brendank

10 Oct 2010--Pui O

Taking Geoff's advice I decided to go to Pui O this afternoon. This was the first time I visited this location.  Great habitat there! Not too many birds in the water buffalo fields.  Maybe it would pick up a little later in the year.

2 Eurasian Hobby (1 adult, 1 immature)
1 Besra
1 Chinese Pond Heron
1 Black-crowned Night Heron
2 Pacific Reef Heron--fighting with a Grey Heron
1 Little Ringed Plover--only shorebird I saw
2 Pale Martins--flew by too fast for a photo
1 Brown Shrike--I was confused by this one.  Thought it was a Long-tailed Shrike at first.
10 Red-throated Pipit
15 Yellow Wagtails
1 Asian Brown Flycatcher
3 Dusky Warbler

adultHobby.JPG (57.51 KB)

10/10/2010 22:22

immHobby.JPG (51.33 KB)

10/10/2010 22:22

besra.JPG (46.96 KB)

10/10/2010 22:22

brownshrike.JPG (50.94 KB)

10/10/2010 22:22

brendank

Here are some more shots.  None of them are too good.  The wings look pretty rounded for a Japanese Sparrowhawk I would think. And should the dark tail bands be thinner on a Japanese Sparrowhawk. Hopefully, John Allcock can weigh in!

accip1.JPG (36.33 KB)

10/10/2010 23:31

accip2.JPG (39.24 KB)

10/10/2010 23:31

accip3.JPG (43.23 KB)

10/10/2010 23:31

brendank

I agree it seems to have one too few fingers for Besra.  But it doesn't have supercilium--at least I can't see one--so that would be wrong for Eurasian Sparrowhawk.  But why not Japanese Sparrowhawk?

brendank

This was the first time I had been to Pui O so I don't know how the fields looked in the past.  I did not see any dumping there and there still appears to be a good amount of habitat. I wish there had been some more birds in the fields though!

brendank

It isn't often when Gary, Mike, John, and Paul will vote for three different species.  As much as I would like it to be a European Sparrowhawk because that would be a HK tick for me, I am going to vote for Japanese Sparrowhawk also.  I agree that it isn't Eurasian Sparrowhawk for the points John mentioned.  I feel that Besra should appear to have 5 "fingers" while this only has 4.  The width of the dark bands bothers me for Japanese but Paul knows best on that feature.

I wish the plumage features were clearer in the photo.  At least a better shot could definitively rule out Eurasian.

Thanks everyone for your comments.  I will keep posting pictures of accipiters when I find them because clearly identification is not always a closed and shut case.

brendank

With regard to dumping, it may be occurring but I would reiterate that I did not see any yesterday.  Let's hope it stays that way!!

brendank

Wow, too good! Congrats Koel on another great Lantau bird.

brendank

13 Nov 2010

No sign of the Watercock unfortunately but there seemed to be good numbers of migrants around.

5 Common Teal
2 Kentish Plover
4 Little Ringed Plover
5 Common Snipe
1 Crested Goshawk
2 Common Buzzards
1 Brown Shrike
1 Red-throated Flycatcher
1 Asian Brown Flycatcher
1 Verditer Flycatcher
1 Black-naped Monarch
2 Black-winged Cuckooshrike
1 Bush Warbler species (probably Japanese)
1 Black-faced Bunting
3 Yellow-billed Grosbeak

ybgrosbeak.JPG (87.16 KB)

13/11/2010 22:26

brendank

Quiet today afternoon in Pui O. The Brown Shrike and 2 Black-winged Cuckoo-shrikes were still around from last weekend but seems nothing new moved in.  At least the Brown Shrike was extremely photogenic today.

Bshrike.JPG (69.88 KB)

21/11/2010 23:00