Birding Hong Kong: Part 2 of 2

To complete the loop here are a few more images from the HK trip... All photographs here are from the January 1st visit to Hong Kong Wetland Park. starting where we left yesterday, here is another crop of distant black-faced spoonbill, consorting with grey heron, little egret and great white egret. At least a few are awake in this picture! I had only taken the 100-400mm lens on this trip - given that birding turned out to have been very limited I should have really made the effort to take the 500mm / 1.4 extender...

A few white-breasted waterhen fed in the mangrove channel - they would scuttle back to the mangrove every time a group of noisy HK families paraded across the boardwalk - non birding visitors were much more interested in the mudskippers that fed on the muddy channel banks!

Dusky warbler were noted on a couple of occasions - this bird fed adjacent one of the boardwalks and was frustratingly hard to photograph as it fed frustratingly close in cover - chacking away frequently to hint at its location.

Long-tailed shrike were abundant on the reserve, and again, the 500mm would have been ideal for the better posing birds. This individual was close to the visitor centre late afternoon. Stunning birds indeed.

To complete the selection, here is another daurian redstart image - this female was feeding in shade but provides a better illustrative pose than the image from the first post.

 So that's it - short trip, very few photographs taken - but a reasonable selection given the circumstances.

As I conclude this short post, its just past midday in the north-east of the UK and temperatures outside have soared to a balmy -1.5 degrees C, and it's started snowing again... I can't wait to get out for some UK birding this weekend!

Birding Hong Kong: Part 1 of 2

Birding in Hong Kong was very limited for the 'sometimes crew... Four sites were birded during the week stay - Kowloon Park, Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong Botanical/Zoological Gardens and Hong Kong Wetlands, near Tin Shui Wai to the north-west of Hong Kong.

The masked laughingthrush (above) was photographed in Kowloon Park ~ tribes of this species roamed the hedge-rows and were quite bold. Kowloon Park also held a small flock of breeding alexandarine parakeet (we had a minimum of 11 one morning), black-necked starling, a large residence of black-crowned night heron, a pair of crested goshawk, while yellow-browed warbler and pallas's warbler felt more familiar. The first of several grey form (commixtus) great tit were also present, none of which were photographable as they fed in dense cover.

Hong Kong Park added black-throated laughingthrush to the holiday list (tho these birds are descended from captive birds) and fork-tailed sunbird were present in the canopy. None of the hoped for siberian rubythroat, rufous-tailed robin etc could be found...

The bulk of the birding was at the wetland reserve - an impressive visitor centre marks the reserve entrance, and conveniently it contains a decent cafe too!

Very popular with families when we visited on January 1st, the site is clearly popular... though most were there for a day out rather than specifically the birds.

Bulbuls were evident near the visitor centre, with red-whiskered (crested), sooty-headed and, above, chinese loafing about. On the water, moorhen, great cormorant, teal, pintail, shoveler and grey heron were very familiar...

Daurian redstart were abundant, this confiding bird was near the river hide. At one point it shared a bush with a yellow-browed warbler and siberian stonechat! On the river there were more of the familiar waterbirds that have already been mentioned, but a black-capped kingfisher was new for me.

The grey-backed thrush (above) was photographed near the mudflat hide - this is a female - quite a stunner!

The star(s) of the show were on the mudflats - viewed distantly from the hide were a group of 16 black-faced spoonbill. In typical spoonbill fashion, they remained mostly asleep! Bit odd seeing them with so many grey heron... A few great egret and little egret were also present, while waders included greenshank, common sandpiper, marsh sandpiper and impressive little-ringed plover numbers. White wagtail fed on the shore and in cut grass, and appeared to be of the leucopsis race.

HNY:HK

A belated happy new year from a warm Hong Kong.

Little birding to be had in the city - there is little in the way of green space... however, we managed to kick start the year at the Hong Kong Wetlands - a short MRT ride out of the city. Highlight was 16 or so black-faced spoonbill... so a good start to the year indeed.

Some very curious culinary choices on offer here - I declined the ducks tongue and goose intestine for our evening meal the other night!

More when I get back to blighty later this week...