This is my review of "Hong Kong Nature Walks" that appeared in the English version of HKBWS 221 (Summer 2011)
Book Review – “Hong Kong Nature Walks – The New Territories” Author: David Diskin
267pp, Size: A5, many photos by the author
In the mid-1990s David Diskin produced a well-recieved guide to birdwatching sites around Hong Kong. Now he has turned his attention to describing 21 readily-accessible walks with directions to various aspects of the wildlife to be seen. Not just birds, but flowers, butterflies and dragonflies as well.
The emphasis – as stated in the book – is on nature rather than the walk itself. The main purpose of the book is “to enable readers to put a name to the animals and plants they come across…”
This A5-sized book is designed to be carried in the pocket or rucksack, and each site is covered on an average of twelve-or-so illustrated pages.
Each account is divided into sections, beginning with an overview which sets out the main reason the walk has been selected, and a sketch map to clearly show the recommended route to be taken.
The main body of the text describes the path to be followed, and which species are to be looked out for on the way, with good use of photos by the author himself. Many of the walks are sites familiar to birders, such as Long Valley (Walk no.2), Tai Po Kau (3) and Airfield Road (7).
Each section is rounded off with practical details that include opening hours (for sites like KFBG and HK Wetland park), bus routes and whether the site is accessible by car. The distance, duration and degree of difficulty of the walking routes are all compared and graded on a scale of 1 to 3. Advice on which season to go is included. The photos of common butterflies and plants will be useful everywhere in Hong Kong, not just on the walks selected.
Does the book succeed in its’ aim of enabling the reader to name what he sees along these selected walks? The answer is a resounding “Yes” ! The briefest of glances will tell you the names of the common butterflies and dragonflies you’ve been noticing while birding and not been able to put a name to. The same applies to flowers and plants. The depth of the authors’ background knowledge and research is really impressive. The book concludes with a Further Information section which directs you to further reading (pp.248 – 251), an extensive bibliography and a carefully-compiled index of plant and animal names (pp.255 – 267) mentioned in the book.
Unfortunately, there is no chinese-language version available. But despite this, whether you have just arrived in Hong Kong or been here for years there is much to be discovered. There’s no excuse any more to mope around and say “I don’t know where to go!”
The book is available directly through David Diskin’s website
www.accipiterpress.com as well as through most major bookshops in HK, including Dymocks. Further info is also available about the book (& HK nature in general) through David’s other website
www.hknaturewalks.com
(Review by John Holmes)
