankly. I won't be leading the charge to nail down the identification of this one.  Richard's Pipit is common in Hong Kong in winter - although not common in drains -  but Blyth's if confirmed - would be as rare as, well, Long-billed Plover. 


HK's third Long-billed Plover ! The promising start to the birding year continues...


11 comments:

  1. Nice Bird John, good photos as well. Never seen this species and have tried for them in Nepal many years back. Keep up the great blog…..

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    1. Thanks, W W ! We've only had three in the last twenty years..

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  2. I see a few Long Billed Plovers in Hokkaido every year, usually in winter...........strange to hear you twitching this (and the Brown Thrush). Mind you I got excited by the single Black Faced Spoonbill I saw here last year.

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    1. It's the birding thrill of the unusual, isn't it ? Northern Lapwings are celebrated here... but birders don't give them a second glance in Europe.

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  3. I'd be very firmly in the Blyth's camp for the pipit John!

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    1. I'm glad you're skilled enough to be in any particular "camp", Dave - I'm hiding from the debate on this one !

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  4. It's amazing what you get in Hong Kong! Our current rarity is a Long-toed Stint. Good luck sorting out the Pipit.

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  5. Thanks, H. W. ! I'll report what happens if we reach a resolution on the pipit. Long-toed Stint is a passage migrant here.

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  6. Agree with Dave that it's a Blyth's Pipit! Congrats on both lifers.

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  7. It's certainly not a classic BLYTH's with that median covert pattern (which is pro-RICHARD'S) and hind claw (although there is overlap with the latter feature). One for Per Alstrom to sort out! :)

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