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20150502 Mai Po

20150502 Mai Po

All photographs were taken on 2nd May 2015 at Mai Po

Ruddy Turnstone 翻石鷸



Black-headed Gull 紅嘴鷗

Now you know, although my head is brown, human beings called me black-headed because I don't have pale iris and I don't have white patches near wing tips of my primaries.
Don't land on my head, you brown headed black-headed!


Eurasian Curlew 白腰杓鷸


Oriental Pratincole 普通燕鴴


Grey-tailed Tattler 灰尾漂鷸


[ Last edited by irsychan at 13/05/2015 00:44 ]

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The gull is a Black-headed. The name is a bit inappropriate, because this species has a brown head in breeding plumage!

I think it's a great photo of Grey-tailed Tattler.

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Quote:
Original posted by ajohn at 7/05/2015 10:11
The gull is a Black-headed. The name is a bit inappropriate, because this species has a brown head in breeding plumage!

I think it's a great photo of Grey-tailed Tattler.
Thank you very much, ajohn, for your comments.  'Brown-headed Gull' has been rectified to 'Black-headed Gull' as advised.

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More photos taken at same place and same date.

Curlew Sandpiper 彎嘴濱鷸


Red Knot 紅腹濱鷸


Black-crowned Night Heron 夜鷺


Whimbrel 中杓鷸


Terek Sandpiper 翹嘴鷸


Chinese Egret 中華白鷺


Red-necked Stint 紅頸濱鷸


Gull-billed Tern 鷗嘴噪鷗


Spotted Redshank 鶴鷸


Black-faced Spoonbill 黑臉琵鷺


Common Redshank 紅腳鷸


Common Greenshank 青腳鷸


Grey Plover 灰鴴


Pacific Golden Plover 金鴴

Common Sandpiper 磯鷸


Pied Avocet 反嘴鷸


Barn Swallow 家燕


Northern Shoveler (male) 琵嘴鴨(雄) - This was probably the last one that had not left yet.


Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 尖尾濱鷸


Marsh Sandpiper 澤鷸


White-winged Tern 白翅浮鷗


[ Last edited by irsychan at 13/05/2015 00:59 ]

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And one more photo - a plover with a very white face and relatively long legs (at centre of photo).  Could this be a white-faced plover?


[ Last edited by irsychan at 11/05/2015 23:26 ]

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The plover in the last photo is a non-breeding Greater Sand Plover. They can be fairly pale-faced at times.

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Quote:
Original posted by ajohn at 12/05/2015 10:21
The plover in the last photo is a non-breeding Greater Sand Plover. They can be fairly pale-faced at times.
Thank you for your comment, ajohn. But I thought non-breeding Greater Sand Plover typically has a brown line between bill base and the eye, which is lacking on this bird?

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It's true that the do have a dark line on the lores (between the eye and bill). But this can fade slightly over the winter, and may not be as obvious at certain angles (especially it seems when seen from the front as this bird). Notice that the bird slightly behind and to the left also seems to have a rather white face (although perhaps not as much).

Besides the white lores, there are a number of features that fit with this being a Greater Sand Plover and not White-faced e.g. large size, heavy bill, leg colour (dark olive, not pinkish), size of dark patches on the breast sides.

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Quote:
Original posted by ajohn at 12/05/2015 23:33
It's true that the do have a dark line on the lores (between the eye and bill). But this can fade slightly over the winter, and may not be as obvious at certain angles (especially it seems when seen f ...
Thank you for your further elaborations, ajohn.  I am still not convinced that this is non breeding Greater Sand Plover, as there is literature saying that Greater (and Lesser) Sand Plover does not have the white band extending to the back neck, which is seen on this bird.  
As for the leg colour of White-Faced Plover, the pinkish colour could only be seen under strong direct sunlight, which is absent in the photo.  In fact, many photos of White-Faced Plover in Oriental Bird Club Image Database do not show pinkish legs.

[ Last edited by irsychan at 13/05/2015 09:01 ]

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