wgeoff

I stayed on Po Toi from Saturday 4th to Tuesday 7th April, my first overnight stay for nearly two years. I had been planning this with great anticipation for several weeks - as it was, it was slightly disappointing although how you can say living within 100 yards of a Hong Kong First Record is disappointing I'm not really sure.

As usual in spring, the weather was the driver and culprit in this case. A typhoon or at least STS forecast for Monday never materialised and Saturday to Monday were hot with light winds - perfect weather for everything to leave or overfly Hong Kong. And for the first three days, that's exactly what happened.

At least the Ijima's stayed one day, well seen on Saturday but not thereafter. I won't embarrass myself showing one of my Ijima's photos, compared with what has been posted elsewhere here, but I can get my own back on the assembled Saturday photo-twitch with this one instead



A dramatic change in weather on Tuesday morning came just a bit too late. Sitting with John Clough at the seawatching point on Tuesday morning, we could see the cold front approach as a massive cloud bank in a straight line across the sky. The weather changed from blue sky to overcast in an instant, and fairly immediately birds started to turn up.

Two flocks of Large-billed Crows came over from Dangan and a flock of Ashy Minivets was calling as they came in, and seen later in the main area although they seemed to fly off towards Lamma later. A single Ferruginous Flycatcher was near the helipad and a Pale-legged Leaf Warbler was heard near the Upper Reservoir.



It still surprises me how quickly migrants turn up when the weather changes in spring.

At sea, no gulls - the passage usually dribbles on into April but not this year, compensated by more Greater Crested Terns than usual in the first week of April - 24 on Sunday and 13 on Tuesday. Here a chart of GCT occurrences from 2006 to 2013 shows week 3 as the peak week in April



In a flock of six terns on Sunday, four were clearly Greater Crested but two were smaller, whiter with narrower wings. I had hoped my photos could have given a definite ID for these but they were simply too far away - I think you can guess what I thought they might have been.

Also at the seawatch point, up to seven Pacific Swifts and my first ever flock of migrant Red-whiskered Bulbuls



Now many more fish shoals to be seen after the fish trawling ban, and also many campers on the headland



I plan to stay again once more this spring, probably to see the Short-tailed Shearwaters in early May. You need to be at the seawatch point by 6am to see these properly.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 10/04/2015 07:02 ]

wgeoff

A much better day today, more land bird migrants seen in three hours than in three days over Easter.

Birds and locations were

Chinese Goshawk - three around Helipad and Restaurant
Oriental Pratincole - one flying over
Common Kingfisher - four in the Lagoon
Ashy Minivet - two at the Lower School
Ferruginous Flycatcher - one in Helipad/Stream area, one at Upper School, one between Lower School and Tiger Lane and one near gravesites at Upper Reservoir - altogether at least four different birds
Narcissus Flycatcher - male in Helipad/Stream area
Mugimaki Flycatcher - female reported in Helipad/Stream area
Black-naped Oriole - male in bamboos past Sisters Cafe

plus other common species but no Grey-faced Buzzards (my guess is there were many passing through on Wednesday). Here some photos



Although the HKBWS Boat Trip to outer waters on Saturday has been cancelled, the Ferry will probably still be running in the more protected inner waters. The timetable for Saturday and Sunday is here

wgeoff

Another warm day.

A summer plumage Ancient Murrelet flew across the front of the Ferry just as we approached Po Toi



Quiet on the island, just two Red Turtle Doves, an overflying Osprey (photo by Peter Ho), a Brown Hawk Owl reported by Faijai, a Ferruginous Flycatcher and single Little and Black-faced Buntings.



Hoping for better next week if the rain comes on Tuesday.

wgeoff

Some unexpected visitors this week, John Allcock on Tuesday and over 70 members of the Crested Bulbul Club on Thursday making a very full Ferry for mid-week. Good to see both.

Unfortunately (for birdwatchers, not the birds) very little rain with the cold front on Monday, so not as exciting a week as hoped. But still some good birds to be found.

Some good Flycatchers, Blue-and-white and male and female Japanese Paradise plus a Narcissus from John Allcock on Tuesday, and at least three newly arrived Grey-streaked on Thursday.
Here three species, two photos from me and one from Peter Ho (can you tell which one is his?)




Also seen during the week (not all by me), Chinese Sparrowhawk, Grey-faced Buzzard, Ashy Minivet, Eyebrowed Thrush and at least four very noisy Indian Cuckoos which arrived to keep the also newly-arrived Black Drongos company and give them an exciting summer rearing cuckoos instead of drongos.




Best bird for me was a good looking male Brambling in the tall trees next to the Ferry Pier on Thursday, but too high up and difficult to see to attract the photographers' interest.




Brambling is mostly an autumn bird but we have been getting more in spring over the last two years.

Please remember to send in your response on the Support Po Toi campaign here

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/viewthread.php?tid=23166

to ensure we protect Po Toi for the migrant birds and future generations of birdwatchers. Thank you.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 24/04/2015 06:30 ]

wgeoff

I stayed on Po Toi from Tuesday to Thursday, mostly to see seabirds in the early morning and late evening - very hot, very dry and not very rewarding.

No flycatchers at all seen, and no Short-tailed Shearwaters which I had been hoping for.
The only species of note

several flocks of egrets, mostly Little, Cattle and Chinese Pond Heron
a White-breasted Waternhen flushed from the path on the South Peninsular late on Wednesday evening - a migrant newly arrived
seven Grey-tailed Tattler in two flocks, one with a Ruddy Turnstone in tow
a Pintail Snipe
a few terns, Gull-billed, Black-naped and Bridled
a single Collared Scops Owl calling from behind my house late at night
a Dollarbird and two Red-rumped Swallows on Wednesday
Dusky and Yellow-browed Warblers still calling, along with several Arctics and one Pale-legged Leaf Warbler
a good influx of Little Buntings, a regular event in late April
several flocks of migrating Crested Myna - I had realised for some years that Crested Myna numbers are much higher in winter but you don't often see them migrating. They are later departures than Chinese Bulbul, the common migrant




Not much for three days of toil and sweat. April really has been very dry this year (hence not so many birds) and Po Toi is desperate for rain.

Hoping for rain next week as scheduled by HKO, but often the forecast rain doesn't arrive. I will stay on the Island trying to find Short-tailed Shearwaters for another two weeks.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 1/05/2015 06:40 ]