kscheng

The first outing of the Forest Birds identification workshop was on the 6th of May to Tai Po Kau.  However the amber-coloured rain signal has deterred us from exploring the forest.  We went back on the 20th and have found species of woodland birds including a family of Hainan blue flycatcher.  The classmates got a good look at the father and mother birds as well as one juvenile.  During the event I could only spotted the male bird.

I went back to Tai Po Kau in three different occasions.  

In the morning of the 22nd I strolled to and fro on the trail where the blue flycatchers were located two days ago.  I waited in vain.  With a bit of disappointment I walked back.  Just passed the entrance to the Nature Trail I heard a five-noted call of che tchu-tchu che-rit.  When I looked up, the interlacing leaves form irregular poly-formed shapes.  In one polygon reveals a patch of silvery feather in the shape of a  protractor with the curved side pointing at ten o'clock direction.  At the two o'clock direction reveals a greyish black tail with dapples of crimson colour.  The bird sprung behind the branches to reveal its flecked feather.  By putting the speckles into their proper position, my mind tells me that it is a silver-eared mesia.  As Instructor George told us, identifying woodland birds is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  I am so glad that I have done one.

In the morning of the 25th I walked all the way up to Number Three scene without much excitement.  On the way back before hitting the left turn to Number One scene I heard calls of dzi-dzi-pu dzi-dzi-pu behind the boulder.  Instructor George told us to preempt a bird to see it.  I slipped two paces behind letting the bushes covering most part of my body.  Before I gained back balance it flew out from behind the boulder gripped on a branch.  I held up my Steiner to see a dark-coloured crested head nodded in the air with its beak pointing to two o'clock direction.  Then it sprung horizontally.  I saw both sides showing richly yellow-coloured cheeks.  I heard my heartbeat sounded lub-dub lub-dub before it flew into the forest.  That was a two-second heart-leaping face-to-face encounter with a yellow cheeked tit.  I did not get a look at its body, I'll have to leave this to my next two-second encounter in the future.

In the morning of the 29th, the trail appeared rather smoggy followed from the showers earlier.  I can hear pygmy wren babbler whistling sip-see sip-see near the river bank and silver-eared mesia pleasant five-noted call in the forest.  When I stopped at the trail leading to Number Three scene, I saw a chestnut bulbul with its dark-coloured crown and the distinguished crest singing to me.  When I walked back to the security post, I spotted a herb of birds leaping at the top of a tree.  They are about four five inches long with brownish upperpart greyish underpart and yellowish beak.  I did not know what they are.  However this piece of jigsaw puzzle imprinted in my mind shall eventually form a whole picture some day in the future.