PoToi Boat Trip - 4th April 2010

Paul Leader organised a boat trip to mainly look for seabirds, but we called in at Po Toi Island too.

There were a few migrant landbirds in the nooks and crannies of the island, sheltering from the foggy eastery winds.

Narcissus Flycatcher


Fantail Snipe


Grey-faced Buzzard


Grey-faced Buzzard


And in fairly choppy seas afterwards, a few seabirds, including the three species of skuas (jaegers) known to occur in HK waters. The ones that flew closest to the boat were: -

Pomarine Skua




Great Crested Tern

Mai Po Nature Reserve "closed" for 21 days...

A dead Barn Swallow with H5N1 was found on 26th March near Castle Peak road, and reported to AFCD.

The positive 'flu test gave the Government a chance to leap into action.... so they've closed Mai Po Nature Reserve for 21 days from the evening of March 31st. This despite the fact that no-one in the world is known to have caught avian 'flu from a wild bird !





Here are some Black-tailed Godwit shot taken at the boardwalk hide on 30th March.




Black-tailed Godwits

Yellow Throated Buntings on Po Toi

Saw at least four birds on April 1st.

Pacific Swift

And in the late afternoon, a few Pacific Swifts were among the House Swifts and Swallows over the ponds near Mai Po Nature Reserve..






Apus pacificus

There is some debate in birding circles here about how the Pacific Swifts in HK might be either the south China race "kanoi", or the nominate race, "pacificus" .

If "kanoi" are confusable with House Swifts - well, these were MUCH bigger and should be the nominate "pacificus".

Oriental Pratincole 普通燕鴴

Due to the high winds yesterday, the insects must have been concentrated low over one corner of a particular fishpond on Mai Po Access Road.

There was a veritable cloud of Barn Swallows and about half-a-dozen of these...



Oriental Pratincole

Sabah Trip highlights

We visited Danum Valley, Kinabatangan River (with Robert Chong), Sepilok, Mt. Kinabalu and the Rafflesia Centre in the Crocker Range.

Most useful Trip Report on the interweb-thingy was the 2007 account by Wendy Newnham, which is still very useful. Thanks again for that, Wendy ! We shall write-up a brief Trip Report i.d.c.



Crested Fireback, Danum Valley


Diard's Trogon, Danum Valley



Black-and-Crimson Pitta, Danum Valley


Oriental Bay Owl, Kinabatangan River


Bornean Bristlehead, Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok

We saw a good variety of mammals, too.

More later.