wgeoff

Tuesday 7th January
Back at last after two months in a very wet and wild UK.

Bird of the day was a Black Bulbul near the Upper School.



This bird was making a weird screeching sound which made it easy to find

http://www.geoffwelch46.com/BlackBulbul140107.mp3

Also many Japanese Thrush (I counted 24 but there were more) and a single White's Thrush.
But no Pale Thrush, which is unusual for winter on Po Toi, there are normally several to be found. It seems from records in other locations that this winter has so far been a good one for White's Thrush but very few Pale Thrush.

Plus more than 20 Chestnut Bulbuls, an irregular winter visitor to Po Toi (five winters out of eight) and a Japanese Bush Warbler.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 9/01/2014 17:21 ]

tsheunglai

Geoff

Just happy to hear from you again.

S L Tai

wgeoff

Thanks Mr Tai, it's good to be back

wgeoff

Two day visits this week, Tuesday and Thursday.

The peak count for some interesting species was

Oriental Turtle Dove - 3
Chestnut Bulbul - 12
Red-tailed Robin - 1
Siberian Rubythroat - 3
Red-flanked Bluetail - 3
Daurian Redstart - 5
Blue Rock Thrush - 4
White's Thrush - 2
Japanese Thrush - 20
Grey-backed Thrush - 2
Pale Thrush - 2
Brown-flanked Bush Warbler - 1

I managed to find Pale Thrush this week, but also two wintering White's Thrushes, the first since winter 2009-10. Here they are



One behind the Community Centre and one around the Ferry Pier area.

Po Toi is dry in winter, which is probably why it isn't usually good for over-wintering birds, and this year is particularly dry. Numbers of birds and species will fall from now on to reach a low point in the first week in March, when migrants start to arrive.

The dry conditions are not helped by ground damage caused by wild pigs. It's interesting to remember that there were no wild pigs in the main area of Po Toi until the first was found swimming over from the mainland in 2007. Now there are many, although rarely seen. But at least they help to keep the paths open, and even create some new ones to follow.

小肥

Thanks Geoff report

welcome back

wgeoff

Thanks All
I visited two days over the last two weeks, Tuesday 21st and 28th.
As expected, the number of birds is falling as February approaches. But I was rewarded yesterday by a new species to the Po Toi List - Collared Crow



This bird was just passing through. I saw it first flying across the harbour, then it sat on a rock overlooking the harbour calling loudly for about 20 minutes before eventually flying off - typical behaviour of a bird recently arrived on Po Toi looking for new companions.
I don't think it's a Hong Kong bird - probably come from somewhere else in Guangdong and dispersing. It had a very wide white collar behind the neck - I don't know if this is typical of Hong Kong birds.

That makes 322 species on the Po Toi List.

I doesn't matter how often you see White's Thrush - when you see them well, they are really beautiful birds. This one near the Ferry Pier was a real poser



Also a Brown Shrike, which has probably been there all winter. And the Black Bulbul again, similarly.



plus still good numbers of Japanese Thrush and a few others including some recently arrived Black-faced Buntings.

Kung Hei Fat Choi for the Year of the Horse!

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 29/01/2014 07:57 ]

ajohn

Sadly, given the situation in Guangdong I think it is most likely that the Collared Crow is a Hong Kong bird. I'm surprised this is the first Po Toi record - I have seen them several times at Aberdeen (despite the fact that I am not there often!) and I had a flock of six on Lamma a few weeks ago.

subbuteo

Hi John,  

What's the situation in Guangdong with collared crow?  Captured for food?  Persecuted? I see them on a regular basis now at Three Fathom's Cove.

Dylan

ajohn

I don't know all the reasons for the decline of Collared Crow in China but it's probably a combination of habitat loss, persecution and poisoning by rodenticide. BirdLife lists it as Near Threatened (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=5792), but it is possible that it warrants a higher threat category.

Whatever the reason, by all accounts it's now rare to see in China. People regularly visiting Guangdong in recent years (e.g. Jonathan Martinez, Brian Ivon Jones) have not been recording it. Hong Kong seems to be a global stronghold for the species, and fortunately it is doing very well here.

subbuteo

Thanks, John.  I had no idea it was under such threat.  

Dylan