wgeoff

The first week of my last season on Po Toi.

On the land, some new spring species. On Tuesday, Crested Goshawk (may have been there all winter), Common Sandpiper and two migrant Large-billed Crows, the first time I have seen them flying in off the sea. On Wednesday, a very early male Red Turtle Dove, not sure what that was doing, three Pacific Swifts as noted by Brendan and an Olive-backed Pipit. And on Thursday, a White-throated Kingfisher which may also have been there all winter. The Hoopoe, Grey-headed Flycatcher and Brown Shrike certainly have been there all winter and still this week. No sign of the Black-throated Tits but single Japanese and Pale Thrush are probably new arrivals.

This has been a poor year on Po Toi for Japanese/Manchurian Bush Warbler. A few normally over-winter, but this year none - until this week when one started singing in the early morning just past the sister's cafe and I was lucky to get a good view on Thursday



This is a recent species split and the two are known to be difficult to separate, but judging by the general bright rufous colour, particularly on the nape (Kennerley page 599), and the largish bill and legs, I think this could be a male Japanese Horornis diphone ssp canturians. I also recorded the song, a short condensed section here

http://www.geoffwelch46.com/JAPBWSONG.mp3

At sea, March is the time for gulls and Ancient Murrelet, and this week did not disappoint.
One Ancient Murrelet on Wednesday morning and a group of three on Thursday morning. I was a bit slow picking them up, so no photos (they move really fast) but this brings my total number of this species to 70 over the eight years from 2006, 48 of these in March.

Late afternoon in March is always the best time to see gull migration, it seems they set out about two hours before sunset and mostly migrate overnight. Wednesday evening was a good example, 194 Heuglin's type and 114 Black-tailed passing in two hours from 15.45pm, mostly first and second winter birds and all heading north-east out of the Dangan Channel. This has been a good spring for Black-tailed Gulls, as noted by Brendan above, and this is my highest daily count for Black-tailed.
But best of all, a Black-legged Kittiwake close in at 16.27pm



Then I immediately noticed another small gull further out



another Black-legged Kittiwake! Then 30 minutes later, another



I didn't see any gulls of any species coming back after having passed me, so my conclusion is, at least two and probably three Black-legged Kittiwakes.

I've wondered why we get so many seabird species from Japan and Korea wintering so far south in Hong Kong waters. I think the answer lies in a cold current which sweeps down the coast of east China in winter and causes low sea temperatures in our area in February



sea temperatures in February almost as cold as those in south Korea and Japan.

The only big disappointment of the week was to be refused a $2 fare on the ferry (see my report for the Last Week in February). I was told by the ferry staff that this fare only applies to ferries with Octopus Card Readers. I'll be writing a letter for explanation to the relevant Government Department - why advertise at the Ferry Pier if it doesn't apply to that Ferry Company?
My wife has reversed her decision to ask me to go to Po Toi more often - back to square one Mike.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 8/03/2013 08:20 ]

wgeoff

A very quiet week this week.

At sea, after the excitement of last week, just five Black-tailed Gulls and one Heuglin's Gull seen in ten hours sea-watching.
Also the first migrating egret, a Little Egret, and four waders which I think were Great Knot.



On the land, a few new arrivals. A fine male Tristram's Bunting on the path above my house and two White-shouldered Starling were the only new species, plus a flock of five migrant Large-billed Crows



Coloured starlings regularly turn up in Hong Kong - one of these was a fine shade of pink. Where do they get their colours from? Is it something they eat which colours their feathers?

A few species missing this week, the Hoopoe and Brown Shrike may have left and I didn't hear any Chestnut Bulbuls. But Red-tailed Robins have now started singing from the hillsides and both Pallas's and Yellow-browed Warblers are singing when the sun shines.

Some good news at sea. The ban on bottom-trawlers fishing in Hong Kong waters, which started at the beginning of this year, seems already to have an effect. This was a very destructive form of fishing which involved ripping up the sea bed to catch very few fish.
There are now very few commercial fishing vessels of any sort operating in the waters around Po Toi (a few have simply moved across into Chinese waters - see photo) and the fish appear to be more plentiful - many shoals of small fish can be seen jumping the waters around Po Toi, plus several shoals of larger fish feeding on them in great frenzy




Good news for the Hong Kong environment.
Does anyone know what these bigger fish are?

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 15/03/2013 07:01 ]

wgeoff

It's amazing how quickly a cold front can pass through in March, changing both the weather and the bird scene almost immediately. This happened on Thursday morning.

At 7am, I was sitting at my seawatching station, basking in shirtsleeves in the warm weather and light southerly winds.
I noticed the wind gradually pick up, at first from the east, then from the north. It started to become colder, I put on a jacket. The wind picked up more, north force four, but very misty. By 8.30am I had a jacket, a raincoat and a hat on, I was still cold. And the birds started coming.

First a group of 16 Barn Swallows with at least one Red-rumped - quite uncommon on Po Toi. Then a Dusky Warbler landed on the rocks and an Oriental Pratincole flew past. Time to go looking for migrants on the land, and it didn't take long to find what I was hoping for.

Crossing the football field, I saw a small bird with an orange tail fluttering around the bushes. Daurian Redstart I thought, until I got a full view - Ferruginous Flycatcher, my earliest ever, probably just arrived and desperately searching for insects. This is one of the species I believe migrate across the South China Sea from The Philippines or north Borneo in spring, a 30 hour non-stop flight before finding safety on the island of Po Toi.
I missed the photo - I lost the bird, thought I would see it again so I left it to feed in peace, but I didn't see it later. These are really beautiful birds and one of the delights of spring.

By the end of the morning I had 28 non-resident species, an increase of six over the previous day, and including at least one White's Thrush. A typical result from a March cold front. But no photos - I just wasn't with it.

Up to that time, it had been quiet. The Hoopoe was back on view, a Zitting Cisticola on the south-east grasslands was the first this year but may have been there all winter.



Most interesting was a newly arrived flock of around 40 White-eyes. Spring passage for White-eye is unusual (as mentioned in Avifauna), the first time I have seen it on Po Toi.

At sea, very little, just a few Black-tailed Gulls on the move. But also flocks of both Little and Great Egrets migrating now.

Spring migration should really start next week, especially if there is another cold front on Monday as forecast.

Brendan is leaving Hong Kong next week. He's been a regular visitor to Po Toi, quite often staying overnight at my place. I'll miss him, and we'll all miss his frequent reports of good finds elsewhere in Hong Kong.
Au revoir Brendan, good luck with your career and come back to see us some time.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 22/03/2013 09:31 ]

wgeoff

A wet week, but welcome after a very dry start to the year. All the Po Toi reservoirs were dry and the government had been shipping clean water by barge for the local residents to use. How did they ever survive in the early years?

The rain started with a cold front passing through on Monday but continued through into Thursday, making it difficult to birdwatch on Tuesday and Thursday and leaving me with a bad cold due to over-exposure - the pleasures of seawatching on a wet day. Fortunately Wednesday was mostly dry and that was easily the best day for me.

This week and the next two are the best weeks in the year for Grey-faced Buzzards - in fact, almost the only weeks in the year when they can be seen. Tuesday may have been a good day for them but I arrived too late and only managed to see two quite distantly. But seawatching on Wednesday, a single bird flew across from Dangan Island early in the morning, passing close to me





This bird almost certainly arrived on Dangan the day before, having been blown off course on migration between The Philippines and Taiwan/East China.

The buzzard was followed almost immediately by an Osprey on exactly the same track



This is the fifth year out of eight I have seen an Osprey in spring, which indicates to me that some northern birds must winter in The Philippines.

Back to the Grey-faced Buzzards. I didn't see any more that morning but a rain shower at 2pm was followed by a flock of 17 arriving over the harbour - here just ten I could get into one shot



They wheeled around for a few minutes before one started heading off north, followed by all the others, with a few singles arriving later doing the same thing. Total for the day - 21, a good number but not yet up to 2008 (142 in two days) or 2010 (34 in one day).

So the week belonged to the rain and Grey-faced Buzzards although I also managed another Hoopoe at the south peninsular very early on Wednesday, three Ashy Minivets near the Upper School on Thursday and an ocularis White Wagtail all week



At sea, just three Heuglin's Gulls and the first flock of 23 Red-necked Phalarope, quite late this year, and a single Ancient Murrelet on Wednesday morning



No flycatchers in the week was a bit disappointing but I'm hoping for more now as spring starts to warm up

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 29/03/2013 07:53 ]