wgeoff

Last Two Weeks in March

The start of another spring migration season on Po Toi. This year I will only be visiting for single days during the week, with some gaps as I have to return to UK again for at least two weeks at some time.

Most winter visitors, thrushes and chats, have now left, with just a few late birds remaining including Manchurian Bush Warbler and Lesser Shortwing, both singing. Maybe the Shortwing will stay to breed?

New early spring arrivals included two Blue-and-white Flycatchers last Sunday but not seen on Tuesday, a Hoopoe, a rare sighting of a Crested Serpent Eagle last Sunday, three Grey-faced Buzzards flying north over the East Lamma Channel on Tuesday (it pays to keep your eyes open on the Ferry) and a single Japanese Sparrowhawk on the Island for the last week.

The Black-tailed Gulls have now left the East Lamma Channel but Red-necked Phalaropes have started to arrive in small numbers and we should soon get some terns.

Early flycatchers should start arriving next week, Ferruginous and Narcissus as well as Blue-and-white, possibly after the change of weather in mid-week.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 27/03/2014 08:53 ]

wgeoff

A very wet day on Po Toi yesterday.

No seabirds seen from the Ferry but several pairs of Barn Swallows migrating over the sea (also noted at the Magic Roundabout by Mike Kilburn so a broad migration of this species was probably occurring).

On the Island, best birds were a pair of Swinhoe's Minivets, here a very fuzzy photo of one, maybe Aaron Lo has some better ones



Also a Japanese Sparrowhawk, a Pintail Snipe at the lagoon, a confiding Red-tailed Robin plus other winter visitors still there, Japanese Thrush, Pallas's (singing) and Yellow-browed Warblers, singing Japanese Bush Warbler and a pair of Black-faced Buntings.

Just one flycatcher, a single Asian Brown, and a Common Magpie, a rare wanderer to Po Toi.

Hoping for better weather next week.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 4/04/2014 06:18 ]

wgeoff

A quiet two days on Po Toi this week, Tuesday was by far the better day (with some rain), by Thursday most of the migrants had left and very few new ones had arrived.

On Tuesday, Chinese Goshawk, a Dollarbird on the rocks behind the helipad, a flock of minivets around the school area, at least ten Ashy with the two Swinhoe's from the previous week, and a male Narcissus Flycatcher at the sharp left turn on the way to the Temple.

By Thursday the Goshawk, Minivets and Flycatcher had gone, just the Dollarbird still there in the same place. Also a newly arrived pair of Red Turtle Doves and a Taiwan Racing Pigeon, a regular visiting species in April and May.

  

Also a single Tree Sparrow seen by Alex Ware, a typical date for the first of the spring Tree Sparrow migrants on Po Toi.

From the Ferry, two flocks of Red-necked Phalarope on Thursday and a flock of migrant Cattle Egrets on Tuesday. No terns yet, but late morning from the Ferry is not a good time or place for these in early April.

One reason why early April has been rather poor so far is the lack of any cold fronts. But one, albeit a small one, is scheduled for next Monday so next Tuesday and Thursday may be good days to visit Po Toi - just before Easter and the Festival.

Please note the special ferry timetable over Easter and Festival Week which I have posted here

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/view ... &extra=page%3D1

Unfortunately I will be away for the next three weeks, my next posting will be in May.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 11/04/2014 09:31 ]

wgeoff

I returned to Hong Kong on Tuesday after three weeks in UK and took a last-minute decision to go to Po Toi on Thursday.

Good decision. The photo of the Fairy Pitta is elsewhere but I don't mind to repeat it here

  

This is my sixth record of Fairy Pitta on Po Toi, three in late spring and three in early autumn, with five being up the valley above the Sister's Cafe - 'Pitta Valley'.
Given the weather, this bird may stay a few days - if you can manage to get there.

The other most noticeable feature of yesterday was the number of Brown Shrikes in the main area. I counted 84, more than ever before in this small area, all lucionensis except one cristatus near the helipad and one very pale bird in front of the Sister's Cafe which I guess was just a pale lucionensis - maybe worth looking out for if you are on Po Toi this weekend.
Also good counts of nine Grey Wagtails, five Dollarbirds and fourteen Arctic Warblers but rather surprisingly, no Yellow or other Bitterns which I did expect to see.

As it's been such a poor spring (so far) for land bird migrants, I've been looking at HKO reports of daily weather in March and April this year. The most revealing feature is the complete absence of north winds, from 19 February through to 27 April, unprecendented in my records from 2005 to date.
In fact this has been going on since November 2013, with only 16 north wind days in the six months from November 2013 to April 2014, versus an average of 50 north wind days over the same six month period for the previous eight years. I guess this is related to the expected arrival of El Ninyo this summer.

North wind days are usually the ones which cause spring arrivals of migrants on Po Toi. So, the first north wind since 19 February was Sunday 27 April - the day the Rosy Minivet arrived on Po Toi, not a co-incidence I think.

Fortunately autumn migration is not usually so affected by winds and weather, but an El Ninyo bringing more and later typhoons to Hong Kong would have an effect. In the past, autumn typhoons have tended to temporarily stop normal migration but have resulted in some unexpected autumn species.
So maybe partly good news.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 9/05/2014 11:04 ]

wgeoff

The Brown Shrike numbers are a new highest HK count - I'm not surprised considering how many were there on Thursday, just everywhere.

The Grey Treepie was photographed a week ago by Allen Chan and is a first record for Po Toi.
The Red-billed Blue Magpie has now been on Po Toi for more than two years.

Japanese Bush Warbler and Common Rosefinch are new latest spring records for HK - if the observers can persuade the Records Committee - please send me a URF.

I presume the Pitta was not seen.

wgeoff

Great find Bonnie - sometimes it's better not to follow the crowds.

I wanted to stay on Po Toi this week to look for Short-tailed Shearwaters - in the past, this has been the best week and you need to be there early and late in the day to see the numbers. I couldn't stay to Thursday so I decided to try Sunday to Tuesday. Big mistake.

Sunday night was a disaster - a river started flowing through my room at about 2am. What with this and the thunder, not much sleep.
Better on Monday night, except that the water levels persuaded all kinds of insects to find higher ground, including this 12 cm centipede which thought my pillow was a good resting place out of the water.



Fortunately, my head was not there at the time - they have a pretty huge bite which I've experienced twice before.

And in 11 hours seawatching on Monday and Tuesday, no shearwaters at all. Quite good tern numbers, but no shearwaters

Whiskered Tern - 10
White-winged Tern - 219, all in the aftermath of the storms on Monday morning
Common Tern - 10
Aleutian Tern - 39
Little Tern - 4
Greater Crested Tern - 9
plus 253 Red-necked Phalarope passing, local Bridled and Black-naped Terns and one Black-tailed Gull



On land, a Brown Hawk Owl, still lots of Brown Shrikes, a singing Oriental Reed Warbler and late Yellow-browed Warbler and Little and Black-faced Buntings.

Not much compensation for the pain but I may try again next week.

PS the red algae is back



Quite early this year, maybe a sign of warmer water in an El Ninyo year