orientalstork

Birds like boobies and petrels are supposed to be rare vagrants. However, 3 swinhoes storm petrels and about 5 boobies where sighted this summer autumn. Outside hk, another boobie and a petrel in the south china sea. I also saw a seabird sp. near tseung kwan o. Boobies are supposed to be rare summer visitors, but they seem more like scarce summer/autumn passage migrant, while petrels seem to have become a regular passage migrant. What might have caused this? Climate change, typhoons r just more birding trips?

wcaptain

Yes, more observations.... both land based and sea trips. Some birders are pioneers in this aspect. Now, owing to their hard work, we know more seabirds but still have some gaps...

Here is a quick summary around HK and northern South China Sea

Jan - Feb: ???

late Mar: streaked shearwater / skua

Apr - May: tropicbird, bobbies (red-footed + Brown), Leach's storm-petrel, + terns + short-tailed shearwater + skua + Bulwer's Petrel

Jun - Jul: short-tailed Shearwater + skua + Lesser frigatebird + 3 breeding terns

Aug: Gr Crested Tern + Aleutian Terns + 3 breeding terns + Swinhoe's Storm-petrel + Lesser frigatebird

Sept: streaked shearwater + Swinhoe's storm-petrel + migratory terns + Skua + Boobies + Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Oct - Dec: ??? (Ancient Murrelet?)