Mingxi County, west-central Fujian Province, China 7-9 March 2025 - a flying visit

Elliot's Pheasants (Syrmaticus ellioti)

This short trip was planned and executed by Carrie MA.  The main “Target Bird” was White-eared Night Heron. “BlackDog” To and I were able to join Carrie for the three days.

Friday 7th March

We met early at Lok Ma Chau Boundary Crossing Point. I was able to use my new “Mainland Visit Permit” at China Immigration, and again to access  Shenzhen North Station where train ticket bookings had been registered using the visitor permit details.  

San Ming City in Fujian Province is about 5 1/2 hours from Shenzhen on the High Speed (up to 250 kph) railway.  We were picked up and taken to the homestay near the town of Mingxi by our host, the entrepreneurial and energetic Mr XIE (WeChat ID: yyqdga).  

With a couple of hours of daylight left, we were taken to a splendid, well-built hide.  We had just missed a couple of Silver Pheasants that had wandered out of view.  However, a pair of Elliot’s Pheasants appeared within about twenty minutes and we got prolonged views of these... before they, too, moved on.

After dinner, it was time for the main event, a boat trip with the aim of spotlighting for White-eared Night Heron.  Our host and his assistant got us safely on board a raft with an electric motor, and - together with some other mainland guests - we cruised off.  A total of four WENH were seen, two of which posed obligingly.

White-eared Night Heron (Oroanassa magnifica)

Saturday 8 March

We had a 04:30 start in order to drive to a misty, cold Emeifeng by first light.  

Elliot's Pheasant  (Syrmaticus ellioti) - female

We encountered a pair of Elliot’s Pheasants on the misty road, and several more Silver Pheasants appeared, too. (The above is a fairly typical "pheasant-at-the-roadside" shot !)

Higher up Emeifeng, we came out of the mist and enjoyed spectacular views to the north. Koklass Pheasant and Cabot’s Tragopan are possible here, but we dipped, despite Mr XIE’s best efforts. 

Brief views of shy Red-headed Trogons added to the atmosphere.  The temperature was down to 3 - 4 degrees near the top, but the weather warmed as the sun - and woodland birds - came out.

Yellow-cheeked Tit (Parus spilonotus)

After lunch we headed for Longxi  Shan in the afternoon.  The main village there has had an expensive-looking makeover since I was last there in 2016.  More than twenty Silver Pheasants were seen slinking into and out of the roadside undergrowth and we encountered some characteristic birds including the “seorsa” race of Sultan Tit.

Bamboo harvesting

Collared Owlet (Glaucidium brodiei)

Sultan Tit (Melanochlora sultanea)

Sunday 9th March

We had an early morning drive upstream from Mr XIE’s guesthouse to look for Blyth’s Kingfisher. 

Guesthouse

Tobacco

We were on the point of giving up when Carrie spotted two birds (both males) beneath a bridge. The memory of those certainly made breakfast taste all the better.

Blyth's Kingfisher (Alcedo hercules)

A late-morning return train from San Ming got us back to a warm Shenzhen by 16:30.

Thanks again to Carrie for the arrangements, and to her and "Blackdog" for their good company.  

Siberian Cranes (Grus leucogeranus) at Mai Po - 13th January 2025

A single juvenile bird in 2002 was HK's first, and an adult and juvenile in Dec 2016 marked a second occurence.  The juvenile disappeared after one day but the 2016 adult stayed until March 31st 2017.

The 13th January this year (a Monday) was the coldest day of the winter so far, with a strong northerly wind overnight, so I went to Mai Po with a hope that something unusual might have dropped in.

Nevertheless, a WhatsApp Group report of umpteen Siberian Cranes on the "scrape" (Pond 16/17 Mai Po) came as a complete surprise as I strolled along the casuarinas near Pond 8.. 

I hurried along to 16/17 and it was true, with the actual total number of these Critically Endangered birds being eighteen.

I didn't quite mange to get them all in one shot. :-)

from Hide 3

from Hide 5

Then, at about 10:30, having never really settled,  they took off....

......and were lost to view remarkably quickly.

Just three or four daylight hours on the ground, and gone before most people could get there.

I count myself very lucky to have witnessed such a spectacle !