wgeoff

As I am now restricted to single day outings, I've decided to try some new locations as well as Po Toi. So, for the moment, I hope to do Mount Davis, South Lamma from Mo Tat to Sok Kwu Wan via Tung O as well as Po Toi. Maybe with other places later.
I am calling it South Islands.

Monday on Mount Davis, only a Blue Rock Thrush and a Mountain Tailorbird which I guess is a resident there.

Wednesday on South Lamma, a Collared Scops Owl near Tung O, lots of Great and Little Egrets at Sok Kwu Wan but not much else.

Tuesday and Thursday on Po Toi were better, two Dollarbirds, two Brown Shrikes and up to four Black-naped Orioles with a single Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike, Grey-streaked and Asian Brown Flycatchers, Arctic Warbler with the first Yellow-browed Warbler on Thursday. Unfortunately the white phase Asian Paradise Flycatcher appears to have moved on.
Also on Thursday, a Yellow-fronted Canary singing.



Canaries comes to Po Toi each summer to breed (I have seen juveniles more than once), I regularly see them in May and September. But where do they go for the winter?

Not a great week for South Islands, but I have received detailed instructions from Brendan to help me improve my score on Mount Davis so let's hope for better things next week. Particularly if the storm comes on Sunday.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 20/09/2013 11:34 ]

brendank

Geoff, I think you have confused Mount Davis with Mount Austin. Mount Austin is another name for the peak.

I am very excited someone will continue birding HK Island--one of the more under birded places in HK.

wgeoff

Oh yes, Mount Davis not Mount Austin (or The Peak).
I've changed it.

Maybe I will do The Peak over winter.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 20/09/2013 11:11 ]

subbuteo

The park at the summit of the Peak is a great place early in the morning.  I used to get there occasionally before work and do a quick loop. Best birds I had were Japanese Yellow Bunting and Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush.  It is very under-watched and should be good for thrushes especially.

Dylan

wgeoff

Three day trips this week, Po Toi on Tuesday and Thursday, Mount Davis on Friday.

No prizes for guessing Bird-of-the-week. I'm hoping the Fairy Pitta will still be there for the weekend punters.



The small stream valley where this bird was found is the Pitta capital of Hong Kong. Seven Pittas have been seen there since 2008, five Fairy Pittas (spring 2008 and 2011, autumn 2010, 2012 and now 2013) and two Blue-winged Pittas (spring 2008 and 2009).
It's quite possible that some of these are the same returning birds, migrants are amazing at finding previously used locations.

The path up by the water pipe to the small reservoir is known as Green Pigeon Lane, and was cut open by Graham Talbot as a path to the big tree where the Orange-breasted Green Pigeon used to spend its days in 2006. So thanks to Graham - I've kept it open since then.
The stream is also the stronghold for Romer's Tree Frog on Po Toi, these can often be heard calling after rain, but rarely seen.

If you walk this path, please be careful NOT to tread on the water pipe. You can easily break the pipe, which supplies water to half the Po Toi residents.

Apart from this bird, just the common migrants on both Po Toi and Mount Davis. I followed Brendan's instructions for Mount Davis and found, as he had told me, that many migrants can be seen in the lower part of the walk not just at the top. Here Arctic and Yellow-browed Warbler, also Brown Shrike and Black-naped Oriole from Po Toi.



I think the Brown Shrike is ssp cristatus, the SE Asia winterer, unlike spring when all the ssp are lucionensis, the Philippines winterer.

Looking forward to next week's adventures

wgeoff

Three day trips this week, South Lamma on Monday, Po Toi on Thursday and Mount Davis on Friday.

Monday was a very wet morning on south Lamma. A few birds of interest, most of all a Russet Bush Warbler at Tung O - I wonder if they breed somewhere on Lamma? Also a very wet Blue Rock Thrush and a Little Ringed Plover on the mudflats at Sok Kwu Wan



Not much on Po Toi, just the usual migrants, Dollarbird, Dusky, Yellow-browed and Arctic Warblers and Asia Brown Flycatcher plus an early Red-throated Flycatcher.
I was with KK Chang when we found this unfortunate Asia Brown Flycatcher caught in a Forest Spider's web (photo by KK).



The spider was moving in for the kill when we extracted the bird but it was too difficult to remove the sticky web substance and we had to leave the bird to try for itself. This is the second time I've seen this happen with an Asia Brown Flycatcher at this time of year.
I'm now understanding the difference between being on Po Toi for three hours and being there the whole day. I'm recording less than half the migrant species I normally do at this time - see the orange dots for September in this diagram



Mostly I'm missing common species like pipits but there must be rarer ones also. Very frustrating.

Mount Davis is starting to show more species but nothing exciting. Best bird this week was a Pale-legged Leaf Warbler. This is also Black Drongo migration time, flocks can be seen in most places in the south, all heading south west along the coast.

Try again next week.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 6/10/2013 06:27 ]

wgeoff

Another very quiet week for me. Only two trips, Monday to North Lamma and Thursday to Po Toi.

The most productive part of North Lamma was the area around Pak Kok Tsui, the very northern tip. I found Brown Shrike, Dusky, Yellow-browed, Arctic and Pale-legged Leaf Warblers and Asia Brown Flycatcher there. This has been a good location in past years for spring migration of Chinese Goshawk.
However the best part of this trip was to find an excellent restaurant serving Thai curry and draft beer for lunch at an exceptionally reasonable price. So I will return.

Po Toi was once again quiet, nothing unusual. A large number of Hair-crested Drongos have arrived, quite early this year, now outnumbering the Black Drongos. Also large numbers of Yellow-browed Warblers and one Red-throated Flycatcher.

I am now preparing for a home renovation so will be out of action for most of the rest of October, back in November, which is one of my favourite months - cool sunny weather and good birds.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 12/10/2013 09:14 ]

tsheunglai

Geoff

I got a single Hair-crested drongo at Shing Mun on Monday which I thought to be a migrant. What do you think and also about the status of those lot found on Po Toi during Thursday?

Thanks

S L Tai

subbuteo

Hair-crested Drongo have been much more apparent in Lam Tsuen this week, today I saw a group of four and two other pairs.

wgeoff

I think they are all migrants or dispersing breeders.
Here is my chart showing the numbers of Hair-crested Drongo seen on Po Toi over the period 2006 to 2012.



The peak autumn migration period for Hair-crested Drongo is from 9th to 31st October, usually about two to three weeks later than the peak for Black Drongo. Hair-crested are slightly earlier this year, as in 2012 (see above graph).  

I am preparing a paper on the migration patterns of some common migrants on Po Toi for the 2012 HK Bird Report which will include a comparison of Black and Hair-crested Drongo.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 13/10/2013 13:12 ]

tsheunglai

Geoff

Very useful info. From Lam Chuen they are more likely to be winter dispersal as Crested-haired drongos have a stronghold along Sek Kong catchment area, around those high-rising Fir-like trees.

S L Tai