19 Apr 2022

Mid-April - And it’s “Goodbye" from some wintering birds

....and “Hello” from some of those passing through..


Eastern Buzzard - Buteo japonicus


Black-faced Bunting - Emberiza spodocephala (male)


Stejneger's Stonechat - Saxicola stejnegeri


Dusky Warbler - Phylloscopus fuscatus

Siberian Rubythroat - Calliope calliope

Siberian Rubythroat - Calliope calliope

Black-faced Bunting - Emberiza spodocephala (female)

Oriental Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus orientalis

Oriental Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus orientalis

 and a BIF to close with !

5 Apr 2022

Early April - clear days around Deep Bay, Hong Kong

Gull-billed Terns (Geochelidon nilotica) have been menacing the crabs and mudskippers on Deep Bay’s mudflats.

The best views are from Mai Po’s boardwalk hides.








On a clear day you can see forever....well, Shehou in Shenzhen, anyway.



Migrating waders - asleep here is Nordmann’s Greenshank (Tringa guttifer)



...and Oriental Pratincoles (Glareola maldivarum) on a drained fishpond in San Tin




Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Chinese Penduline Tit (Remiz consobrinus)


Most of oueEMHs look like this....

Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilonotus)

...so, distant and heavily-cropped, here are record shots of an unusual-for-HK adult male Eastern Marsh Harrier:-

Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilonotus)

Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilonotus)


Some of the winters’ more spectacular duck have lingered into April -


Baikal Teal (Anas formosa)

Falcated Duck (Mareca falcata)

And, last but never least, some of the Black-faced Spoonbills (Platalea minor) have gained spectacular golden tints in their  plumage prior to departure back to their Korean breeding grounds.

Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) 


Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) 

28 Mar 2022

A view from theMai Po Board Walk hides, 28th March 2022





Black-capped Kingfisher - Halcyon pileata








Gull-billed Tern - Geochelidon nilotica

Western Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

Common Redshank - Tringa totanus (HK flags, reported on HKBWS site)

Red-necked Stint - Calidris ruficollis

Greater Sand Plover - Charadrius leschenaultii

Kentish Plover - Charadrius alexandrinus

Nordmann's Greenshank - Tringa guttifer

A wet morning, but there was no-one else around, and the low air pressure allowed the tide to rise higher than expected, bringing the birds close-ish to the hides.

Nice to see a variety of passage migrants around.

15 Mar 2022

Tree Pipit - a HK “First”, and seasonal supporting cast

HK's first Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis) - in a tree, where else ?

Many Thanks to Matthew Kwan, discoverer of this bird (among Olive-backed Pipits) at Mai Po on 3rd March. 

A reminder to us all to look at everything carefully.  

At the boardwalk, Saunders Gulls have sometimes showed well. They are elegant creatures, and will leave us soon to breed on the northeast Chinese coast.

Saunders's Gull - Chroicocephalus saundersi

Saunders's Gull - Chroicocephalus saundersi

Saunders's Gull - Chroicocephalus saundersi

Saunders's Gull - Chroicocephalus saundersi (1st winter)


Another boardwalk specialty -

Eastern Yellow Wagtail - Motacilla tschutschensis (macronyx)


I don’t have a mirrorless camera yet, but the old 1DX 2 (and 500mm lens) is still good enough for some of the old favourites...

House Swift - Apus nipalensis

Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica

Cool and clear weather recently, but damp spring should be just around the corner.