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. :-)

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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 !