Subject: Lam Tsuen Spring 2009 [Print This Page] Author: kmike Time: 22/03/2009 00:07 Subject: Lam Tsuen Spring 2009
With Large Hawk Cuckoo, Lesser Coucal, Plaintive Cuckoo and Koel now calling every day and the House swallows floating round the village, spring is certainly here so it's time to start a new thread for Lam Tsuen.
An interesting morning in the mist between Ping Long, Tin Liu Ha and the trashed land near She Shan. Best bird was a flyover Common Rosefinch, which had the good manners to perch in a ridge-top tree and allow me to confirm the identification over an hour later. Just my second ever in Lam Tsuen.
Other good birds included two Grey Treepie, 22 Oriental Turtle Doves, a Black-winged Cuckooshrike, a pair and several other individual Plaintive Cuckoos, a singing Lesser Coucal, three Richard's Pipits, ten OBPs, and a pair of Little Ringed Plovers on on the trashed land, and about 15 Little Buntings. Just after I got home a Chinese Blackbird with with a broad white patch on the upper breast was not a Ring Ouzel, but let me dream abut how amazing that would be! I also had a Fantail Snipe and another snipe - a new high count! There were still a couple of Dusky Warblers tacking away.
I thought I heard a large owl around 6am, but did not hear it after geting out of bed, although I did get a Barred Owlet just befored dawn while waiting for it to call again.
Cheers
Mike K
[ Last edited by kmike at 22/03/2009 10:25 ] Author: kmike Time: 22/03/2009 10:24
Path from Tai Om to Tai Om Shan
Narcissus Flycatcher (m) - first migrant flycatcher of the spring in HK!
According to the Avifauna and the 1999-2002 HK bird reports this is the earliest record by one day. Has anyone had an earlier one?
Also seen . . .
Orange-bellied Leafbird
Tristram's Bunting
Little Bunting - 5
Ashy Drongo
Cheers
Mike K
[ Last edited by kmike at 22/03/2009 21:07 ] Author: ddavid Time: 22/03/2009 22:42
Just as a point of interest re. Mike's recent observations of a pair of Little Ringed Plovers at She Shan.
On April 30th, 2006 I found an LRP nest containing four eggs at She Shan - on the broad, slightly elevated grassy area near the village. Unfortunately, when I went back on May 6th the nest scrape was empty and there was no sign of the birds, so I presume the nest had been predated.
This may be the trashed area that Mike is referring to - difficult to tell, as most of the area around She Shan,and indeed the Lam Tsuen Valley as a whole, is being trashed in one way or another - some of it under Govt auspices for flood alleviation work - and you'd think by the extent of the work and the concrete being laid down that Noah ought to be building the ark again....
dave Author: wleepoin Time: 23/03/2009 10:44
Mike,
We had one record of a male Narcissus Flycatcher on 19th March, 2005 in Tai Po Kau.
Cheers
PWMK Author: kmike Time: 23/03/2009 22:04
Dear Peter & Michelle
Thnks for letting me know - the previous early date was for 23 March, from She Shan . . . in 1960!
Cheers
Mike Author: kmike Time: 29/03/2009 22:49
The overnight rain dropped a flock of at least 25 Chinese Starlings into Ping Long, which flew past the window, circled the house and dropped into the fruiting fig tree at the back of the house.
The female Daurian Redstart was still around, but was chased off by a Siberian Stonechat.
Cheers
Mike K Author: kmike Time: 25/04/2009 21:55
Lam Tsuen has been quiet for a while, but today the rain brought some migrants:
3 Cattle Egret
1 Night Heron
1 Pacific Swift
10 Dollarbird (all in one tree!) - there had been 6 in wires earlier in the week
2 Oriental Cuckoo (Lam Tsuen tick for me)
1 Silky Starling
1 Black Drongo - there were 12 last Sunday morning
Not a migrant, but great to see - this Crested Goshawk came to hunt passerines in the bushes next to the veggie patch
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