Webcreeper

Link to Old BBS 舊新聞組連結

Webcreeper

Originally posted by David Stanton on 10/13/06 at 18:17:23

I had a stroll around Long Valley this morning 0615-0900.

Highlights included:

Plaintive Cuckoo x1
Eurasian Wryneck x1
Black-Winged Cuckoo Shrike x1
Black-Winged Stilt x12
Wood Sandpiper x12
Green Sandpiper x2
Red-Throated Pipit x10
Rose-Ringed Parakeet x1
Oriental Reed Warbler  x8
Stonechat - at least 7
Zitting Cisticola x1
Dusky Warblers - at least 20
Black Drongo x2
Snipe - x40 (I need to brush up on field id of these, particularly calls as they rise when flushed - does anyone know of where I could get recordings of these?)

Also:
Bunting sp - from other posts yellow-browed is mentioned, and though this was probably the same, I haven't got a decent picture of a Yellow-browed in winter plumage - does anyone know any good links? This bird seemed to have a lighter mantle/back and tail that the Y-B, more along the lines of a Reed Bunting.

Possible Juv. Cinnamon Bittern - I'm guessing this from recent posts, though it could be a juv bittern species.  Is this a species that occurs in HK as a Juv?

Sooty-headed Bulbul - 2, I know these aren't uncommon birds generally, but this was the first time I've seen them here.

All these questions - I just hope they are in the right thread, I dont want to get into trouble! Thanks in anticipation of any answers/help.

David

Webcreeper

Originally posted by Mike Kilburn on 10/13/06 at 19:10:35

Hi Dave

Your post is fine here.

Sooty-headed Bulbul is regular at Long Valley.

A pic of the bunting was posted a few daya ago on this site, but can't remember where.

Cinnamon Bittern is a regular passage migrant at this time.  

You should probaby get a HK bird book - The Birds of Hong Kong and South China by Viney Phillips and Lam is the best for HK.  And for info on the status of birds (arrival & departure dates, status) etc the Avifauna of Hong Kong is a essential purchase from the HKBWS office (they have copies of the field guide too). It also serves as the foundation for the HK list.

Cheers

Mike K

Webcreeper

Originally posted by miket on 10/13/06 at 19:19:13

Hi David,

Concerning field ID of snipes Common vs Pintail/Swinhoe's is straightforward on basis of white trailing edge/paler underwing of Common, but Pintail vs Swinhoe's in flight is not considered reliable, above all due to overlap in size. Separation on the ground seems next to impossible. I don't know where you can currently get tapes - usual sources I suppose.

It's not clear what exactly your bunting might have been - the putative Yellow-browed from late September (wasn't it? thus unlikely same bird) was a juvenile, I think.

Juv Cinnamon Bittern certainly occurs here - it breeds commonly in south China - separation from Schrenck's is the main issue.

Sooty-headed Bulbul is quite common in HK, but nowhere near as numerous as other common bulbuls and rather localised - very regular at Long Valley though.

Hope that helps.

See you in the field some time no doubt.

Mike Turnbull.

Webcreeper

Originally posted by David Stanton 10/13/06 at 19:29:13

Mike, thanks for that, appreciate the prompt response.

I do have both books, apologies for my lazinness, I don't crossreference back to the Avifauna as regularly as I should, I must get into the habit!

I'll have a look for the Bunting picture on the BBS, the bird I saw was much lighter generally than picture on the plates in Birds of HK and South China - I wasn't sure if there was much variation in the winter plumage.

Thanks again

David

ayrex

Sunday, 15 Oct 2006
08:00-12:00

Cloudy, a little sunshine, very warm and stuffy, almost no wind

Peregrine Falcon x1
Black-winged Stilt x14
Grey Wagtail x1
Plaintive Cuckoo (juvenile) x1

A duck flew across the fields and landed somewhere far from me, but I can't identify it.

ddavid

Long Valley  Sunday October 15th, 2006   4-6 p.m.

Little Egret - 10
Cattle Egret - 4
Chinese Pond Heron - 9
Northern Shoveler - 1
buttonquail sp. (prob Yellow-legged) - 1
Greater Painted-snipe - 4
Black-winged Stilt - 3
Pacific Golden Plover - 1
Little Ringed Plover - 20
Green Sandpiper - 3
Wood Sandpiper - 3
Common Sandpiper - 4
Pintail/Swinhoe's Snipe - 4
Common Snipe - 41
Plaintive Cuckoo - 1
Common Kingfisher - 1
Yellow Wagtail subsp - 6
Yellow Wagtail taivana - 14
Yellow Wagtail macronyx - 13
Grey Wagtail - 2
White Wagtail leucopsis - 26
White Wagtail ocularis - 1
Red-throated Pipit - 46
Sooty-headed Bulbul - 3
Common Stonechat - 5
Lanceolated Warbler - 1
Oriental Reed Warbler - 5
Zitting Cisticola - 4
Dusky Warbler - 10
Scaly-breasted Munia - 9
Black Drongo - 3

Dave Diskin

kmike

An Amur Falcon (not male) was seen around 3:30 this afternoon soaring high above LV, before heading off towards Mai Po.

Cheers
Mike K

tgraham

Long Valley 24-10-2006

08.00-09.30

A brief stomp round this am produced

Chestnut - eared Bunting 1
Yellow - breasted Buntinmg 1
Buzzard 1

Plus all the usual birds

HK Twitcher

cgeoff

19 November

At about 1140 this morning I had a Rustic Bunting. It flew over my head calling, and landed on a wire next the field surrounded by yellow posts that lies on your right hand side as you enter from Yin Kong. After sitting there for a short time, it flew off toward the village, but I wasn't able to watch it for long, as I was using my scope.

Although undoubted ex-captive individuals of this species occur, the mid November date is what would be expected for this late autumn migrant.

Geoff Carey