tsheunglai

Dear all

It is time to speak out so that Ms Twaiyi's revelation will not remain one-sided. As the telephone conversations were private, it was improper to discuss or reveal here in detail. However, some words from Ms Twaiyi I find untrue and serious enough to warrant a proper reply.

First of all, I never when I talked to Ms Twaiyi that I was a member of the executive council of the Society.

Secondly, I never challenged her present membership and her future as a member in the Society.

I persuaded and occasionally reasoned (in retrospect unwise) perhaps to the disgust and certainly having created understanding on the side of Ms Twaiyi. The outcome right now I regard totally regrettable. But the words I used are not coercive, nor the tone I delivered them suggesting high-handedness, least of all Mafia-like.

Good birding to you all.

Tai

tsheunglai

Dear all

I am glad the Red-backed Affair has attracted such good number of positive, constructive and healthy opinions and suggestions. While I will not dwell on literally what is written in the Society's consititution, my past twenty years of experience tells the same conclusion. Let me share with you all some true ancedotes.

When I was quite a novice in birdwatching and there existed no Hotline for the birding community in general, I one day hurried to Mai Po in the direction of the Scrape (Ponds 16/17). I met an English-speaking birder and enquired about the Oriental White Storks. Half surprisingly and half-mockingly his reply was, "The were all gone quite a number of days."

Another is the bird Brown-breasted Flycatcher which I have never seen. I learnt from the Annual Report (in those days the reports were sent to our hands punctually to the week. How are you and where are you now, my dear Verity (Pickens)?). It has been well seen like other rarities by a dozen of well-informed birdwatchers but no other outside their circle.

Take one more example. I was for one almost envious of what Hon Kong Twitcher had achieved of seeing 350 different birds in the wild in one year. There are a number of successful elements there, prominent among them is help from friendly fellow birders who did not mind telling him where the good birds could be found.

The story is quite contrary in my case. While I have been serving the local Chinese birding community by being the official informer as regard bird finds (being in charge of the Chinese Hotline), up to now since I succeeded H F Cheung, it could be for months hundreds of callers listening to the daily hotline bulletin without leaving a message about their finds).

We join the society naturally to share, for good and for bad, not to take without contribute, asking for ID while holding their information for various reasons which so far I've found quite unjustified and some I dare say bordering on selfishness. My fellow Chinese-speaking birders, you did love 'Casaer' (the Society) once, why don't you now mourn for him (contribute to the Chinese hotline for the benefit of all)?

Good birding to you all

'Hopeful' Tai

tsheunglai

Dear Mchristine

Forgive for addressing you as above.

It is up to the Society if it thinks it important enough to give the birding community the holder of the office its due publicity. For the English counterpart the holder is Richard whose voice I almost hear daily so that I can get a digest of what he learns about bird finds of the day (the tranlation often proves hard though I hold good qualification in tranlation, chiefly for bird names and places).

When I asked Ms Twaiyi for information, I did revealed who I was and asked her to refer me to Mr Ho our office manager for confirmation. I tried hard and repeatedly with Ms Twaiyi in this tone/way but sadly to no avail. While I am respectfully to and appreciate for what Richard has done all the years, the Chinese holder is regarded as it seems to me a far-inferior second.

Thank you for your care and concern to make an direct enquiry.

Happy Tai

tsheunglai

Dear  all

Perhaps my professional past lingers in my tone of speaking a heavy weight of authority which I probably cannot get rid of for the rest of my life. But anyone who hears and reads me carefully should probably detect in my words an expressive and explicit truth of being honest-speaking, though some might find them blunt and hurting.

For the moment I will try not to speak to stangers for information in the society.

This is my last reponse to anything said by Ms Twaiyi openly to bother anybody.

Misunderstanding is the name of the gulf at the moment.

Proud-speaking Tai

tsheunglai

Dear all

Don't let fear be the rule of the day!

Let us recall from our birding history cases of seeing a rarity that caused distrubance or aroused public concern.

Let me recall my past participation of seeing a first bird of Hong Kong. As they were always some senior and respectable birders present who provided polite and proper guidance, discipline has been maintained to the satisfaction of all present. Up to now I don't see any need of new guidance and rules for birding in such cases. The Lai Chi Kok Park case which aroused outsiders' concern and complaint was quite different. Accessibility to information electronically is a double-edged tool.

Experience, especially on-the-spot experience is paramount in birding, especially the above cases. I hope the fun will not be spoiled by some arm-chair strategists who point their fingers to direct events at a distance, especially on accepting complaints by someone who base their cases on empty FEAR. Right now, wild birds are forced to live among human activities. Either they adapt or let us not bird at all. Ringing, I believe, is a torture to wild birds, but only to a tiny percent of them. Disturbance to nature is a HUMAN CRIME. Birding, from the point of view of wild birds, is one example. Let us all strike a fine balance.

Last of all, birders or non-birders, are free to be present in any public place. This is right of everyone who obeys the law of Hong Kong.

Tai

tsheunglai

Dear all

I at last took time to have a look of what Paul has written. Paul, your observation is still that keen as former days I found you. But your biometrics do not help me at tall when I happen to bump into it or its kind again!

Back to the point. So far nobody has said whether it is definitely a juv (1st winter) or a female! Can I get an answer?

About field marks. I'm reading Plate 89 of Grimmet, etal's book 'Birds of Indian Sub-continent. Together with my own experience and knowledge, I judge the bird to be a juv/1st winter (by the way, which term is more appropriate this time of the year?). By its head (which is mottled), bill with a yellowish/ivory inner part, mottled wing coverts and back, and its scaled breast sides I wonder if I could venture saying it a juv/first winter.

From some particular angle (only) the bird was sharp square-tailed. But one easily seen feature is that it has a clear BROWN eyestripe that few other juv have. Its tail is the brightest in brown and its upper tail coverts are scaled. The bill shape and size defintely helps here (for a keen and experienced birder only). Furthermore, the tertials are thickly fringed in buff while the primary projection's length is hard to judge/compare.

Please let me suggest here that it is a juv/1st winter Red-backed Shrike for having a clear brown eyestripe, brown mottled head and bright brown mantle (from some angle and the right direction of light, mottled back and upper tail coverts and a bright brown squared tail, colour comparing to other upper parts.

Hopefully someone could correct, improve and/or simplify my suggested field features said above.

Tai

tsheunglai

Dear all

I at last took time to have a look of what Paul has written. Paul, your observation is still that keen as former days I found you. But your biometrics do not help me at tall when I happen to bump into it or its kind again!

Back to the point. So far nobody has said whether it is definitely a juv (1st winter) or a female! Can I get an answer?

About field marks. I'm reading Plate 89 of Grimmet, etal's book 'Birds of Indian Sub-continent. Together with my own experience and knowledge, I judge the bird to be a juv/1st winter (by the way, which term is more appropriate this time of the year?). By its head (which is mottled), bill with a yellowish/ivory inner part, mottled wing coverts and back, and its scaled breast sides I wonder if I could venture saying it a juv/first winter.

From some particular angle (only) the bird was sharp square-tailed. But one easily seen feature is that it has a clear BROWN eyestripe that few other juv have. Its tail is the brightest in brown and its upper tail coverts are scaled. The bill shape and size defintely helps here (for a keen and experienced birder only). Furthermore, the tertials are thickly fringed in buff while the primary projection's length is hard to judge/compare.

Please let me suggest here that it is a juv/1st winter Red-backed Shrike for having a clear brown eyestripe, brown mottled head and bright brown mantle (from some angle and the right direction of light, mottled back and upper tail coverts and a bright brown squared tail, colour comparing to other upper parts.

Hopefully someone could correct, improve and/or simplify my suggested field features said above.

Tai

tsheunglai

Dear Bob

Good question. Enquiries about its location start almost I believe as soon as photos appear on the website. I myself phoned a birder I know well. He was travelling so he gave me a phone number to contact the finder. I got a promise but it was broken.

As far as I know. The finder informed two of her friends she trusted. She borrowed some equipment and took some photos. She posted some asking help for ID. She told me the bird has been in the same location for two days.

Frustrated, I had a turn of forune. A telephone call telling me where I shouold go for the bird. When I arrived about a dozen birders/photographers I happen to know already there. One birder I know well probably found the location and bird on his own. He was smart enough to deduce from information he got from the website.

I followed Richard, the holder of the English Hotline's example and posted the message about the bird on the Chinese Hotline. I informed by phone a couple of other birders in the evening. I called at the English Hotline next evening. I followed its example and changed the message to make the location vague, just Ho Man Tin. But according to my telephone record, about eighteen callers have got the message, the exact location I mean. You know hot news travels fast, I think exponentially. In two days time, I estimate at least fifty birders and photographers available of time of the society, including a couple who carried cameras, complete strangers to me who talked to nobody had arrived before me, saw the bird.

That is what I know.

Tai