Nam Sang Wai, Hong Kong

Near the old police post at Nam Sang Wai the Kam Tin and Yuen Long River channels meet.

Three elements are required for good photo opportunities..

1) Low tide - between 0.5 and 1.0 metres is ideal;
2) Early morning sunshine;
3) Wintering birds present, such as duck, Black-faced Spoonbills, Herons and Waders



Shoveller


Spotted Redshank


Black-faced Spoonbill


Common Greenshank


Black-winged Stilt


Grey Heron

Oh, and a fourth requirement - "BE THERE"

Some examples taken this week.

The Fab Four

The "Fab" here refers not to the Beatles, of course, but to Anser fabalis, - the Bean Goose.

Last Saturday three were sighted at some distance on the tidal mudflats of Deep Bay, but like most people, I missed them.

A Sunday report - more like a rumour - elsewhere in Deep Bay and then it went quiet. Geese can be very brief visitors to Hong Kong, I recall Greylags that lingered for just an afternoon in January 1997.

More recently, the habitat managed at Lok Ma Chau has held Whitefronts -singles of Greater and two Lesser - for most of the winter months.

Yesterday FOUR Bean Geese were photographed over Long Valley, and re-found a couple of hours later at sunset in front of the Tower Hide at Mai Po. Well sighted, Koel KO !

A HK-style "Twitch" ensued this morning, and the faithful were rewarded with views of four individuals..... they were disturbed by a Kite, but in due course returned to the pond in front of the Tower Hide, when these photos were taken.


Bean Geese

An appreciative audience


Anser fabalis

According to "The Avifauna of Hong Kong" Bean Geese used to be "abundant" up to the 1930s in Shantou, East Guangdong, which is slightly to the north - as well as east of HK.

And as a bonus, there is speculation at the moment that we may have two individuals eack of the races serrirostris "Tundra Bean Goose" and middendorffii "Taiga Bean Goose".

If this proves to be the case, Christmas has come early for Hong Kong listers !

Long Valley Hallowe'en

There are a few pumpkins at Long Valley, but no witches that I've noticed.

Last Sunday (Oct. 31st) was a day of the finest autumnal Hong Kong weather, it was fine, clear and cool.

We ended our birding day at LV.


Pacific Golden Plover

Yellow Wagtail (taivana)

Olive-backed Pipit

Wood Sandpiper

After the sun had set, a few latestayers - including us - were treated to the sight of a Chestnut Bittern foraging in fairly light cover.... "bird of the day" !


Chestnut Bittern*

*but I prefer "Cinnamon" for this one, don't you ?

Po Toi Boat Trip

An under-subscribed Hong Kong Birdwatching Society boat trip to Po Toi Island … “and HK’s southern waters”.

Bus, train and tunnel bus (170 Hung Hom to Wah Kwai) got me to Aberdeen Public Pier in good time for the 07:30 sailing. The public ferry at 10:00hrs to Po Toi would have been rather cheaper, but the society’s hired boat had a good head start.

Choppy weather, but it looked like experienced sailors weren’t worried.



Grey-headed Lapwing is a long-distance migrant and winter visitor to HK. Still, it came as a surprise to find this group flying over the sea near Repulse Bay.

Grey-headed Lapwing


Tin Hau Temple, mouth of Po Toi Harbour


Eastern Reef Egret


Ashy Drongo

More migrants were in the woods of Po Toi itself. Bird of the day – and a “First” for Po Toi - was a White-throated Rock Thrush. This was missed by me, but there are photos on the HKBWS website here: -

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/redirect.php?tid=12246&goto=lastpost#lastpost

Some other migrants below.

Lime Butterfly - Papilio demoleus


Red-throated Flycatcher


Er... small raptor - working on this ID

DEBATE here :

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/redirect.php?tid=12308&goto=lastpost#lastpost


But the return boat trip (13:00 to 16:00) to Victoria Harbour via the West Lamma Channel was seabird-free.

Pied Kingfishers at Mai Po Nature Reserve

This time yesterday I was in Hide No.8 at MPNR.

Some rarities have been seen there in the last few days, mainly netted by the bird ringers.

Nothing exotic for me, but fine views of a pair of Pied Kingfishers close to the hide were more than adequate compensation.

Like a lot of people, it was the charisma of kingfishers that lured me into birding.







Pied Kingfishers

A "First" for Hong Kong - European Roller

Out of Africa

The autumn, southerly migration of birds is going on right now. What the Hong Kong Observatory called “a replenishment of the winter monsoon” brought cold grey weather last Tuesday (Oct 5th) and with it lots of birds.

John Allcock kindly phoned me around mid-day with news of a European Roller sighted (by Dave Stanton) near Black Point Power Station, which is about as far west as you can drive in the New Territories. Having worked nearby a few years ago, I didn’t need any clarification of the directions.

We bashed down the highway to Tuen Mun nearly as fast as the green Public Light Buses that ply the route, and arrived to find that the earlier Roller viewers had all left. But the bird itself was sitting in plain view on a support cable for a power line (top right of the first photo).





In the northern summer European Rollers may be found between southern Europe, central Asia and as far east as China’s Xinjiang Province. They should all spend winter in sub-saharan Africa. This first-winter bird seems to have set off in entirely the wrong direction.


European Roller


This bad fortune for a young European Roller has provided much excitement for HK birders.

Sadly for the bird itself, it seems likely that it will fly out over the Pacific Ocean until it drops exhausted, still wondering where it took a wrong turn.