wgeoff

Happy New Year to all, best wishes for another good year's birding.

My first visit to Po Toi in 2015 on Tuesday and it started really well - from the Ferry, five Ancient Murrelet in the East Lamma Channel just off Round Island.
I was really lucky to see them, found them while scanning for gulls but only for two seconds before they all dived together, not to be seen again. I've noticed before when watching them from Po Toi, Ancient Murrelet can stay underwater for quite long periods and travel quite large distances, so not really surprising.

Nothing particularly unusual on Po Toi, no sign of the White-bellied Green Pigeon but we know from past experience these birds can sit quietly in one tree for weeks without being noticed, so it may well still be there somewhere. The Hoopoe still there, around the Opera Shed at the Helipad, also still many Pale Thrushes, I counted 15 plus four Japanese.

Visitors may notice that Hong Kong Youth Hostels have numbered most of the trees to the right of the Ferry Pier. They have made an application to build a low-level 'environmental' hostel in this area avoiding these trees - good news (good to have somewhere to stay overnight on Po Toi) but with some potential drawbacks. Anyway, let's wait and see what Planning Department have to say. This is a critical period for Po Toi as Planning Department are due to publish their Draft Plan for Po Toi in March. Jocelyn and I gave them a presentation on Monday emphasising the importance of protecting the tall trees in the Village and Ferry Pier areas, hope this message gets through to them and AFCD. We may need your help some time.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 7/01/2015 13:12 ]

wgeoff

Is the birding world going crazy?
Camping on Po Toi is a very commendable way to see the birds. But, in the middle of winter?
First John Clough over Christmas and now Louis Lee camping this week.
Expect to see some good photos from Louis soon.

Best bird for me on Thursday was the female Scarlet Minivet, last seen on 9th December but obviously the same bird, attempting to winter there.
Wintering on Po Toi is a bit like camping, I hope it survives.
Also wintering there, the Radde's Warbler around the Ferry Pier. I didn't see it but Louis did and got some good photos.

Still the Hoopoe, many Pale Thrush with a few Japanese and some others to fill the time, like this Greater Coucal



One correction to my previous report - it is Hong Kong YMCA who are planning to buld an 'environmental' hostel on Po Toi, not Hong Kong Youth Hostels.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 9/01/2015 10:45 ]

wgeoff

Great photos Louis - you should try camping in April.

Your left-hand photo is a Japanese Bush Warbler - this is not one of the photos of the Radde's Warbler that you showed me.
I'm not sure about the right-hand one, maybe that is also Japanese Bush Warbler, or a female Rubythroat? - any more photos?

Can you post some of the Radde's Warbler you showed me?
Thanks
Geoff

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 9/01/2015 19:10 ]

wgeoff

I missed Tuesday because of the rain but Thursday was sunny although cold.

Much the same birds as before.
The Hoopoe has now had to move from the helipad since the men have started to work on the Opera Shed again. I found it around the School area but I wonder if this disturbance will eventually drive it away.
Still many Pale Thrush, I counted 16 plus at least two Japanese and one other with orange underparts, possibly the Brown-headed Thrush from December.
Also at least one Red-flanked Bluetail, a Russet Bush Warbler near the Sister's Cafe, but no Red-tailed Robin again - these are rare on Po Toi this winter.

On such a nice day, I did take a walk out to the South Peninsular, my first visit there for several months. The usual wintering species, Plain Painia and Zitting Cisticola, also two Blue Rock Thrush of which one male showed no signs of red underneath and is presumably pandoo, quite rare on Po Toi.

Here some photos of the Hoopoe, the Rock Thrush, a female Pale Thrush and one Bluetail



I will probably only visit once a week from now until March

wgeoff

Hi

This is not the best time to visit Po Toi unless you are looking for particular species e.g. Hoopoe or Pale Thrush, which there is a good chance you will see at the moment.
The best place for the Hoopoe is around the School and for thrushes around the Ferry Pier and Sister's Cafe.

The numbers of birds will fall now until the end of February when migrants start to arrive. But serious migration does not start until the last week in March.

If you want to find out what you might see in any week of the year on Po Toi, go here which is a chart of all my species records between 2006 and 2012.

http://www.geoffwelch46.com/XPoToiChartAll200612.xls