A fantastic day on southwest Lantau on Sunday (17th). I walked from Tai O through Yi O to Fan Lau, then via Kau Ling Chung and over the hill through Man Cheung Po, back to Tai O. A long walk (c. 20km), but really worthwhile with migrants everywhere in good numbers.
Despite the removal of shrubland, Yi O is looking good for birds at the moment. The open habitat looks like it could be very good for buntings and other shrubland-edge species. There are a few rice fields, which are starting to fruit. There has been a threat of development - hopefully this will not happen!
Not included in this list are the butterflies - huge numbers of Common and Blue Tigers at Fan Lau, Blue-spotted Crows migrating over all afternoon and hundreds of Plum Judys throughout the walk.
Highlights:
Eastern Water Rail - 1 in the reedbed at Tai O
Black-capped Kingfisher - 1 at Yi O
Daurian Redstart - 48
Rufous-tailed Robin - 33
Siberian Rubythroat - 38
Stejneger's Stonechat - 1 at Tai O
Red-flanked Bluetail - 1 (path between Tai O and Yi O)
Lesser Shortwing - 2 heard in the Tai O area
Eurasian Blackbird - 12
Japanese Thrush - 9
Grey-backed Thrush - 1 at Fan Lau
White's Thrush - 1 at Fan Lau
Plus several unidentified thrushes, mostly at Yi O
Radde's Warbler - 2 (1 seen well at Tai O, 1 at Man Cheung Po, possibly also another at Yi O)
Dusky Warbler - 42
Yellow-browed Warbler - 33
Two-barred Warbler - 2
Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler - 1
Arctic Warbler? - possibly 1 heard at Kau Ling Chung
Asian Stubtail - 8
Japanese/Manchurian Bush Warbler - 17
Brown-flanked Bush Warbler - 1 at Yi O
Mountain Tailorbird - 8
Black-browed Reed Warbler - 2 (1 at Tai O, 1 on path to Yi O)
Mugimaki Flycatcher - 2
Red-billed Starling - 1 at Yi O, 8 from the bus at Shek Pik
Chestnut Bulbul - 74+ including a flock of 40 at Fan Lau
Olive-backed Pipit - 22
Black-faced Bunting - 6 at Yi O
Little Bunting - 4 at Yi O
Chestnut Bunting - 3 at Yi O
Chestnut-eared Bunting - 1 probable on the path to Man Cheung Po
