2 Dec 2018

Nam Sang Wai and Shek Kong Catchment, 29th Nov 2018


Black-faced Spoonbill - Platalea minor
Hazy sunshine and a low tide predicted in late morning made NSW seem like an attractive place to visit for the first time in over a year.

Common Teal - Anas crecca

White-breasted Kingfisher - Halcyon smyrnensis
I get the feeling that many of the more experienced HK photographers consider NSW a bit passé  And someone recently pointed out to me that hardly any real rarities turn up there. 

Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea

Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata

Pied Avocet - Recurvirostra avosetta

Pied Kingfisher - Ceryle rudis

But the  slipway near the AFCD post is still great place to practice “birds in flight” photography.

Woodland birding sites can be pretty quiet after mid-morning, but a low winter sun meant that there would be plenty of dark gullies along the track at Shek Kong Catchment, so there I went.

As it turned out, the first noteworthy bird was another “BIF” -  a displaying Crested Goshawk.

Crested Goshawk - Accipiter trivirgatus

Crested Goshawk - Accipiter trivirgatus
I’ve seen them do this often before, but rarely so close and in such strong light.

Later on, a mixed feeding bird flock found me in a shady corner and I got shots of a couple of the more colourful species under the tree canopy.

Yellow-cheeked Tit - Parus spilonotus

Silver-eared Mesia - Leiothrix argentaurus
Daurian Redstarts, having mostly arrived for the Hong Kong winter three to four weeks ago, have established their territories and become more cautious of humans. 

Daurian Redstart - Phoenicurus auroreus

But this male gave me a brief photo opportunity as I returned to the end of the catchment road.

12 comments:

  1. A simply stunning array of flight shots, John, with the White-breasted Kingfisher shot being especially spectacular. Well done!

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    1. Thanks David, a mirror-like creek background helps !

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  2. Somes superb BIFs even if they species are a bit passe for the HK regulars...........

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    1. I'll just keep working on getting better shots of the regular stuff...!!

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  3. Your photos certainly make me want to visit NSW more often...The only rarity I've found there is a Ferruginous Duck years back during BBR.

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    1. I can offer a distant (too far for a photo) Black-tailed Gull from last Thursday, Matt, - almost a rarity....

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  4. NSW is my favorite place for BIF too! Although I couldn't get the beautiful kingfishers & ducks like yours, I still enjoy capturing the larger birds like heron and Great Cormorant. I'd like to try Shek Kong Catchment. Could you pls advise the exact location to see the birds?

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    1. Hi Kent, I usually start at the eastern end of the catchment at the junction with route TWISK. There is a sign "Tai Lam country Park" about a kilometre from the end of the catchment road, and the 2-3 kilometres after that have the best woodland around the road. (and the best birds). but patience is required...

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    2. Thx John! But do you mean walking from here?
      https://www.google.com.hk/maps/@22.4271844,114.1083412,3a,75y,229.91h,86.05t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sIyyce6Nkmm8y-WHvmnVJkA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DIyyce6Nkmm8y-WHvmnVJkA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D209.16814%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

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    3. Yes, by the No.72 Green Minibus terminal is the start of the path. You have to go in maybe one kilometre before the trees surrounding the road are good.

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  5. Marvelous series of pictures, I like all of them. Congratulations.

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