Lunar New Year's Eve

It was cold when I got back to Hong Kong last Sunday evening (Jan 30th).  But today,  three days later,  there has been a distinct warmth in the air. It must be the approach of Lunar New Year, which heralds the start of the spring in south China.

Along the access road to Mai Po, I saw about eighty Little Swifts. These are described in The Avifauna of Hong Kong as "abundant spring migrants'...

Little Swifts (Apus affinis)

Well,  I declare "spring" officially here !

(Edited, 4th February: _ since July 2010 the HK Birdwatching Society has listed these as House Swifts (Apus nipalensis) - sorry for any confusion !)

"The one that got away" - Mai Po, Hong Kong

This picture was taken at one of Mai Po's boardwalk hides on a sunny afternoon in late November. I brought the photo file to the UK with me on a memory stick.

I saw the Grey Heron giving this snake a good tug before the snake managed to escape.   Both the Heron and the Little Egret close by manage to look alarmed or excited.

(The snake's head is visible to the right of the mangrove shoot)

Anyway, as far as blogging is concerned, I've let January get away from me.

More postings in February....   I promise !

(Eastern) Imperial Eagles at Mai Po, Hong Kong

Adult in flight (actually, it was so close with the 800mm I clipped the wingtip off this shot !)

juvenile/first winter

juvenile/first winter

They seemed to be fighting over something in the grass, but I couldn't see what it was

also present: Collared Crow and Greater Spotted Eagle

"Head over heels" - one of the two senior Imperial Eagles tumbled junior right off his perch

Nam Sang Wai - Part III

Another dozen species from Nam Sang Wai - all photos taken in the last few weeks

Common Snipe

Greater Spotted Eagle (the briefest of fly-bys)

Pintail

(Oriental) Magpie Robin

Chinese Spotbill

Marsh Sandpiper

White-breasted Kingfisher (doing well not to get covered in slime)

Pied Kingfisher

Common Teal

Collared Crow

Purple Heron

Little Egret

If I've counted correctly - and, remember, I've run out of fingers to count on - this brings the total of species photographed at NSW this year and posted here to 24.

Enraptured by Raptors at Mai Po

This photos were taken at Pond 20, Mai Po Nature Reserve, today.

Five birds - three species - Greater Spotted and Eastern Imperial Eagles, a fly-by Black Kite !

Greater Spotted Eagles - interesting submissive pose here - "Don't scratch me again, please !"

Greater Spotted Eagle

Black Kite

Eastern Imperial Eagle - a first-year, unlike the two in the first photo in this series

Eastern Marsh Harrier

Oh, and there was an Osprey but I "blew the highlights" on that one. Whoops 

517 for 1

The First Ashes Test Match, Australia vs. England has just concluded in Brisbane.

The game was drawn, and there are four games left in the series.

In the second innings England - who looked in deep trouble earlier in the game - scored a stunning 517 for one.  The first three England batsmen got 100s for the first time since 1924.

Amid all the (probably premature) back-slapping, little mention has been made of England's batting coach Graham Gooch.

Well, here he is, batting for Essex in 1978.  This pic was taken with my old Russian MTO 1000mm lens on Ilford FP3.