subbuteo

Pak Tin Kong, HK-
19-Mar-2013 06:50 - 07:00

Must be spring, very humid following rainfall overnight, 21C.  Hills in mist/cloud.

18 species

Large Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx sparverioides)  1
Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)  1
Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)  1
Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis)  2
White-browed Laughingthrush (Garrulax sannio)  2
Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus)  1

The redstart was a surprise, it is presumably the same bird that has been resident over the winter.  It has been keeping a low profile for the past couple of weeks.  There are still a few thrushes around but I only hear them.  

I am hoping to get seven cuckoos in one morning walk- need Chestnut-winged and Hodgson's to start.  A Lesser would be nice!

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 21/03/2013 11:21 ]

subbuteo

Pak Tin Kong, HK-
21-Mar-2013 06:50 - 07:05
Protocol: Traveling
0.6 kilometer(s)
Comments:     23C. overcast and humid.  Not very birdy, bulbul flocks seem to be dispersing earlier as mornings are light earlier.
29 species

Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela)  1
Large Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx sparverioides)  X
Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus)  X
Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)  X
Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)  X
Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis)  X
Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)  1
Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)  X
Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus)  1
Black-throated Laughingthrush (Garrulax chinensis)  X
Chinese Hwamei (Garrulax canorus)  X
White-browed Laughingthrush (Garrulax sannio)  X
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus)  1
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni)  2


View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13463240

Forgot about Indian Cuckoo, so a potential eight cuckoos in one day...

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 21/03/2013 11:21 ]

subbuteo

Pak Tin Kong, HK-
21-Mar-2013 06:45 - 07:00
Protocol: Traveling
0.6 kilometer(s)
Comments:     19C overcast, dull.  Large flock of 60 Chinese bubuls, unusual.

27 species

Large Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx sparverioides)  1
Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)  1
Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)  1
Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis)  2
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis)  80     One large flock of 60+
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus)  2
Black-throated Laughingthrush (Garrulax chinensis)  3
Chinese Hwamei (Garrulax canorus)  2
White-browed Laughingthrush (Garrulax sannio)  4
Rufous-capped Babbler (Stachyridopsis ruficeps)  4
Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler (Pomatorhinus ruficollis)  5

Dylan

subbuteo

Pak Tin Kong, HK-
23-Mar-2013 07:20 - 07:50
Protocol: Traveling
0.8 kilometer(s)
Comments:     22C overcast.

29 species

Large Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx sparverioides)  1
Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus)  1
Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)  2
Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)  1
Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis)  2
Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)  2
Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)  1
Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus)  3
Chestnut Bulbul (Hemixos castanonotus)  2
Pallas's Warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus)  1
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus)  2
Fan-tailed Warbler (Cisticola juncidis)  1
Black-throated Laughingthrush (Garrulax chinensis)  3
Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris)  1
Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler (Pomatorhinus ruficollis)  2

Dylan

subbuteo

Pak Tin Kong, HK-
04-Apr-2013 08:30 - 08:50
Protocol: Traveling
0.6 kilometer(s)
Comments:     Just back from holiday so have some catching up to do.

16 species

Large Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx sparverioides)  1
Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)  2     Seen over the marshy area below Pak Tin Kong, towards Ping Long.  One had a full white head.  Initially thought they were black drongos- I've not seen Balck Bulbul down here before.

Dylan

subbuteo

Pak Tin Kong, HK-
16-Apr-2013
Comments:     22C Overcast, humid.
34 species

Chestnut-winged Cuckoo (Clamator coromandus)  1
Large Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx sparverioides)  4
Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx nisicolor)  1
Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus)  1
Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)  3
Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)  1
Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis)  2
Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus)  1
Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus)  1
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus)  1
Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saularis)  5
Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola solitarius philipensis)  1
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni)  6

Seven cuckoos today... glad to have finally picked up a few more migrants.  Dusky, yellow-browed warbler and Olive-backed Pipit are more obvious at the moment, presumably birds moving through.

I have not been walking down to She Shan this year, I find it demoralising with all the "development".  I console myself that it will green up over the summer, I just hope it doesn't become a carpark or construction zone.

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 17/04/2013 08:25 ]

subbuteo

A quick walk just before the downpour started.

Brown Wood Owl 1- the four note call.

Also an unusual call, I'm trawling xeno-canto but no luck.  It may be a frog?  Very monotonous, two notes repeated for at least fifteen minutes, called with a one second gap called again, two second pause then repeated.  Not very loud but audible from 200m away.  Sounded like a child's toy trumpet repeating- not as high pitched as Chestnut-winged cuckoo.

The call was coming from long dry grass, no stream or standing water that I know of in the area (an old abandoned dwelling).  There could be old earthenware rice jars full of water to bring a frog in.

The short recording has been amplified for clarity but the sound is not distorted.  I can email a longer recording if anyone wants it!

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 25/04/2013 23:07 ]

tmichael

Why isn't it a Slaty-legged Crake, though persistence sounds a bit unusual and presumably you are acquainted with the call we identify as that.

subbuteo

Yes, that's it. Thanks!  I should have recognized it as I have heard it before. Clearly not often enough.

subbuteo

Sunday 28/4/13

A quiet walk down to She Shan 9am - 10.30am

Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo
Crested Goshawk
Besra


Monday 29/4/13 6.45am

Dollarbird 1 first this year.

Grey-streaked Flycatcher 1 seen while I was eating my dinner!  6.30pm
Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 29/04/2013 18:46 ]

subbuteo

2 May 2013

Dollarbird
Slaty-legged Crake (calling)
Savanna Nightjar

I fluked the nightjar sighting, I was sweeping my torch across the marsh hoping for eye-shine from something and it flew across the beam.  Best I've had doing that up till now has been a night-heron.  The nightjars have not been calling for a while now (this one wasn't either) so may be here and over-looked.

Dylan

kmike

Congratulations on the nightjar Dylan.

I never saw one in 10 yrs in Lam Tsuen.

Cheers
Mike

subbuteo

10 May 2013

I distantly heard what I thought could be a square-tailed drongo-cuckoo calling this morning but I wasn't sure. I raced out of work this afternoon and hung around behind Tin Liu Ha hoping it would call and it did.  I had my recorder along and I am trying to get the call onto my laptop.  Hopefully, I will sort the technology soon.  Meanwhile, this is an iphone recording which is not as clear.

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 10/05/2013 20:14 ]

subbuteo

A clearer clip from the digital recorder.

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 10/05/2013 19:20 ]

Jonathmartinez

I heard a couple of them recently in various place,and I fully agree that it is a Drongo Cuckoo...good finding, well done.

All the best,

Jonathan

subbuteo

Thanks Jonathan.  It has been pointed out that this is listed as fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus dicruroides) on the HK list.  It is listed on Xeno-Canto as square-tailed which has the same species name (Surniculus lugubris) as the HK Bird report.   

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Surniculus-lugubris

Fork-tailed is listed on the site with no calls:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Surniculus-dicruroides

There is a mis-match between Xeno-canto and the HK name.  The HK bird report has it listed as fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris) which combines the two!

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 11/05/2013 06:57 ]

Ronaldo

Square-tailed and fork-tailed are two sub-species of the same bird, which, as far as I know, haven't been split yet. Square-tailed drongo-cuckoo is resident in South East Asia, while Fork-tailed is a winter migrant there (and is the sub-species that occurs in Hong Kong). The square-tailed drongo-cuckoo is supposed to have a slightly shallower forked tail. From my observations of resident birds in Malaysia and Singapore, they both actually have fork-tailed (and are not always easy to separate in the field).

ajohn

There was a mix-up in the scientific name of Drongo Cuckoo in the Bird Report when the split was first adopted on the HK list (which I think was when we adopted the IOC list). This resulted in the species being listed in HKBR as S. lugubris rather than the correct name of S. dicruroides.
This error has now been corrected in the new 2011 HKBR.

subbuteo

14 may 2013

Another Drongo Cuckoo calling this time in my garden!  Calling at 6.30 am, Pak Tin Kong.  I got great views of it too.  I'll try and post a video clip.

I'm going to late for work!

Dylan

Ps Made it to work okay.  

Video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMjLYIdjhTA&feature=youtu.be

The calls are a little different this time, this bird mainly gives the four note call, last time it was the longer six note call.

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 14/05/2013 08:04 ]

kmike

A fantastic record Dylan.

Green with envy and hope it stays a few more days!

Its very useful to have a record of the four-note call too - Great stuff.

Cheers
Mike

subbuteo

16 May 2013

Thanks, Mike.  The drongo-cuckoo is still here!

The bird is in my village, Pak Tin Kong, (白田崗村) which can be reached fairly quickly from Lam Kam Road.  The path to my village starts from the only set of traffic lights on Lam Kam Road.  The path is opposite Kwun Yik Store and sign posted.  The bird seems to be around the tall palms and surrounding area.  

It was still calling at 7.15am.

Dylan

subbuteo

17 May 2013

Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo
Large Hawk Cuckoo 3
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo 2
Plaintive Cuckoo
Koel
Greater Coucal
Lesser Coucal
Asian Barred Owlet calling 9am
Hainan Blue Flycatcher 2 singing

Dylan

ajohn

Have you managed eight cuckoo species yet, with the Drongo cuckoo as well as your usual seven?

subbuteo

Not in one day, seven is the record.  Mike picked up the Hodgson's this morning behind Lung A Pai and I haven't heard it for a couple of weeks.  Drongo Cuckoo doesn't seem to be about today, unfortunately.  Still haven't had an Indian Cuckoo and there's an optimistic chance of a Lesser Cuckoo as Mike's two records have been at this time of year.  Ever hopeful!

Seven cuckoo species is still pretty good though!

Dylan

ajohn

I'm surprised you haven't had Indian Cuckoo - they have been singing at Mai Po for weeks now, I've heard up to four at once. Maybe they are not so common at Lam Tsuen because you don't have the Black Drongos to act as a host? They are the opposite of Large Hawk Cuckoo, which has been very difficult on the reserve at Mai Po this year.

subbuteo

Indian Cuckoos are few and far between in Lam Tsuen and we don't have black drongo so that makes sense.  I have seen/heard Indian only a few  times in Lam Tsuen.  I thought I had a black drongo today but it was a water logged hair-crested.  Large Hawk Cuckoos aplenty here, and lately chestnut-winged, do you happen to know what they parasitise?

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 17/05/2013 17:55 ]

kmike

I believe Chestut-winged parasitises Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, but have no reference.

I only heard Indian Cuckoo 2 or 3 times in 10 years in Lam Tsuen John

Cheers
Mike

wleepoin

Hi Dylan & Mike,

In 2004 at Tai Po Kau, we saw a immature Chestnut-winged Cuckoo parasitises a Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush.




Cheers
PWMK

subbuteo

Excellent photo!  

There is a flock of necklaced laughing thrushes on the walk up to Lin Au from Lam Tsuen.  I think I have seen them in Tai Om a couple of times and up at Ng Tung Chai.  They definitely stick to mature woodland and I have never seen them in the open areas of the valley.  

Dylan

ajohn

I have also seen juvenile Chestnut-winged Cuckoo associating with Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush (at Hok Tau, last year).

Large Hawk Cuckoo I am not sure about - Robson says that they parasitise Spiderhunters, but that can't be the case in Hong Kong (and is surprising to me, given the relative size of the species). I've seen a juvenile at Kam Tin close to Eurasian Magpies and Masked Laughingthrushes, but given the distribution around the hillsides in HK I've always thought Hwamei must be a candidate for the major host (but have no evidence to back that up).

Incidentally, Drongo Cuckoos are supposed to be parasites of babblers. Does anyone know specifically which species they use in China? Is there a chance they could colonise here in the near future? It could be possible if Rufous-capped Babbler or Huet's Fulvetta are potential hosts.

subbuteo

Brown Wood Owl calling 5.35am.  I haven't been out at day break recently and assume I have been missing it calling.  
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo
Hair-crested Drongo

Also, Bamboo Pit Viper- immobile but very much alive, I found a long stick and shifted it off the footpath.  

Dylan