Mainly birding in Hong Kong with a few pictures thrown in.
Feels like high summer now.....
"Tuen Ng Jit" and breeding terns, seen from the Tap Mun Ferry
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| Black-naped Tern - Sterna sumatrana |
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| Roseate Tern - Sterna dougallii |
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| Roseate Tern - Sterna dougallii |
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| Black-naped Tern - Sterna sumatrana |
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| Viewed from Sai Kung Pier |
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| Brown-eared Bulbul - (Microcelis amaurotis) |
It appeared briefly, but briefly was enough. This species winters in east China, and this one has got a bit further south than most of the others.
Around on the hills of Po Toi, were a good few typical Po Toi migrant species....
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| Brambling - (Fringilla montefringilla) |
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| Dollarbird - (Eurystomus orientalis) |
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| Swinhoe's Minivet - (Pericrocotus cantonensis) |
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| Brown Booby - (Sula leucogaster) |
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| Aleutian Tern - (Onychoprion aleuticus) |
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| Great Crested Tern - (Thalasseus bergii) |
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| Black-tailed Gull - (Larus crassirostris) |
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| Red-necked Phalarope - (Phalaropus lobatus) |
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| Red-necked Phalarope - (Phalaropus lobatus) Sadly, plenty of rubbish in the water. But the phalarope seem attracted to flotsam in the waves. |
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| Short-tailed Shearwaters - (Ardenna tenuirostris) |
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| Short-tailed Shearwaters - (Ardenna tenuirostris) |
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| Red-necked Phalarope - (Phalaropus lobatus) |
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| Red-necked Phalarope - (Phalaropus lobatus) |
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| Great Barbet - (Megalaima virens) Vagrant or escape ? Only time - or the HK Birdwatching Society Records Committee - will tell ! |
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| Japanese Waxwing - (Bombycilla japonica) |
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| Pallas's Gull (l) and Black-headed Gull (r) |
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| "Heuglins" Gull - Larus fuscus heuglini |
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| "Heuglins" Gull - Larus fuscus heuglini |
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| Pink legs on a LWHGull ? - points to Larus vegae mongolicus |
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| Larus vegae mongolicus - 2cy, I think |
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| Pallas's Gull, greeted by a "mongolicus" |
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| Hei Ling Chau and Lantau, HK |
We joined a southern waters boat trip on August 4th, with a plan to go to the far western tip of Lantau Island to look for Chinese White Dolphins (Sousa chinensis), and look for seabirds along the way.
Much rain seemed likely due to a passing Tropical Depression but umpteen stalwarts turned up to board the hired vessel at Aberdeen Public Pier at 07:15.
As things turned out much of Hong Kong got a soaking, but rain was light for us during our eight hours on the water.
The “Pink Dolphin” was a symbol of the HK handover, but the local population has suffered a severe 21st century decline due to intense boat activity in Hong Kong’s western waters, made worse by construction of the HK-Zhuhai-Macau causeway and the HKIA Third Runway.
We found a small pod of dolphins - seven or eight, perhaps - close to the Lantau shoreline.
Chinese White Dolphin (Sousa chinensis)
On the way back to Aberdeen we encountered three or four small parties of Finless Porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides).
We had seen a few distant Bridled Terns earlier on, but when we passed the Soko Islands on the way to Lantau the breeding population of Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) on the Sokos was well-represented among the dozen-or-so birds that pursued the boat from time to time.
