kmike

Autumn officially started at Ng Tung Chai last weekend when Paul Aston found an Asian Paradise Flycatcher but it staretd for on Friday with my first migrant a Grey Wagtail in the bare tree in front of the carpark.

A much more important bird was of course the Speckled Piculet seen the same day and posted by Richard. It was a female, as was the bird first found on 27th September last year, and is likely to be the same bird.

Today a Mountain Bulbul was seen on the way up (close to the temple arch) and an Eastern Crowned Warbler was seen on the way down.

I also saw a Green Cascade Frog, Hong Kong Cascade Frog and Hong Kong Newt

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

A Sooty Flycatcher on the edge of the field next to the carpark yesterday evening was a sign of more to come today after the overnight rain -

Chestnut Bulbul - 3 (first for several months)

Arctic Warbler - 1 (first of the autumn at NTC)
Eastern Crowned Warbler - 1

Asian Brown Flycatcher - 1 (first of the autumn at NTC)
Sooty Flycatcher - 2 (first of the autumn at NTC)
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher - 1 (first of the autumn at NTC)
Hainan Blue Flycatcher - 2

NTC specialist residents

Mountain Tailorbird - 4h
Pygmy Wren Babbler - 1h
Lesser Shortwing - 1h

+ 1 Wild Boar

Cheers
Mike

kmike

A new Ng Tung Chai high count of 15 Dollarbirds on the wires above the village this evening, along with a pair of Bonelli's Eagles (just my second record here) and a Hobby, both very distant.

Cheers
Mike

PS I think the Dollarbirds are also a new autumn high count for Hong Kong, and just one short of the HK record of 16.

I wonder what else this NW wind might bring in the next couple of days.

kmike

Yesterday at Ng Tung Chai all of the Dollarbirds had left by 7am, but the following birds were seen in the uual area between the lowerr falls and the temple.

Mountian Bulbul - 2 heard

Pygmy Wren Babbler - one seen well
Mountain Tailorbird - at least five (four come very close)

Arctic Warbler - 3
Eastern Crowned Warbler - 1
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler - 1 (first of autumn at Ng Tung Chai)
Mountain Bush Warbler - 1 (first of autumn at Ng Tung Chai)

Asian Brown Flycatcher - 1
Sooty Flycatcher - 1 (on the path up to the village)

Cheers
Mike

kmike

A quieter day despite the overnight rain - just 4 Arctic Warblers and an Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Cheers
Mike

kmike

Quiet again this morning, but since the wind has shifted to the optimum direction for migrants to keep moving - NE - and it was clear last night, that's not altgether a surprise.

However, a Dollarbird flying around in front of the house was a great start, but the only migrants in the forest were a Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler and a typically clumsy Arctic Warbler.

The only other bird of note was an adult Crested Serpent Eagle, which came of its overnight perch as I came round the corner.

Cheers
Mike

kmike

just a few migrants yesterday:

Brown Flycatcher - 1
Arctic Warbler - 1
Ashy Drongo - 1

And today:

Ashy Drongo - 1
Dollarbird - 2 (arriving to roost around 6pm)
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler - 1h

Cheers

Mike K

kmike

Four Dollarbirds on the overhead wires this morning.

I don't know if they included yesterday evening's two birds, but I'm certainly enjoying the good run and have the NTC target of 29 bird days in Autumn 04 firmly in my sights.

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

Four more Dollarbirds and the Ashy Drongo again this morning before heading out to Mai Po.

Cheers
Mike K

Beetle

today (1 Oct )morning:

Speckled Piculet x 1
Mountain Tailorbirds
Hainan Blue Flycatcher x 1
Dollarbird x 1


+common birds.

kmike

Yesterday I finally got some reward from the bad weather that has kept me indoors forthe last couple of days, when I visited here with UK-based birder Martin Gostling:

One minute into the walk up the valley behind the village a first winter male Siberian Blue Robin called twice from the middle of the path as it briefly stepped back to eye me suspiciously before tugging away at a hefty-sized worm. There are only 3-5 records of this species every year in HK, and Ng Tung Chai has a disproportionally large number of records -  this was my fifth consecutive year of recording it here and my eighth bird here during that time! The last week of September is the peak time.

This was followed, during the walk up to the Top Falls, by single Arctic, Eastern Crowned and Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warblers. Better still, the latter two were with a Japanese Paradise Flycatcher- My first of the year, which secures four consecutive years of seeing this lovely bird here.

A Mountain Tailorbird performed wonderfully for Martin -coming in so close that we didn't need tobins to take in every feature as it sang cheerfully at us.

In addition, Great Barbet Scarlet Minivet, Chestnut Bulbul, Lesser Shortwing and Pygmy Wren Babbler called called, but much too far away to be seen.

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

Just a few birds off the roof and from the wak down to the bus-stop.

Grey Heron - 3  - the first record for Ng Tung Chai
Crested Honey Buzzard - 1
Sooty Flycatcher - 1
Black Drongo - 6 - migrating SW along the valley.

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

An interesting morning between the temple and the lower falls:

Scarlet Minivet - 55
Lesser Shortwing - 3 singing + 1 seen very well

Eastern Crowned Warbler - 1

Japanaese Paradise Flycatcher - 1

White-throated Fantail - 1

Back for its third winter at least,  this bird showed well in the dell before the first stone staircase. Currently considered an escape, but this regular return only for the winter months is extremely unusual. . . .

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

5 Dollarbirds on the wires at 0900 this morning brought my total for Ng Tung Chai for the autumn to 34 bird-days - 5 more than my previous record of 29 from 2004.  

According to the Avifauna birds have been recorded into November, so I'm still hoping for a few more.

Cheers
Mike K

sdavid

I had a quick stroll up the hill to the first set of falls.

My first views of Mountain Tailorbird in HK (as per Mikes earlier post) didn't even require bins, with two birds most accommodating.

Others included:

Japanese Sparrowhawk (M)
Crested Serpent Eagle
Striated Heron (Juv)
Dusky Warbler
Arctic Warbler (3)
Japanese Flycatcher (with RC Babblers and BW Minla)
Verditer Flycatcher

Pygmy Wren Babbler calling too.  Dont know the calls for Lesser Shortwing though.

kmike

Hi Dave

The Verditer is pretty early - first one this year - and the Striated Heron is too - good stuff!


Yesterday I had a single Dollarbird, and this morning there were 2 on the wires tothe N of the valley.

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

One more Dollarbird this morning, and in addition:


Red-billed Leiothrix - 3
Striated Yuhina - 1 (catching and eating a green caterpillar)

Lesser Shortwing - 2 (inc 1 seen briefly)

Arctic Warbler - 1
Eastern Crowned Warbler - 1
Yellow-browed Warbler - 1

Sooty Flycatcher - 1 juv

muscicapa flycatcher sp - 2

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch - 1h

Hair-crested Drongo (at lunchtime)

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

A wonderful early morning freebie on the tree outside my house was this superb male Black-naped Oriole - my second on the patch this year after a female loitered for a week in the spring - but only my third ever here. Nothing like digiscoping from the comfort of your own living room!

Taxing the oriole pix also allowed time for a couple of Dollarbirds to emerge and fly up onto the power lines - 40 for the autumn. . . and counting.

In the forest I had my first Asian Paradise Flycatcher of the year, having drawn a blank during the spring, and more routinely, an Asian Brown Flycatcher, and Arctic, Eastern Crowned and Yellow-browed Warblers

As I came back out of the forest a young Crested Serpent Eagle with barred primaries and no strong white subterminal band had me dreaming abut Mountain Hawk Eagle, but the yellow facial skin and the fact that it was soaring companionably with an adult bird put the kibosh on that brief fantasy.

Final bird of the morning was a Besra, also enjoying the good soaring conditions.

Other birders also photographed a juvenil Straited Heron along the stream.

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

a few more migrants over the last two days, but just from home:

Dollarbird:                           2 Sunday, 3 Monday
Black-winged Cuckooshrike:  1 Sunday and Monday
Olive-backed Pipit:               1 Monday first of the autumn
Blue Magie:                          1heard Monday

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

Still no opportunity to get into the forest due to resetting my broken nose, but the passage of Dollarbirds (now up to a record 49 birds this autumn) was joined on the power lines over the valley by either an Amur falcon or Hobby.

Sadly it was just too far to identify . . . Amur is my No1 target bird for this autumn in Ng Tung Chai.

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

This morning I saw and photographed my landmark 50th Dollarbird for the autumn at Ng Tung Chai.  There was one on the wires close to the village.

Unlike the day before, when it sneaked away as I was setting up the digiscope (coolpix4500 & Leica 77 APO), this bird stayed around for more than an hour allowing the attached pix to be taken.

I also had my first Dusky Warbler of the autumn

kmike

Two more Dollarbirds (total: 54) yesterday, and another on the wires now as I write.

No big surprises, but nice mix of migrants and arriving winterers in the last couple of day to accompany them.

Striated Heron - 1

Hobby - 1
Common Buzzard - 1

Common Kingfisher - 1

Olive-backed Pipit - 4

Yellow-browed Warbler - 2
Dusky Warbler - 2

Asian Brown Flycatcher - 2
Sooty Flycatcher - 2

Black-naped Oriole - 1 male

Hair-crested Drongo - 4

Grey Treepie - 1 heard

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

Another Dollarbird today (now 55 this autumn) and a few other migrants including the first Chinese Blackbirds and [I]Goodsoni [/I]Leaf Warbler of the winter.

I also had a single Asian Brown Flycatcher on the tree in front of the house and my first Grey-chinned Minivets for several months - 2 females with a male Scarlet Minivet.

For the first time this autumn Chestnut Bulbuls showed well and a flock of about 6 birds also carried a couple of Mountain Bulbuls.

another good day for Lesser Shortwing - at least 5 singing and I had good views of one - curious of my pishing, it came and sat clse-by and cocked its tail a few times before sidling away, and another showed briefly under the big tree at the first bend above the village.

Besra and Crested Serpent Eagle were overhead.

Cheers

Mike K

kmike

After a long gap (at the wrong time of year for long gaps!) the following were seen in the last couple of days:

Grey-chinned Minivet - 48
Scarlet Minivet - 2

Striated Yuhina - 25
Pygmy Wren Babbler - 4h

Lesser Shortwing - 4h
Daurian Redstart - 1 f

Chinese Blackbird - 3

Pallas' Leaf Warbler - 3
Yellow-browed Warbler - 4
Russet Bush Warbler - 1 singing
Mountain Tailorbird - 5 singing

Red-throated Flycatcher - 2
Grey-headed Flycatcher - 1
White-throated Fantail - 1

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

A female Bull-headed Shrike was in the dead tree in the fields in front of the carpark at 0840 this morning.

This is exactly one year after the last one turned up here last autumn - hope this one stays longer than the 2 days of the last one, but because of construction of a new village house there is more disturbance to this field at present.

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

More good birds in NTC this morning:

Grey-chinned Minivet - 1m

Red-flanked Bluetail - 4
Daurian Redstart - 1
Rufous-tailed Robin - 3
Lesser Shortwing - h

Grey-backed Thrush - 1 m
Chinese Blackbird - 28

Pallas' Leaf Warbler - 6
Yellow-browed Warbler - 4
Dusky Warbler - 1
Blyth's Leaf Warbler - 1
Greenish Warbler - 1
Mountain Bush Warbler - 2
Mountain Tailorbird - 1

Grey-headed Flycatcher - 2
Asian Brown Flycatcher - 1
Asian Paradise Flycatcher - 1
Verditer - 1m
White-throated Fantail - 1

Goldspec sp - 1

Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush - 15

Cheers
Mike K