subbuteo

My birding contribution today is only to confirm that the Tai Om Shan trail is impassable in birding terms just now.  You can get through but it is hard work and a couple of trees are down across the path, lots of vines and tall grass.  The wild boar have kept the path open to some extent and turned over a lot of the ground.  I'll definitely give Ng Tung Chai a go next weekend- a cooling swim is good motivation.

subbuteo

Where?!  Not a bird I've seen in the valley- great find.
Thanks,
Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 7/09/2011 11:23 ]

subbuteo

7 September 2011

Single Dollarbird on wires at Lung A Pai this morning at 6am.

Dylan

subbuteo

And another for me this morning below Pak Tin Kong at 6 am.  They are regular in the patch of valley every year.  Unfortunately their (or my) favourite perching tree fell over this summer so I'm having a harder time seeing them!
DYlan

subbuteo

10 September 2011 Ng Tung Chai 6.45-9.00 am

A quiet walk up to the lower falls with few bird initially.  On the way back down there was a good bird wave with the usual forest birds.  

Asian Paradise Flycatcher (m)
Hainan Blue Flycatcher (m and f)

There were quite a few Yellow-cheeked Tits which I haven't seen often at NTC.  At least five singing Mountain Tailorbirds. One Pygmy Wren Babbler and one unidentified Phyllosc warbler hovering at the end of leaves.  

Big surprise today were two Chinese Mountain Snakes, one near the lower falls and another along the path from the village to the temple.  They seemed to be juveniles; only 30-40cm long.

Dylan

subbuteo

18 Sept 2011, 7- 9am

A quiet walk in Ng Tung Chai this morning, overcast and very humid.  No migrants but plenty of the usual forest birds, seven Mountain Tailorbirds (probably many more but hard to distinguish quite where they sing from) and two separate Lesser Shortwings singing.  Two unidentified calls, potentially a Siberian Blue Robin but refused to show itself and what I can only believe is a squirrel clucking noisily- they are not seen often in Lam Tsuen.

Dylan

PS No mosquitoes- a big upside of the dry weather but lots of very large wasps patrolling the path and having a good look at me.

subbuteo

Ng Tung Chai 24.9.11 7.30-10.30

A rather quiet morning; the usual forest birds.

Mountain Tailorbird 5+
Lesser Shortwing 2+
Mountain Bulbul 1 (at top fall)
Grey Wagtail 2 (at top fall), 1 at orchard.


Also today, a small Mock Viper and a photo of one of the hornets I mentioned last week, (Vespa soror)

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 24/09/2011 12:30 ]

subbuteo

I took a walk from 5.45 to 7 pm this evening.  I went down to the ponds  below She Shan (same location as the Red-headed Bunting last year) to see if I could find Black-browed Reed Warbler.  I flushed a large dark rail which flew up and over the grasses, neck and legs out.  It dropped down into the grass of the river bed beside the new bridge under construction.  (This has turned into a nice wet grassy area).  I managed to flush it out a second time and confirmed in my mind that it wasn't White-breasted Waterhen or Moorhen (both of which I had seen on the way down).  I am fairly sure it was a Watercock  but views were brief. If anyone gets the chance- please take a look tomorrow.

Only other bird of note was a Dusky Warbler.

Dylan

subbuteo

Meant to add, there were some unusual deep calls/grunts at the ponds- would watercock be calling on passage?

subbuteo

A brown wood owl was calling this morning for at least ten minutes (between 5.55 - 6.10 am) from the woods behind Ha Tin Liu Ha.  Calls were every 20-30 seconds or so; the usual four note call.  I have heard it on dull misty mornings before.

Dylan

subbuteo

A walk from Pak Tin Kong to She Shan this morning.

Eurasian Skylark - 1

Richard's Pipit - 7 in the biggest flock, impression of many more about though
Olive-backed Pipit - 8+
Grey Wagtail - 2

Dusky Warbler - 6
Stonechat- 6

Zitting Cisticola - 5+
Bright-capped Cisticola - 5+ (much grass cutting has forced them all into the shorter grass on the large plain.

Grey-streaked Flycatcher - 1 in the tree nursery
Asian Brown Flycatcher - 1

Yellow-breasted Bunting - 1

Black Drongo - 3
Hair-crested Drongo - 14 in a flock

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 18/10/2011 12:00 ]

subbuteo

A rather quiet walk up to Tai Om Shan this morning.

Hair-crested Drongo flock of 24 plus 3 later on.
Chinese Blackbird 2
Dusky Warbler 2

Tai Om had Lesser Shortwing, Mountain Tailorbird, Pygmy Wren Babbler and the other usual forest birds.

Dylan

subbuteo

Congratulations, Mike.  I think you earned that Lam Tsuen tick!  I didn't but I'm having it too!

Dylan

subbuteo

10 November 2011, 6 am

A dark dog walk was livened up by the first Russet Bush Warbler of the year calling. Also a pair of flyover Chinese Blackbirds.  It is starting to feel like winter!

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 10/11/2011 07:40 ]

subbuteo

Good birds about!  I heard the Brown Wood Owl calling this morning around 6.15am this morning- first time in a while (again).  Fickle bird!  I also had a Rubythroat calling this morning and the first Common Buzzard I have seen this winter on Sunday (13.11.11).

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 15/11/2011 22:48 ]

subbuteo

18 December Pak Tin Kong to Tai Om

Chinese Bulbul
Crested Bulbul
Black-neced Starling
Magpie Robin
Japanese White-eye
Tree Sparrow
White-rumped /Scaly-breasted Munia
Black-faced Bunting
Chestnut Bunting
Common Tailorbird
Siberian Stonechat
Yellow-browed Warbler (4+)
Pallas's Warbler (3+)
Siberian Rubythroat
Large-billed Crow
White Wagtail
Crested Mynah
Rufous crowned Babbler
Lesser Shortwing
Pygmy Wren Babbler
Russet Bush Warbler
Woodcock (on the path)
Hair-crested Drongo
Ashy Drongo
Rufous-backed Shrike
Striated Yuhina (14)
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
Black-eared Kite
Common Buzzard

A fairly typical day at Tai Om, although Woodcock is unusual.  Striated Yuhina were a good addition to the walk.  I also had an unidentified bush warbler- I have recorded the call and will try to get it one here, it refused to show itself but I got good views of a Lesser Shortwing that came out to my "pishing" of the warbler.

Tai Om is a lot more open on the way up now due to a controlled burn of the grass which has exposed the terraces.  This revealed what seems to be a pangolin burrow beside the path on the way up.  There has been some tree felling as well on the path which has opened the forest edge- I don't like it!

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 19/12/2011 00:50 ]

subbuteo

Yes!  Wishful thinking!  I've changed it to Black-faced/ Masked Bunting.

Dylan

subbuteo

I concur with Mike, it is quiet out there!  Highlight yesterday was two Crested Serpent Eagles circling with two Eastern Buzzards.  There have been a couple of Black-faced (Masked) Buntings regularly this week but little else of note.  

Dylan

subbuteo

11.1.12

A Brown Wood Owl was calling this morning at 6.15am in the Pak Tin Kong area.  It started to call just as rain began to fall.  I've noticed that it seems to like calling in damp weather and this is the first call I have heard in several weeks (along with the first rain in while!).

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 11/01/2012 08:21 ]

subbuteo

A damp walk this morning around Pak Tin Kong and Lung A Pai.

Russet Bush Warbler 3
Ashy Drongo 2
Hair-crested Drongo 3
Asian Stubtail 1
Chestnut Bunting 5
Black-faced Bunting 2

Still quiet- I didn't manage a Stonechat today, haven't seen a Red-flanked Bluetail or Red-tailed Robin.  I must try harder.

Dylan

subbuteo

I caught up with the Asian Brown Flycatcher outside my house this afternoon and at dusk saw a Woodcock fly over the marsh at Pak Tin Kong.

Dylan

subbuteo

A quick dog-walk this morning between showers and I immediately saw a red-throated (Taiga) flycatcher outside my home at a small vegetable patch.  There seem to be more stonechats about.  Further on, I was very surprised to hear Brown Wood Owl calling.  Daylight calls have been restricted to dusk or dawn but today between 7.50 and 8.20 the BWO was calling consistently, very 30-60 seconds.  There were occasional pauses when firecrackers went off.  Whether hearing the call today is a result of fortunate timing, cold weather, damp or noise disturbance I can only speculate.  I did end up wet- it is hard to be quick when there are things to see!

subbuteo

Brown Wood Owl was calling seemingly from the hillside above She Shan this morning at 6.15am.  Yesterday I saw my first Common Mynah in Lam Tsuen in a large flock of Crested Mynahs.  Also, in Sek Kong yesterday a large green, long-tailed parrot was flying- presumably rose-ringed parakeet which I have not seen in the New Territories before, although there was a an escape blossom-headed parakeet in Lam Tsuen last year.

Dylan

subbuteo

Just looked at google images and I think that probably is it- Alexandrine- the tail was noticeably lighter when it landed in a tree- it was a long way off by the time I got my binoculars onto it.  

Dylan

subbuteo

Spring seems to be arriving in Lam Tsuen.  Koel started to call on 2.3.12, Large hawk Cuckoo 6.3.12 and then in the evening Savanna Nightjar.  Brown Wood Owl has been heard intermittently, and seems to be more  mobile calling from at least four different locations along the valley (I have not heard more than one bird call).  Swallows are investigating nest sites, a group of six yesterday was the largest I have seen so far.

A few winter birds are still about, this morning two black-faced buntings, a russet bush warbler, ashy drongo and stonechat.

Dylan