25 Apr 2022

25th April 2022 - waterbirds on the Deep Bay tideline, Hong Kong

Chinese Egret - Egretta eulophotes

Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus
Chinese Pond Herons - Ardeola bacchus
Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus
Common Redshank -Tringa totanus
Chinese Egret - Egretta eulophotes
Eastern Cattle Egrets - Bulbulcus coromandus
Greater Sand Plover - Charadrius leschenaultii
Terek Sandpiper - Xenus cinereus
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - Calidris acuminata


a mystery-flagged stint, possibly banded in Kamchatka -
Red-necked Stint - Calidris ruficollis
Black-faced Spoonbill  - Platalea minor
Black-faced Spoonbills  - Platalea minor
Black-faced Spoonbills  - Platalea minor
Gull-billed Tern - Geochelidon nilotica
Greater Sand Plover - Charadrius leschenaultii
Grey-tailed Tattler - Tringa brevipes

...and last but not least
Red-necked Stint - Calidris ruficollis

All viewed and photographed this morning from the Northern Floating Hide, Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong

19 Apr 2022

Mid-April - And it’s “Goodbye" from some wintering birds

....and “Hello” from some of those passing through..


Eastern Buzzard - Buteo japonicus


Black-faced Bunting - Emberiza spodocephala (male)


Stejneger's Stonechat - Saxicola stejnegeri


Dusky Warbler - Phylloscopus fuscatus

Siberian Rubythroat - Calliope calliope

Siberian Rubythroat - Calliope calliope

Black-faced Bunting - Emberiza spodocephala (female)

Oriental Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus orientalis

Oriental Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus orientalis

 and a BIF to close with !

5 Apr 2022

Early April - clear days around Deep Bay, Hong Kong

Gull-billed Terns (Geochelidon nilotica) have been menacing the crabs and mudskippers on Deep Bay’s mudflats.

The best views are from Mai Po’s boardwalk hides.








On a clear day you can see forever....well, Shehou in Shenzhen, anyway.



Migrating waders - asleep here is Nordmann’s Greenshank (Tringa guttifer)



...and Oriental Pratincoles (Glareola maldivarum) on a drained fishpond in San Tin




Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Chinese Penduline Tit (Remiz consobrinus)


Most of oueEMHs look like this....

Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilonotus)

...so, distant and heavily-cropped, here are record shots of an unusual-for-HK adult male Eastern Marsh Harrier:-

Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilonotus)

Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilonotus)


Some of the winters’ more spectacular duck have lingered into April -


Baikal Teal (Anas formosa)

Falcated Duck (Mareca falcata)

And, last but never least, some of the Black-faced Spoonbills (Platalea minor) have gained spectacular golden tints in their  plumage prior to departure back to their Korean breeding grounds.

Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) 


Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor)