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 !

"Long Valley Nature Park" finally opens...

 

Some views of Long Valley, now that it has finally opened.

Things haven't really settled down yet, and visitors are not restricting themselves to the "Public visit" zone.

At San Tin, a Black-necked (Eared) Grebe was popular -

On Mai Po access road on Sunday 15th December, a flurry of hirundines in the cold air included a Himalayan Swiftlet...

and three or four House Martins, including this Siberian House Martin

At Mai Po, the WWF contractors have completed the herculean task of removing most of the vegetation from the mudflats in front of the boardwalk hides.

Greater Cormorants around Deep Bay now number by the thousand.....

The MPNR Water Buffalo are looking healthy.

with attendant Myna and Cattle Egret

Greater Painted-Snipe

Little Egret

Collared Crow

And it seems that about two dozen Oriental Storks have settled for the winter.

I hope so, anyway.  They enliven any landscape.

Mai Po Boardwalk Hides - mid-October 2024

 

All the usual suspects, then !

Black-chinned Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus leclancheri) at Mei Foo, Kowloon

Discovered yesterday in a public park, this native of the Philippines is a "First Record" for Hong Kong.

Word spread on social media, but we had gone out to a nice air-conditioned cinema downtown, and hadn't got our binoculars when we heard the news. We went along to Mei Foo anyway and joined a group of birders, frustrated that the bird wasn't showing.

After a couple of hours we dispersed peacefully....

.

Having dipped yesterday afternoon, we were luckier this morning.

A debate about the origins of this bird is ongoing.....watch this space !

Sunshine at Mai Po's boardwalk hides - 17th May 2024

 

By mid-may, most of the migration excitement is over, but there are still a variety of "gettable" waders and terns at Mai Po Nature Reserve, when conditions are right.