tsheunglai

12th February 2013

The Coming of Spring

The Chinese Calendar says the fourth of February is the beginning of spring. The latest cold front proved to be short and less in severity
and the wind in the morning was easterly, making me to take off my warm cotton underwear and roll up my shirt's long sleeves.

The birds were seen before, but interesting nevertheless. A Goodson's warbler of the goodsoni race was welcome to afford me good moments of revision, seen crawling up to feed on thick branches. Three Tristram buntings also provided short-distance observation, including its sexe differences, face and crown patterns and unspotted pale chestnut upper tail coverts.

I did not visit the Lead Mine Pass part of the place but stopped and returned from Pinic Site No. 12 after confriming the female Plumbeous redstart being still at the old place.

Notable was that all thrushes seemed gone or hiding deep in wooded areas. I stayed at the spot where five photographers who successfully baited three Pekin robins and a Rufous-tailed robin to come out to peck off worms placed on broken bough pieces in the open.

S L Tai

[ Last edited by tsheunglai at 13/02/2013 19:50 ]

tsheunglai

4th March 2013

A cold front spell with no surprises

It was twenty to eight that I started, a time later than usual.

The seventh bird, though just a single Great egret, nevertheless was wholly worth my attention. It was found on the outlet of the Apple Dam catchment, not a good feeding ground for a large bird. It was later found on the north part beyond Pinic Site 12, again on similar habitat the outlet part of the rocky stream that I failed to see the female Plumbeous water redstart. When I approach to check it undereye dark eye it flew off up towards north, a strong indicator the bird was going towards Deep Bay for a good stopover for a short rest and feeding.

The wintering Ashy drongos, Black-winged cuckoo shrikes and Grey-headed flycatchers were represented with one bird for each species.

It was noted that a single Collared crow was seen flying across the reservoir, uncommon for the area and second for my records.

A pair of Scarlet minivets was seen at two different places, a happening that seems regular for this time of the season.

It was quite obvious that the number of Blue whistling thrushes heard or seen was dwindling to just one, strongly suggesting some might having been wintering birds from somewhere, perhaps outside the area or at least short distane migrants from the north of Guangdong province.


S L Tai

[ Last edited by tsheunglai at 5/03/2013 21:59 ]

tsheunglai

8th April 2013

A Share of Spring Migrants

Following bird news of spring migrants from various places like Po Toi, Tai Po Kau and Lantau, it was all but natural to explore my old haunt again to see how the place fared.

Some large-billed crows were the first birds I saw on top of Pineapple Dam around two young cows but soon I discerned a Cattle egret, the first spring migrant of the morning, perching on top of one of the cows. It was along the steps that led up to the catchment that I found the second, an uncalling Asian brown flycatcher,feeding a bit hard to refuel, obviously its first morning after landing after a longhaul journey. It was a Little bunting feeding on the grassy ground along the first section of the catchment that was counted as the third.

Yellow-browed and Pallas's warblers were heard all along, most of the latter singing. The Ashy drongo was heard when it flew near and perched behind the largest tree on the lawn before the road barrier, seeming with the purpose of telling me it was still present.

It was about after ten minutes of walk that I stopped to see what could be found among a noisy lot of local birds and I saw somewhat a dozen of birds calling in a ringing tone similar to local minivets but at lower pitch, flying in close order rather than randomly. On closer look upon a single one I realized that there were about or more than fifteeen Ashy minivets moving up in a roughly northerly direction, the fourth migrant species. Further on, I found a warbler whose song was particularly long and varied that I stopped, a longish warbler with a complete fleshy lower mandible, soon to be identified as an Eastern-crowned warlber, the fifth kind. Another two of the same species would be seen later.

A male Narcissus flycatcher perching away from me was kind enough for me to see its overly black upper body contrasting smartly with its brilliant yellowish orange lower back and rump, pure white wing patch and solid orange throat. It was the second and equally handsome male that I saw the solid yellow eyebrow. The two flycatchers made up the sixth migrant species.

It was a Little egret in the middle of the reservoir that was the seventh.

It was a single lovely Black-throated tit which diverted me temporarily from my search for migrants. I considered it a stroke of luck that I found on the pass a lovely male Blue and White flycatcher that moved fairly fast up while finding as much as possible to feed.

It was the third Hainan blue flycatcher that I heard at Picnic Site No.6 that I was confident I would be able to see. It was a delight when it flew and perched in full sight, singing the most attractive song among summer visitors of local woods.


S L Tai

[ Last edited by tsheunglai at 8/04/2013 21:41 ]

tsheunglai

14th April 2013

Another attempt at spring migrants

Would the area be good as last time? It was with mixed feelings of hope and doubt that I started at seven five.

Large hawk cuckoos were heard all the way up to Picnic Site No. 9, making me to think that they must be the commonest spring/summer visiting cuckoos of local woods. Though careless of counting, surely there were at least three of them heard. In comparison, a Hodgson's was only heard once. While I was attracted and stayed to wait, standing and switching my position in the most favourable way, the bird refused to fly out in sight.

Pallas's warblers were still plenty in number but others were not found. On the same bare tree on the lawn before the road barrier I found the same Ashy drongo again, this time with a winged insect between its mandibles. I wondered how it could have uttered its usual call while its mouth was fully occcupied. It was then that I noticed the source came from the Black-winged cuckoo shrike just about two metres away seen just a moment ago. The cuckoo shrike must have associated with the drongo long enough to have learned, the latter's ususal call and the Goshawk's. A good personal discovery. Another Ashy was seen on the pass part, which I thought was a migrant.

Going back to just ten minutes ago, there were two Grey wagtails, flying and feeding quite restlessly - good evidence of them being migrants, for is it not that I found the same species quite common in Kinabalu National Park, HQ, Sabah last October? Also I did not find any of them on the catchment last time.

It was quite a sight to see a sizeable flock of starlings in migration. A group of about twenty or more was seen flying and perching on the tallest fir tree, but dashed lower down when a Black kite strolled past and soon joined by another lot of similar size. Soon they all dropped to a dense tree and started feeding on its dark berries, affording me a chance to identify them. A total of about fifty of White-shouldered starlings.

Migrant flycatchers I found not, but it was a delight to see a female Hainan blue - my first after an absence of three years or more from my sight - together with its prospective mating partner. It was the female that I heard first, not the male. But it was the male that I saw before the female, causing self-doubt in confidence before the finds supported my listening skills.


S L Tai

[ Last edited by tsheunglai at 14/04/2013 21:26 ]

tsheunglai

27th April 2013

An Insignificant End to a Spring Trip Series

The morning started overcast with a slightly strong Easterly, and brightened up towards ten.

It was glad to be able to see a mixed flock of egrets and herons resting near the water edge of the reservoir - thirty Cattle, five Little and one Chinese pond - mostly resting from a tiring flight and some feeding to refuel.

And it was not without a little surprise to find the Ashy drongo at the beginning of the Lead Mine Pass to be still there, associtated
with local birds largely Grey-throated minivets.

A brown flycatcher, too far and unfavourably positioned to lend an identification - although the kind of brownness pointing towards it being a Grey-streaked - was also seen.

S L Tai