cbryan

A very fruitful morning at TPK today starting 0745.

welcomed by a huge flock of scarlet minivets over the sky near the warden's post. followed by a pair of forktail sunbirds and oriental magpie robinsat the management centre.

entering the outdoor study garden was the ever-present blue whistling thrush.  just when i thought of leaving the garden a very large bird wave arrives including japanese white-eyes, silver eared mesias, rufous capped babblers, yellow browed and pallas's leaf warblers, and chinese bulbuls, each in great number, and among them a grey headed flycatcher, an asian brown flycatcher, grey throated minivet, a couple of blue winged minla, a velvet fronted nuthatch, yellow cheeked tit, and a couple of great tits, while a common tailor bird skulks on the ground.  they kept me entertained for an hour and at some point many of them came down to the ground after the bugs and came as close as less than 2 metres away from me.  i guess they're desparate for breakfast under such cold weather they're too occupied with their feeding frenzy without noticing me. (interesting though nobody else was around in all that time)

heading for the red/blue trail i met a tourist birder who saw earlier buff bellied flowerpecker and black winged cuckoo shrike.  the trail was very quiet that we saw only great tits, yellow cheeked tit, chinese bulbuls, yellow browed and pallas's warblers and a couple of others warblers that we couldn't recognize, white rumped munia, grey headed flycatcher, grey cheeked fulvetta, and plenty of japanese white-eyes.  i spotted a tit sort of bird with unmistakable white cheek and olive back but it lacks any yellow on its underparts so it's not certain if that's a green backed tit.  we also saw this bird which spent us quite some time before we could conclude it's a mountain bulbul, probably a junvenile.


back to the garden there's no bird wave anymore but most of the birds i saw earlier were there resting among the trees.  added to the list was the chestnut bulbul, a japanese thrush and a black naped monarch.  saying goodbye to us at the gate was the pack of ever-present black throated laughingthrush and the voice of a large billed crow.

[ Last edited by cbryan at 7/12/2008 16:18 ]

cbryan

oops!  just checked that great tits could have their mantle or back washed with a green tint.  so i think the suspected green backed tit was actually a great tit.

cbryan

Quote:

Original posted by kpokuen at 10/12/2008 08:38


No this is not the first picture record, Mr. Wong of AFCD has the first picture of a male posted some times ago.

btw, whereabout in TPK is this pic of the woodpecker taken.

cbryan

20081213
1515-1730

welcomed by yellow browed warbler high up above the trees at the gate.  met a bird wave half way up before reaching the warden's post, including grey throated minivet, black winged cuckooshrike, chestnut bulbul, red billed leiothrix, velvet fronted nuthatch, red capped babbler, blue winged minla, yellow bellied yuhina, great tit, yellow cheeked tit, japanese white eye and ashy drongo.  the bird wave was so large and fast moving that i just couldn't id them all.  among the crowd is a very distinguished bird with a cuckoo/thrush structure, dull brownish upperpart, dark brown to black primaries, brownish but paler underpart with scales.  it's a shame that i couldn't see the tail and the rest of the features more clearly before it took off into the valley.

the garden was basically empty so i headed to the red walk before it gets too dark.  heard but not seen throughout the walk were yellow browed warbler, pallas's leaf warbler, dusky warbler, forktailed sunbird and chestnut bulbul.  a pair of black throated laughingthrush ignored my presence when skulking in the undergrowth past where the blue and red diverged.  didn't take a loop since it's getting dark that i u-turned at picnic 3 where plenty of great tits were enjoying supper.  the trail was a bit disappointing except the discovery of several very noisy white browed laughingthrushes near picnic 2, all quieted down when i tried to imitate their calls.

bidding me farewell this time was the voice of a blue whistling thrush and a large billed crow.

not sure if it's the ghost of my heart, i thought i heard the voice of wild boars and the scene of confronting them kept flashing up on my mind throughout the walk.

cbryan

the wb laughingthrushes were seen to the right of the trail just right past picnic 2 heading towards picnic 3.  very noisy pack of birds with that unmistakable cackling calls and striking white brow and cheek.

it's very funny watching them freeze their moves when they heard you imitate their calls, instead of getting flushed and dispersed, and then back to their own business after a while.  very entertaining.

cbryan

20081221 0800-1230

welcoming me today half way up the access road was a bird wave comprising mainly of yellow cheeked tits, yellow browed and pallas's leaf warblers high up on the canopy (i'm sure there're other warblers but i just couldn't id them with their bellies).

just outside the outdoor study garden a fortail sunbird 'perched' for a long time at eye level singing (never seen a sunbird that cooperative) while a pair of common tailorbbird dances underneath it.  in the garden just as a blue whistling thrush shied away from me a large bird wave arrives, including the warblers mentioned plus dusky warblers, buff bellied flowerpeckers, forktail sunbirds, japanese white-eyes, nearly 20 rufous capped babblers, silver eared mesias, great tits, a streak breasted scimitar babbler, and a grey headed flycatcher.  only when the sound of the bird wave faded away that i heard and spotted a plumbeous water redstart female perched on a boulder.

at picnic 2 on the red trail the warblers were everywhere.  near the uphill slope i spotted a radde's warbler while a pair of velvet fronted nuthatches was busy having breakfast above my head.  took the shortcut to the blue trail and spotted again the nuthatches and a couple of blue winged minlas and among them a grey cheeked fulvetta reported by another birder.  rejoined the anti-clockwise red i met packs of chestnut bulbuls now and then.

when i was waiting for a taxi to leave at tai po road an asian brown flycatcher opposite the road caught my eyes.  it was perching so prominently that i accepted its invitation to watch the aerobatics for another 15 mins.

unfortunately, no woodpecker, no boar, and no monkey this time.

bryan

cbryan

20081225
0730-1230

welcomed by a pair of black throated laughingthrushes at the gate and monkeys at the warden's post.

entering the garden i bumped into a flock of blue winged minlas, mingled with a couple of japanese white-eyes.  going deeper a blue whistling thrush heralded the arrival of a swarm of rufous capped babblers.  some of them getting just feet away from me that i gave up using my bino to watch them.  following them was a streak breasted scimitar babbler.  i find the two babblers are good friends and quite punctual that it's more or less at eight that i met them every time in the garden.  the garden then turned into a bazaar with several silver eared mesias, yellow browed warblers, forktail sunbirds, a grey headed flycatcher and a scarlet minivet female arriving.  leaving the garden a grey backed thrush male waved me goodbye.

picnic 2 and 3 were basically empty.  took the shortcut from red to blue and met another bird wave of yellow cheeked tits, great tits, blue winged minlas(again), chestnut bulbuls and yb warblers, while a pack of greater necklaced laughingthrushes hop underneath like chinese vampires.

crossed the creek on anticlockwise blue there were a pair of blue winged minlas (again!) grooming side by side.  then sprinkled along the rest of the blue were a pair of mountain bulbuls, chestnut bulbuls, scarlet backed flowerpecker male, pallas's leaf warblers, white-eyes, grey chinned minivets, streak breasted scimitar babblers (a pair this time) and a possible greenish warbler.

the large billed crow was everywhere keeping its voice heard now and then.

[ Last edited by cbryan at 25/12/2008 15:32 ]

cbryan

20081228
0700-1000

made a brief visit this morning and focused mainly on the garden.  birds haven't woken up yet until i reached the garden and it was relatively quiet today.

olive backed pitpits have just woken up to the alarm clock of the forktail sunbird at the garden entrance.  in the garden the ever-present blue whistling thrush was there as usual.  business started only at about eight when a pair of hwamei sneaked into the hedges beside the pavilion and stayed there till i left.  great tits tried to fight them for feeding territory but were not successful while common tailorbirds remained neutral between the two parties.  chestnut bulbuls came out from the woods to get a good vantage point but left soon realising the show was long over.  a pack of about 20 rufous capped babblers swarmed the valley near the garden.  but it seems that the streak breasted scimitar babbler and the mesias overslept and missed the train this time.  in the undergrowth of the slopes was found an asian subtail and a lesser shortwing.  heard but not seen were the usual suspects--the yellow browed warblers, the pallas's leaf warblers, the dusky warblers and the forktail sunbirds.

at the dam a grey wagtail was busy looking for breakfast.  picnic 2 was empty and picnic 3 was packed with the outing group so i moved straight to the short cut from red to blue.  there a grey backed thrush female was grooming herself up on a tree while packs of great tits and chestnut bulbuls made her company.  in the background voice of a large flock of grey chinned minivets was heard.  time ran out for me that i u-turned there and left, keeping an eye on the monkeys at the access road wary that their poo might drop right on my head when there's already smell of it everywhere.

[ Last edited by cbryan at 28/12/2008 20:27 ]

cbryan

20080104
0800-1100

overslept and started a bit late today.  the pack of rufous capped babblers and silver eared mesias i see most of the time at the garden has already descended down to midway of the access road.  among them i also found several blue winged minlas.  while trying to id the flowerpecker sp. female sharing breakfast with a common tailorbird at 俊苑居 i was surprised by the presence of a pair of hwaimei.  a flock of striated yuhinas was in a hurry uphill when i reached the warden post.

the garden was pretty quiet today (maybe because i reached there late). those not letting me down include the ever-present blue whistling thrush, a grey backed thrush female, a pack of chestnut bulbuls, common tailorbirds, a forktail sunbird male, several warblers including yellow browed and dusky, and a velvet fronted nuthatch.  while the garden was lack of birds i suspect that some kind of mammal is making use of the thickets (near the scarlet sterculia 假萍婆 by the pavilion) as its den as i could hear strange chatter not belonging to birds and shadows within it.

picnic 2 was empty but i was rewarded with a pair of orange bellied leaf birds at picnic 3 feeding on the fig kind of tree, though they were soon replaced by a noisy lot of hikers feeding on tangerines they brought with them.

at the shortcut between red and blue, skulkers were everywhere though i could not locate them.  chestnut bulbuls were everywhere as well.  there i met a series of bird waves comprising of blue winged minlas and striated yuhinas again.  there were also yellow cheeked tits, pallas's leaf warblers and grey headed flycatchers.  an asian brown flycatcher and a black winged cuckoo shrike was feeding quietly far down and behind the crowd.  when the crowd's gone, all i could hear was the penetrating sound of grey throated minivets in the background.

u-turned there and hurrying downhill i didn't notice anything interesting further but the voice of the streak breasted scimitar babbler who's having difficulty to locate its friends along the access road.

cbryan

btw, another birder on the red told me that there's a tiny warbler sized bird with a black head, red chest and a yellow belly.  flipping all over my textbooks including mackinnon i don't see a bird with such size and colour combination.

my closest bet would be a mrs. gould's sunbird.  the black head could be its metallic blue head appearing black at particular angles to the sun.

well, that provides me with another good reason to pay frequent visits to TPK, other than the woodpeckers which i have yet to meet.

cbryan

Mike

i thought and suggested it to the other birder but he said its belly was bright yellow instead of being a yellowish wash.  anyway i really wish i could bump into a mrs. gould soon.

cheers
bryan

cbryan

haha.  i really can't believe this is your first attempt of posting a pic, mike.  anyway i got your point and it's really hard to speculate on the id of a bird just based on descriptions of another birder.

cheers
bryan

cbryan

20090110
1530-1730

kind of quiet today with hwameis being the major player whom i've seen thrice.  saw a pair first at the access road just past 俊苑居.  highly shy but the sound they make turning the leaf litter betrayed them.  up above them were forktailed sunbirds, japanese white-eyes, yellow browed and chestnut bulbuls.  by the pond a long tailed shrike was enjoying its supper.  common tailorbirds were everywhere this late afternoon as well, escorting me all the way to the toilets where i met a pack of olive backed pitpits which were quite tame and they ignored my presence (i find them kind of like sparrows or pigeons in the park).

pallas's warblers and yellow browed warblers were plenty in the garden.  the 'feeding club' of rufous capped babblers and silver eared mesias descended from the northern slope but their affiliates this time was not the scimitar babbler but a pair of hwameis, again!

heading up the hill past picnic 1 i met the feeding club again but this time the hwameis were too slow, or too shy, to follow them.  returning from the empty picnic 2 at 'the rock' i heard the voice of a blue whistling thrush trying to reach out for its friends relentlessly.  i have to thank it for it's when i tried hard to locate it that i spotted a dodgy pygmy wren babbler just feets away from me.

on the access road leaving, i met the hwameis for the third time.  i wonder if they were all the same pair...

cbryan

20090111
0715-1215

it was very quiet at the beginning with only common tailorbirds , olive backed pitpits and yellow browed warblers accompanying me to the garden.  the silence of the garden was broken by a small birdwave comprising of a grey headed flycatcher, a velvet fronted nuthatch, japanese white-eyes and yellow browed warblers.  among them was a bird with a dull brownish head, a yellowish belly and a greyish brown vent and tail, which i couldn't quite recognize.  a pair of hwamei hopped away just when i get near the pond, beyond which i found and forktailed sunbirds and chestnut bulbuls coming down to feed on fruits.  but there was no sign of the feeding club i met every time i visited the garden in the morning recently.

on the way to picnic 2 was a pair of black throated laughingthrush. picnic 3 was filled with great tits, white-eyes and an orange bellied leaf bird female.  the OBLB was right above me when i rested on the picnic bench.  i was given just enough time to react when i saw through the bino poo coming out of its vent.  but the panicking movements i made were too much for the OBLB that it sounded the alarm and flew off.

on the shortcut between red and blue was a lesser shortwing searching the leaf litter along the uphill slope.  it was quite tamed that i took a seat on a log and watched it going round in loops just feet away from me for 15 mins.  the rest of the shortcut was also rewarding that synchronized with my pace were birdwaves comprising of yellow browed warblers, pallas's leaf warblers, a possible greenish warbler, a buff bellied flowerpecker male, japanese white-eyes, rufous capped babblers, blue winged minlas, great tits, yellow cheeked tits, grey throated minivets, a pair of streak breasted scimitar babblers and chestnut bulbuls.  the YC tits were very tamed that i watched them feeding on catepillar without using my bino.  and it's fun watching the scimitar babblers pumping their heads like woodpeckers trying hard to get the bugs out of dead logs.

the blue was a bit quiet but it's worth al the effort just to meet a sulphur breasted warbler along the stream.

before leaving i visited the garden again to discover a blue whistling thrush, a grey backed thrush male, a hwamei and a streak breasted scimitar babbler joined forces to draw all the attention of the photographers towards the northern slope.

cbryan

Quote:

Original posted by gary at 25/12/2008 22:05
Thanks for Kwan's reply.
I've kept my eye on this bird　today but no result.

Late arrival today, but still not bad for common forest birds.
Have a feeling for long time that every winter (Dec - Fe ...

Gary,

i saw today chestnut bulbuls descending to my eye level to feed on fruits of this plant.





i seldom see chestnut bulbuls coming down to such a low level to feed.  i'm not familiar with the diet of bulbuls but if they have a choice i guess they would opt for more energy packed insects than hard-to-digest fruits.  it's freezing cold this morning and this observation seems to concur with your theory.

Bryan

cbryan

20090117
1430-1730

met a bird 'ripple' half way along the access road, comprising of yellow cheeked tits, great tits, a blue winged minla and a couple of yellow browed warblers.  among them was also a warbler sized bird with two wing bars and eyebrow but looked very dull, almost monochrome, and obviously not a yellow browed.  but it was in sight too brief for me to ascertain what it is.  one interesting thing (interesting to me at least) is that this bird 'ripple' remained silent all the way, almost in the manner of skulking birds.  not even a single bird among them made a call, as if they had a consensus not to do so.

the lack of other birds in the garden made the voice of the fortailed sunbirds and chestnut bulbuls all the more clarion.  it was amazing to see the chestnut bulbuls coming down, this time, to ground level to feed on fruit of shrubs, like babblers.

a very shy lesser shortwing was feeding in the undergrowth just past picnic 2.  i would have overlooked it if it was not the sound of it turning the leaf litter.  as if it knew that its position was blown, it became very careful and turned its feeding into a covert operation, not making a sound thereafter, while a large flock of silver eared mesias passed quickly in the background.

three mountain bulbuls were feeding quitely on fruits at picnic 3 among tits calling relentlessly.  somehow i find the hairy projections on the chest of the mountain bulbuls kind of like the inflated belly of a blow fish.

on the shortcut to the blue was again a lesser shortwing (at the very same spot i found one last week).  but this time another one, way more tame than the one met earlier.  it was very cooperative that at one point it perched on a branch just two metres away from me, allowing me to have a very close examination of the pumping of its tail, which looks very much like a hinged stick raised, dropped and rebounds several times under gravity.  very entertaining indeed.

the usual skulkers seemed to refrain from showing themselves until on my way leaving, which includes a blue whistling thrush at the creek under 'the rock' (seems like that it's its habit to be there most dusks), and along the access road a grey backed thrush male, a hwamei, and a black throated laughingthrush respectively.

cbryan

20090221
1430-1700

grey throated minivets, chestnut bulbuls and japanese whiteeyes along the access road with the voice of forktailed sunbirds in the background all the way.  a crested goshawk flew across the valley over the dam, which were filled with nearly 20 noisy scarlet minivets, making the valley feels like a bazaar.

a pair of orange bellied leafbirds, together with forktailed sunbirds and whiteeyes were posing for the photographers at the entrance to the garden later found empty.  near the quarters were some very quiet silver eared mesias and yellow browed warblers.

scarlet minivets and chestnut bulbuls were eveywhere among the paper bark trees on the red, with the voice of a great barbet in the background.  u-turned reaching the red-blue shortcut which was very quiet and disappointing.  only arriving back at picnic 1 that a very shy blue whistling thrush was making itself heard though not seen, then followed by another pack of silver eared mesias, and then a birdwave of mainly yellow cheeked tits, mingled with blue winged minlas and greater necklaced laughingthrushes.

bryan