kmike

With Large Hawk Cuckoo, Lesser Coucal, Plaintive Cuckoo and Koel now calling every day and the House swallows floating round the village, spring is certainly here so it's time to start a new thread for Lam Tsuen.

An interesting morning in the mist between Ping Long, Tin Liu Ha and the trashed land near She Shan.  Best bird was a flyover Common Rosefinch, which had the good manners to perch in a ridge-top tree and allow me to confirm the identification over an hour later. Just my second ever in Lam Tsuen.

Other good birds included two Grey Treepie, 22 Oriental Turtle Doves, a Black-winged Cuckooshrike, a pair and several other individual Plaintive Cuckoos, a singing Lesser Coucal, three Richard's Pipits, ten OBPs,  and a pair of Little Ringed Plovers on on the trashed land, and about 15 Little Buntings. Just after I got home a Chinese Blackbird with with a broad white patch on the upper breast was not a Ring Ouzel, but let me dream abut how amazing that would be!  I also had a Fantail Snipe and another snipe - a new high count! There were still a couple of Dusky Warblers tacking away.

I thought I heard a large owl around 6am, but did not hear it after geting out of bed, although I did get a Barred Owlet just befored dawn while waiting for it to call again.

Cheers
Mike K


[ Last edited by kmike at 22/03/2009 10:25 ]

kmike

Path from Tai Om to Tai Om Shan

Narcissus Flycatcher (m) - first migrant flycatcher of the spring in HK!

According to the Avifauna and the 1999-2002 HK bird reports this is the earliest record by one day.  Has anyone had an earlier one?

Also seen  . . .
Orange-bellied Leafbird
Tristram's Bunting
Little Bunting - 5
Ashy Drongo

Cheers
Mike K

[ Last edited by kmike at 22/03/2009 21:07 ]

kmike

Dear Peter & Michelle

Thnks for letting me know - the previous early date was for 23 March, from She Shan  . . . in 1960!

Cheers
Mike

kmike

The overnight rain dropped a flock of at least 25 Chinese Starlings into Ping Long, which flew past the window, circled the house and dropped into the fruiting fig tree at the back of the house.

The female Daurian Redstart was still around, but was chased off by a Siberian Stonechat.

Cheers

Mike K

kmike

Lam Tsuen has been quiet for a while, but today the rain brought some migrants:

3 Cattle Egret
1 Night Heron

1 Pacific Swift
10 Dollarbird (all in one tree!) - there had been 6 in wires earlier in the week
2 Oriental Cuckoo (Lam Tsuen tick for me)
1 Silky Starling
1 Black Drongo - there were 12 last Sunday morning

Not a migrant, but great to see - this Crested Goshawk came to hunt passerines in the bushes next to the veggie patch

Cheers
Mike K