Birds - strangely - defy human classifications, and so most species in this post fall into both these Hong Kong categories.
Here are some examples;
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| Black-browed Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus bistrigiceps |
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| Black-browed Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus bistrigiceps |
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| Oriental Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus orientalis |
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Eurasian Skylark - Alauda arvensis
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Dusky Warbler - Phylloscopus fuscatus
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At Long Valley, the wet fields also hold a few familiar species, most here for the winter now; -
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| Citrine Wagtail - Motacilla citreola |
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| Common Snipe - Gallinago gallinago |
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| Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus |
And, while
everyone else was seeing rarer and exotic buntings the other day, the best I could come up with were these shots of one of our commonest winter visitors;
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| Black-faced Bunting (f) - Emberiza spodocephala |
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| Black-faced Bunting (f) - Emberiza spodocephala |
Yesterday I partially redeemed myself by getting a few shots of Yellow-breasted Bunting. Although an Endangered species, there were thirty-or-so around the area.
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| Yellow-breasted Bunting - Emberiza aureola |
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| Yellow-breasted Bunting - Emberiza aureola |
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| Yellow-breasted Bunting - Emberiza aureola |
Finally a bird that really says "Hong Kong Winter" - Daurian Redstart.
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| Daurian Redstart - Phoenicurus auroreus |
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| Daurian Redstart - Phoenicurus auroreus |
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| Daurian Redstart - Phoenicurus auroreus |
According to the Cantonese Lunar Calendar, today marks the start of
winter. It's very grey and cool outside this morning.
We had our first Blackbirds this week. OBPs are around but no DR yet. The Dusky Wobblers were first to arrive. Last week we had an acro in the garden - very odd - and I suspect Black-browed but it was too fast for me to get a clean look. That was tick 74 for the garden. There are buntings around but always just silhouettes. Usually they are Black-faced when they deign to show. I must try LV next week if I feel fit enough.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, the weather has been lousy, but the birding was very good today at LV. Drop me a line if you're coming this way.
DeleteHow did you get all those warblers to behave so well! Great shots as usual. Most be exciting times now in HK with the rarities starting to pour in.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a good few days, just recently - after a mild and disappointing October.
DeleteA beautiful series of photographs. That last image does evoke the winter feeling!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment : good birds but leaden skies !
DeleteFantastic photos, especially the last one. Out of curiousity, what kind of lens do you use?
ReplyDeleteHi John, Thanks…I'm using an 800mm lens, usually with a Canon 1D MK4. The birds here are not usually very confiding… so the longer lens is very useful.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're around to classify them. I'd need help with a few of these. We get Daurian Redstarts here much later and I always look forward to seeing them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Russell - I think I'm reasonably good at identifying "the usual (avian) suspects" here - but I'd struggle with anything new. Still, that's what shelves of old-fashioned books are for !
DeleteA lot of (common) species we get here too. In summer though................
ReplyDeleteThe birds must be in more spanking plumage in summer, I'm sure !
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