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12 to 14 March

Exited to start the spring season, I arrived with the first ferry on 12 March, and seawatched from 10h00 until 17h15. There were sunny periods, but it was mainly a bit foggy with cloud covered skies and limited visibility (less than 6 km.). There was hardly any wind, force 1 from the east.

Seabirds:
30 Red-necked Phalaropes
2 Ancient Murrelets

Ducks:
13 Garganeys

Gulls:
47 gulls spec.
2 Black-tailed Gulls
113 Heuglin’s Gulls

Swift(lets), swallows and martins:
1 Barn Swallow

Checklist on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S131079344
Count on Trektellen: https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/3323/20230312

It was overall cloudy on 13 March, with light rain and limited visibility (less than 3 km.) in the morning, but dry and clear afterwards. Winds had increased to force 5 in the morning, decreasing to force 4 in the afternoon, and still coming from the east. Seawatching was done from 06h40 to 10h25 and from 13h40 to 16h35. The reason that it was not a full day seawatching – which is the aim – was that there was basically hardly any migration, and the period around noon tends to be the calmest.

Egrets and herons:
1 Little Egret

Waders:
1 wader spec.

Gulls:
7 gulls spec.

Swift(lets), swallows and martins:
14 Barn Swallows

Passerines:
1 Grey Wagtail

Checklist on eBird:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S131079496
Count on Trektellen: https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/3323/20230313

14 March was yet another total off-day, with again hardly any birds. I quit earlier than usual, and seawatched from 06h40 until 11h15. Weather was very good for seawatching: Cloudy, with clear views, and force 4 easterly winds.

Gulls:
1 gulls spec.
4 Black-tailed Gulls
1 Heuglin’s Gulls

Swift(lets), swallows and martins:
10 Barn Swallow

Checklist on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S131079572
Count on Trektellen: https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/3323/20230314

Remarks:

The only remark is that there was almost no migration, except some on 12th. That happens from time to time. Let’s look forward to a much better survey, as this was one of the most disappointing ones.

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19 to 23 March

After the previous and disappointing survey, we were all set for better days. Although the original plan was to go on different dates from last year, we had to choose the same dates after all. But then it would be nice to compare the results.

With the early Sunday ferry on 19 March, I could start seawatching from 10h00, until 16h15. Weather was cloudy, but fairly clear. However, visibility got limited to about 3 km in late afternoon. Winds were coming from the east with force 5, decreasing to 3.

Seabirds:
13 Red-necked Phalaropes
3 Streaked Shearwaters

Egrets and herons:
8 Eastern Cattle Egrets
1 Grey Heron

Raptors:
1 Peregrine Falcon present

Gulls:
4 Heuglin’s Gulls

Terns:
1 Greater Crested Tern

Swift(lets), swallows and martins:
6 Barn Swallows

Checklist on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S131360989
Count on Trektellen: https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/3323/20230319

This survey consists of three full days, but 20 March turned again to be a most quiet day. Only 33 individuals were counted, mostly during the morning. I watched from 06h35 to only 13h30. Still cloudy, with easterly winds force 3.

Seabirds:
1 jaeger spec.
1 Ancient Murrelets
4 Streaked Shearwaters

Waders:
1 wader spec.
1 Oriental Pratincole

Gulls:
4 gulls spec.
4 Heuglin’s Gulls
2 Black-tailed Gulls

Terns:
5 Greater Crested Terns

Swift(lets), swallows and martins:
9 Barn Swallows

Passerines:
1 White Wagtail

Checklist on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S131361213
Count on Trektellen: https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/3323/20230320

While 21 March last year was one of the most memorable days on Po Toi for me (http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/view ... amp;page=1#pid87762), it was again very quiet this year, with not even a hundred migrants. I watched for them from 06h40 until 16h15. The cloudy day started a bit foggy, but turned bright and clear. Hardly any winds in the morning, increasing to force 2 to 3 from the south.

Seabirds:
6 Red-necked Phalaropes
1 Ancient Murrelet
2 Streaked Shearwaters

Egrets and herons:
1 Great Egret

Raptors:
2 Ospreys
2 Peregrine Falcons present

Gulls:
14 gulls spec.
64 Heuglin’s Gulls
4 Black-tailed Gulls

Terns:
1 Greater Crested Tern

Swift(lets), swallows and martins:
3 Barn Swallows

Checklist on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S131437314
Count on Trektellen: https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/3323/20230321

No change for the better on 22 March. It was so somniferous that I took a lunch break, which is usually – even on good days – a more quiet time of the day anyway. So seawatching was done from 06h30 until 10h30 and again from 14h40 until 16h40. I counted only 12 migrants in the morning hours, which is supposed to be the busiest time of the day. The weather was cloudy, with very limited sunshine, and winds were blowing from the south to southwest with force 2 to 3.

Seabirds:
2 Red-necked Phalaropes

Waders:
1 Oriental Pratincole

Gulls:
4 gulls spec.
33 Heuglin’s Gulls
1 Black-tailed Gull

Terns:
3 Greater Crested Terns
2 Caspian Terns
1 Common Tern

Swift(lets), swallows and martins:
1 Barn Swallow

Checklist on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S132733165
Count on Trektellen: https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/3323/20230322?sc=0

You could say that I was almost glad that 23 March was the last day. And, indeed, it was no different from the previous days, with hardly any migrants. I started at 06h35 but finished early, at 11h15. Still cloudy, but turning sunny. Force 2 to 3 winds from the south.

Seabirds:
3 Red-necked Phalaropes

Gulls:
8 gulls spec.
12 Heuglin’s Gulls
2 Black-tailed Gulls

Terns:
5 Greater Crested Terns
2 Caspian Terns

Swift(lets), swallows and martins:
6 Barn Swallows

Checklist on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S132733676
Count on Trektellen: https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/3323/20230323

Remarks:

We can make very similar remarks, like the previous survey: there was almost no migration. There was an average of 51 individual migrants counted on a daily basis. Last year, on just three days (20, 21 and 22 March), there were almost ten times as much migrants: an average of 501.

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March 2023

Let’s wrap-up March, using data from Trektellen. There were only 2 surveys, with just 1 real full day and 7 half/partial days. This resulted in total observation time of 52 hours and 15 minutes. Last year: 91 hours and 55 minutes.

When we did the surveys, It was extremely quiet: a total of only 501 migrating birds were seen. Indeed, the total seen in 2023 was exactly equal to the average seen on just three days in March 2022. And there was really nothing that deserves to be mentioned: no high counts, no rarities, no new early or late dates,…

To me, this leads to more questions without answers. Which counts were normal, those in 2022 or those in 2023? Why was there such a huge difference in the number of migrants? And why was there such a difference for all birds? Not just seabirds like jaegers and shearwaters, but also herons, gulls, terns, swallows,… Only Black-tailed Gulls and Eastern Cattle Egrets were a bit more numerous this year compared to last year. Or did we just miss the March peak of migrants by a few days? Meaning our surveys in 2023 were just badly timed? Don’t forget that we watched for almost  92 hours in 2022, but only for 52 hours in 2023. So, it’s not totally odd that the numbers of birds were lower. But still the difference for the whole of March is striking.