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        HKBWS BBS 香 港 觀 鳥 會 新 聞 組
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        Discussion Area 討論區 >> Bird Identification 鳥類辨識 >>  Please identify the footprints
        
(Message started by: TN on Sep 22^nd, 2003, 3:55pm)

Title: Please identify the footprints
Post by TN on Sep 22^nd, 2003, 3:55pm

Would anyone help to identify the footprints shown in the attached photos. Are those footprints left by birds? May I know both Chinese and English names of this bird? Thanks!
http://www.geocities.com/hkdslr/footprint01.jpeg
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/fileServer/PhotoG/tn/tnfootprint01.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/hkdslr/footprint02.jpeg
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/fileServer/PhotoG/tn/tnfootprint02.jpg

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by TN on Sep 23^rd, 2003, 10:03am

No photo display! Why?

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by Forrest FONG on Sep 23^rd, 2003, 1:52pm

Hi TN,
;D
Please take a look of my previous message!

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=BirdingTips;action=display;num=1054370754;start=3

Forrest 8)

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by Forrest FONG on Sep 23^rd, 2003, 2:00pm

Hi TN,

Please provide more hints to make the guess, e.g. date, location & sizes of the footprint.

Cheers

Forrest

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by Webmaster on Sep 23^rd, 2003, 8:44pm

Let me guess, Tyrannosaurus rex.

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by TN on Sep 24^th, 2003, 10:04am

Hi, Forrest,

Thank you for your help to display the photos!
I was not on the locality when my friend took these photos beside the golf court at the old Kai Tai Airport runway. As told by him, there were a lot of "sea birds" in the vicinity. I forgot to ask him the actual size of the footpriints and the time of taking these photos. I shall inform you again once if my friend is contacted.

I note a photo of Red-necked Pharlarope taken by Louis Cheung at the page of
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/graphic/pharalop.html in which the bird may have the similar footprints. But I don't know whether this bird will make the footprints in a single file pattern as shown by the photos or not.

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by TN on Sep 24^th, 2003, 12:27pm

Some information from my friend (not a bird watcher) who took these photos:
1)The length of each footprint was 5-6cm approxmately;
2) Date/time : 20 Sept 03 / 09:30;
3)Location: Kai Tak runway near the golf court, the stockpile of sand seemed to be used for some engineering works;
4)Some birds looked like Egrets were in the vicinity ( not a bird watcher's observation!).

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by Earlybird on Sep 25^th, 2003, 9:14am

嘩！初看這相片時，還以為是在蒙古的大漠或非洲的撒哈拉拍的。
原來只是在香港舊機場跑道上的建築地盤！真是一個非常大的沙堆。

我認為這些腳印可能是小白鷺等留下的，並不是Red-necked Pharlarope。

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by TN on Sep 25^th, 2003, 11:27am

Earlybird,

謝謝你的回應! 但我有些不同看法.
小白鷺的足趾應是在比例上長很多, 而且應看到後趾印才是呢!

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by Mr X on Sep 25^th, 2003, 2:05pm

Not too many choices in this habitat

They should be birds capable of walking on the ground (not jumping like sparrows).

Also, they are big.

So, I guess they may be Magpie, BN Starling, Crested Myna or Jungle Crow.

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by Falcon on Sep 25^th, 2003, 10:39pm

This bird have to be a bird that walk, because if this bird jump, there should be two footprints mark in one spot, but ther is only one footprints in one spot at a time. In this kind of habitat, mostly should be a Little Egret, it can't be a red-necked phalarope because of the size.

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by TN on Sep 27^th, 2003, 2:32pm

Yes, the bird walked.It walked for a long way up to the top. Which one in this habitat has this behaviour? Why it walked for quite a lone distance? For food? for nesting, or just for curiosity to see around? Early Bird and Falcon said that the footprints were left by a Small Egret but I am not persuaded to think the same because of the shape. The toes in the photos were rather short and meaty. I think that those from a Small Egret should be longer and slim, and also with the trace of the hind toe.

Our Webmaster and Mr X guessed that the footprints were made by some other birds. But I can't recognise these!

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by Mr X on Sep 27^th, 2003, 3:55pm

Can't be waterbirds in particular egrets and herons.... as they usually don't walk on dry lands, except the breeding period when they collect nesting materials.

If I were waterbirds, I will fly from the bottom to the top.

Also, why this habitat attracts waterbirds ?........

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by Mr X on Sep 27^th, 2003, 3:56pm

Can't be waterbirds in particular egrets and herons.... as they usually don't walk on dry lands, except the breeding period when they collect nesting materials.

If I were waterbirds, I will fly from the bottom to the top.

If I were ground feeding birds like magpie and crested myna, I may collect food during walking

Also, why this habitat attracts waterbirds ?........

Title: Re: Please identify the footprints
Post by Falcon on Sep 30^th, 2003, 11:19pm

It may be a Crow, they also walk, it is possible to be a Large-billed Crow, but it also can fly very well, it should be a bird that walk, and don't fly well, if u look at the photos, the footprints shows that this bird have a short toe at the back, that make it look like a kind of Pratincole or a plover like bird footprints.