New Committee Members

Following C.Y. Lam's appointment as the new Chairman of the Society at this year's AGM, the committee has spent the last few months looking for someone to take up C.Y.’s former role of Vice- chairman. Cheung Ho Fai has bravely stepped into this crucial role, bringing welcome support to the chairman's role. He retains his current role as Librarian.

The chairmanship roles will be divided so that C.Y. handles the Society conservation initiatives (he is the convenor of the conservation sub- committee), while Ho Fai is responsible for outings and the organisational side of running the society

With the bulk of the work done for the establishment of the HKBWS website, Carrie Ma has also become an official member of the committee (she has been an invaluable unofficial supporter to the editors of both the English and Chinese bulletin editors). She will be responsible for maintaining the website.

HKBWS Website

The society website is now officially online. There are also plans to establish a bulletin board service, which will allow members to discuss issues on the website. It is expected to be up and running within the next few weeks.

Email address : hkbws@hkbws.org.hk
Website address: http://www.hkbws.org.hk

40th Anniversary Curry Lunch

This year curry lunch takes place at Queen's Hill Camp, off Sha Tau Kok Road at 12:30pm on Sunday 30 Nov.

This year the cuisine will be a Chinese buffet lunch with curry server. The cost will be $50 per head. In addition, there will also be a cash bar. As in previous years, there will be a pre-lunch outing in the NE New Territories allowing you to work up a good appetite for the Society's major informal event of the year (the Big Bird Race Dinner counts as formal because we are hosting our sponsors).

This year you are encouraged to bring along your binoculars, telescopes and tripods. This will allow members to make direct comparisons between equipment from different suppliers, and help members buying new equipment to make more informed choices.

Swarovski Special Offer

Swarovski has kindly donated a pair of SLC 7x30B binoculars to the Society for use on Society outings. While many members already have their own binoculars, this will give them an opportunity to compare their own optics with Swarovski’s, and provide a spare pairfor beginners. Thank you Swarovski for this support!

Swarovski is also making a special offer on its binoculars and telescopes to HKBWS members, combined with a scheme to assist bird conservation in China. This is a great offer, giving members a substantial discount and supporting Chinese at the same time.

Every time members purchase equipment directly from Swarovski , they will donate a sum equivalent to the difference between the price below and the dealer's price to the Ornithological Society of China to support conservation projects.

Items on offer this quarter:

For further product information or to arrange inspection of the equipment, please call Mr Leo Chan or Mr Jupiter Choi of Swarovski at 2566 6301. Those who wish to use this offer, please call HKBWS Hon. Secretary Jemi Wong to obtain an order form.

40th Anniversary Book
The Birds of East China - J.D. La Touche

Cheung Ho Fai has arranged for 20 copies of this superb book to be made... but they are being taken up fast. The book can be obtained in two formats - either as a lightly bound soft cover edition for HK$300, or with a hard cover and a commemorative message. The cost is not yet fixed, but is likely to be in the region of HK$500. If you are interested in the soft-backed version, please contact Cheung Ho Fai, or for hardback please contact Mike Kilburn. a fixed amount from each sale will go towards the conservation /projects fund.

Usage of Hides at Mai Po

There has been growing feedback regarding usage of the hides at Mai Po, particularly behaviour which has upset or irritated birdwatchers in the hides.

The complaints fall into two categories - i) noisy behaviour and ii) angry reactions towards large groups of visitors. In response to these complaints, the Committee urges members to use the following points as guidelines to appropriate behaviour

1) The well-being of the birds is paramount, and any disturbance should be avoided. Therefore, hide users should try to minimise any noise, particularly when birds are close to the hide.

2) If you need to talk, keep it quiet. Birders lucky enough to be in a hide on their own, almost always have the privilege of really close views, while the noise from full hides keeps birds further away. Keeping quiet is not only considerate to others, you will see the birds better yourself!

2) Avoid arriving at the boardwalk hides when the birds are gathered close to the hide and are often rather nervous. Check tide tables and plan to arrive well before a high tide, or when the mud is still fully submerged before the tide drops (see note on tide tables). Few things are as irritating as a superb show of waders flying out as the door slams shut behind a “just in time" arriver.

3) Put bags on the floor rather than on benches - thanks to gravity its hard for anything to fall up off the floor, but easy for things to crash onto the ground.

4) Bring quiet food" into the hide. For example, opening a canned drink is noisier than pushing the straw into a juice carton.

5) Share the space. When you arrive and set up in the hide, be aware that other people are almost certain to come into the hide after you. This is especially important when groups visit the hide.

There have been incidents of rude behaviour towards large groups of inexperienced visitors. Sadly, they often do make more noise because they’re not familiar with the need for silence. WWF and HKBWS group leaders make every effort to stop groups from being noisy. It is frustrating when birds are scared away, but an angry reaction is probably too late and creates bad feeling. If you have a complaint, contact the HKBWS committee or WWF depending on the nature of the group.

The first two objectives of the Society are: " facilitate and encourage the study of birds in Hong Kong" and "provide information and assistance to all persons, either visitors to Hong Kong or residents who are interested in birds".

People whose only experience of birders is unfriendliness and annoyance are hardly likely to try birding again; and people coming back for more is hugely important.

On the other hand, a youngster seeing a close up view of a summer plumage Curlew Sandpiper through a member's telescope may be hooked for life. What more could you wish for anyone than they share our interest and become a keen birder!

Tide Tables

The main guide to tide times is the tide Tables for Hong Kong", prepared by Hong Kong Observatory, and available from the Government Publications Office next to Pacific Place for $9 .

Hong Kong normally experiences two high tides and two low tides per day. The mud in front of the boardwalk hides becomes fully covered, forcing birds to find roosting sites reserve, at 2.0 metres. A more detailed article noting some of the factors affecting the tides and how birds respond to them will appear in a later issue.

There are tide tables by the gate through the border fence and in the Education Centre. The Observatory also provides more accurate hour-by- hour information for each day on its website at http://www .info. gov.hk /hko/astron /astron.htm.

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Request for Photographs

The new edition of the Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Hong Kong is well-advanced, and the editors are now considering the inclusion of photos. It is hoped that a series of high quality plates of Hong Kong birds will be included.

Consequently, if anyone has photos they would like to submit for consideration, send them to Geoff Carey at the address below by 15 November. All HK species will be considered - common or rare. Now is your chance to get your photos included in a high-quality publication that will be sold internationally.

Unfortunately, however, we cannot offer payment, though if funds allow, we will provide a free copy of this four or five hundred page volume.

Now that colour illustrations have been introduced to the English and Chinese bulletins, and there is space to show them on the website, we will constantly be looking for high quality photos of Hong Kong and Chinese birds. Photos of birding sites would also be appreciated. Photographers keen to show what a great place for birding Hong Kong is, should contact any of the Society editorial staff.

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Conservation News

Tin Shui Wai

Construction work has recently begun on much of Tin Shui Wai Reclamation, replacing the breeding habitat of our Oriental Skylarks with much-needed housing for our growing population.

However, a strip running alongside the seaward edge of Yuen Long Creek has been set aside for conservation. Although plans for this remaining area are far from complete, the site is still attracting birds and is well worth a visit. Recent records include 50 Oriental Reed Warblers and 3 - 4 Barred Buttonquails.

Fung Shui Woods

Ken Chu, of the Department of Ecology and Biodiversity at HKU is currently preparing proposals to list a number of fung shui woods as SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest).

His listings are based on tree and vegetation studies, but he is eager to receive data on other groups, including birds. You are encouraged to send information on any lifeforms for the following sites:

She Shan, Lam Tsuen Valley (already an SSSI, but boundary to be expanded)
Lin Au, 1km south of She Shan
Tai Om, Lam Tsuen
Mau Ping San Uk, near Ma On Shan
Mui Tsz Lam, near Ma On Shan
Lai Chi Wo, north-east NT, but outside Plover Cove Country Park
Muk Min Tau, Sha Tau Kok Closed Area.

This is an opportunity for members to make a direct contribution to protecting these beautiful, species-rich woodlands and you are encouraged to send any relevant records to:

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Records Committee Decisions

At the latest Records Committee meeting held on 3 August (rescheduled because of Typhoon Victor!) the following decisions were agreed upon:

Japanese Sparrowhawk, Besra, Oriental Plover, Ancient Auk, Citrine Wagtail and Thick-billed Warbler are no longer description species. (Accordingly, descriptions for these species other than unusual dates/numbers are not required as of 1 Jan, 1997. Observers are requested to be cautious regarding accipiter identification, which remains difficult, and are encouraged to submit all accipiters not identified to species as accipiter sp.)

Descriptions are now required of all large white-headed gulls except Heuglin Gull (race tamyrensis) and Yellow-legged Gull, and for Eurasian x American Wigeon hybrids.

Slavonian Grebe, Red-footed Booby, Lesser Cuckoo, Common Swift, and Speckled Piculet have all been added to Category A of the Hong Kong list. Twite and Green-backed Tit have been accepted in Category E.

Detailed discussions involving the upcoming checklist led to the adoption of further taxonomic decisions including treating Mew Gull and Common Gull as separate species. Kamchatka Gull remains a race of Common Gull, given the lack of any detailed work undertaken on the breeding grounds.

The two forms of Yellow-nib Duck will be treated as separate species on the basis of a paper currently in preparation. Likewise, the form of Blackbird found in Hong Kong will be treated as Chinese Blackbird Turdus mandarinus.

A number of species moved category, largely from D, which will now include species probably wild, but for which the escape likelihood cannot be eliminated. With the change in emphasis, many species were moved from D to E. A full list of changes will be published in the 1996 report.

The circulation of last year's description species is almost complete, but as this takes each committee member 4 to 6 hours per week at this time of year, the process is slow. Those who submitted descriptions will receive decision slips as soon as possible.

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Deep Bay Update

By Lew Young

Mai Po - China's 7th Ramsar Site

This summer, the Chinese Ministry of Forestry wrote to the Ramsar Bureau in Switzerland informing them that after 1 July, Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay would become China's seventh Ramsar Site. This is certainly good news and will give the area added protection in view of the increasing threats from urbanisation and pollution from both sides of Deep Bay in the coming years.

Bulldozers in Mai Po

This winter, there will be a number of habitat management works in the reserve as part of the mitigation works for the Shenzhen River Regulation Project. The most obvious of these will be the draining down of the 'Lotus Pond" (the triangular pond at the back of the Education Centre), and the small pond at the back of the 'Scrape', which will then have bulldozers inside to repair the bunds. The idea is to create 'freshwater' ponds in these two areas using treated wastewater from Fairview Park (see earlier issues of the HKBWS Bulletin). The pipe connecting the sewage treatment plant at Fairview Park to Mai Po has already been completed. The contractor will try to finish as soon as possible to minimise disturbance to birds on the reserve, especially the Cormorants roosting on the trees at the back of the Education Centre.

Lin Barn Tsuen Development plans scaled down

The proposed Lin Barn Tsuen development on the area around the old go-cart track by Mai Po Village was supposed to have been heard by the Town Planning Appeal Board in early September (as the development at Nam Sang Wai was back in 1993). However, the developer has withdrawn the proposal in light of a number of factors, and will now be resubmitting a scaled down proposal which retains a larger area of wetland and is more in keeping with Government's planning guidelines for the area.

These guidelines include Government zoning the part of the site adjacent to Castle Peak Road for low- density development. The argument had focused on the scale of the development in the first proposal, which Government considered as being too excessive.

In view of the fact that Hong Kong must find space for another 2 million people in the next 10 years, there will be even greater pressure for development on the remaining areas of countryside. Therefore if, for ecologically sensitive sites such as Lin Barn Tsuen, developers can produce forward thinking plans that fit in with Government's guidelines and retain significant areas of 'natural habitat' on the site, those plans should be given more serious consideration.

I am sure this will open up an area for debate by HKBWS members, and WWF Hong Kong would be happy to answer any questions that members may ask.

Shenzhen Government Sets Precedent in Protecting Futian

The dispute between the Ministry of Forestry in Beijing and the Shenzhen Government over the construction of the Binghai Causeway appears to have been settled. The city government has been allowed to finish the last part of the motorway which will run through Futian Reserve by building it as a flyover, thus reducing disturbance to the reserve and the mangroves. In return, the city government has to compensate for any adverse effects of the motorway by formalising the boundary of the reserve, buying all the land inside it, and handing it to the reserve for management.

The case has set new standards in China. The first is in compensation for damage to the environment by a development project and the second is of a nature reserve owning and having management control of the land inside its boundary.

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Collective Names for Birds

One of the best things about birding the names given to birds. What birder could turn down the opportunity to see a Kinabalu Friendly Warbler, or wonder what Roborovski did to get a Rosefinch named after him, for example? But this article is about collective names for birds. It was suggested by an English lady several months ago, whose name I sadly lost while moving house. Thank you for the suggestion (and most of the traditional names) and apologies for not acknowledging you by name.

Many birds, in Europe particularly, have highly imaginative, evocative or just bizarre collective names, amongst the better known being: A gaggle of geese, a murder of crows, a parliament of owls a charm of Goldfinches, a wisp of snipe, and a trip of dotterels. Some of these date back more than five hundred years. However nobody had ever heard of, let alone seen, most of China’s birds 500 years ago, so you are invited to submit your own for such birds as minivets, pittas, fulvettas, sunbirds, or barbets.

Some initial suggestions include:
A mispronunciation of Liocichlas
An invisibility of Bush warblers
A track of Rails
A Baywatch (or ogle) of Paridae
A guild of Tailorbirds
A hallucination of Mesias
An enigma of Leaf-warblers
A lurk of Quails
An incantation of Nun-babblers
A flounce of Hoopoes
An armoury of Scimitar-babblers
A string of Blyth's Pipits
A conspiracy of Black-faced Laughingthrushes
. . .and from further afield . . . but with local characteristics:
An intimidation of Secretary Birds.

The Internet has a home page for collective nouns at Group Names for Birds: A Partial List by Terry Ross: tross@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us. You can submit suggestions to him for inclusions on his list, but any sent in will be published in the next issue of the newsletter. Fax them to 2580 7802 or email them to mkilburn@hkstar.com.

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Overseas Reports

Qinghai and Tibet,  4-27 June 1997
by HF Cheung

This June, just before the handover on 1st July, PJL, GLC, RWL, JAH, VJP, Tim (a bird artist from Britain), and I went on a 3+ week birding trip to Qinghai and Tibet. We followed the standard trail used by overseas bird groups. Starting from Xining, we drove SW to Beizha (close to Nangqen), retraced our steps, and then passed Qinghai Lake on our way to Lhasa.

The area is geographically similar to Mongolia, particularly the abundance of open grasslands. Cattle grazing was common, though it did not seem as excessive as in other parts of China.

There were several high, snow-covered mountain ranges. As grazing was limited at higher elevations, large wild animals such as antelope, wild ass, fox, and wolf still inhabit this region. We saw good numbers of them, especially during snow storms, when they took the chance to move safely from one spot to another. Qinghai is famous as the birthplace of China's two great rivers. At this height, streams ran through marshes and flat grasslands before gathering into gentle rivers. There was no sign of the great gorges and muddy roaring torrents for which these rivers are famous. There were also some drier areas with sand dunes. I was told that these areas were growing, possibly from over-grazing.

Local people were mostly either Muslim or Tibetan, proud and warm, but not overly inquisitive. Tibetan dogs are famous for attacking birdwatchers and we (especially one of us) learned that one should not rely on locals or tour guides to protect you.

We spent the first day and a half birding at Beishan and around Laoye Shan, two sites close to Xining. The areas included dry hills, scrubby hillsides, and forest, and were relatively low in altitude. Our target birds - Przevalski's Rock Partridge, Daurian Partridge, Gansu Leaf Warbler, Przevalski's Nuthatch, Sinai Rosefinch, and Chinese Bush Warbler (B. tacsanowskius.) - were seen or trapped smoothly. We also saw Pine Bunting, Crested Tit-Warbler, Red Crossbill and Mongolian Trumpeter Finch. The specialists spent some time studying a trapped Red-flanked Bluetail.

During our ten day foray to SW Qinghai our major targets were Roborovski's (or Tibetan) Rosefinch and Koslov's Bunting. These two species were rediscovered not long ago and so far, only a handful of birdwatchers in the world have seen them. Despite all our hopes and preparations, we had 8 days of headaches until we were heading back over the Bayankara Pass. Late in the morning two pairs of Roborovski’s were found, and Koslov's Bunting showed a bit lower down.

Roborovski's Rosefinch was supposed to occur on high mountain slopes where low bushes meet grassy tundra land. We walked up 600m at one site, but only four of us saw it.

The other three were left broken-hearted until four days later, when a few inividuals showed well at Kanda Shan.

Meanwhile, we were well ahead of schedule on our other ticks. This part of the road produced Ibisbill, Black-necked Crane, Tibetan Partridge, Mongolian Lark, Asian Short-toed Lark, Isabelline and Desert Wheatears, Gdenstädt's Redstart, Desert Lesser Whitethroat, White-winged, Tibetan, Père David's and Rufous-necked Snowfinches, Rock Sparrow, Plain Mountain Finch, and Eastern Great and Przevalski's Rosefinches. We wondered what on earth a flock of Sand Martins was doing hanging around at such high altitude during a snowstorm.

We tented at Beizha Forest Farm for two nights. The area seemed to have far fewer trees since PRK’s visit here 5 years ago. We birded the sparse forest closed to the human settlement. Specialities included Koslov's Babax and Szechenyi's Monal Partridge. There were also White-eared Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, and Giant Laughing-thrush. A few Snowcocks (probably Tibetan) were seen in flight over the high ridge. Paul found juvenile Daurian Jackdaws fascinating. Beautiful/ Pink-rumped Rosefinches were confusingly similar, and There were numerous leaf warblers for me to practice with. I also spotted an Oriental Hobby perching on a tree 20m away. Nobody took it seriously as I frequently made mistakes and we were w 1000 km away from its known range.

We finished this part of our trip in twelve days. Jim was a bit lost since he realised there were less than ten possible new ticks for him within the next two weeks.

Next came Tutuhoe. The small marsh at the eastern end of the lake produced a reasonable variety of wildfowl, plus some difficult Short-toed Larks for the keen ones to separate. The south-western shore produced lots of Brown-headed and Great Black-headed Gulls. The main breeding site for Gulls and Cormorants was skipped by the specialists.

Our next three days were spent driving to Tibet. On the way a lush green valley pinpointed by our guide gave us our next major tick - Przevalski's Redstart. We scored Pallas' Sandgrouse and Henderson's Ground Jay in the desert near Chaka Salt Lake.

The farmlands near Xiangride produced Isabelline Shrike, before we entered the desert habitat of the Qaidamu Basin where we found Great Rosefinch. The snow-covered pass before Tuotuohe produced Blanford's Snowfinch, Brandt's Mountain Finch, and Tibetan Sandgrouse. We were way ahead in our ticking schedule. Jim was so kind as to keep us updated daily on the number of ticks still left (3 only).

The Tangula Pass between Tibet and Qinhai was the highest point (5300 m) we reached on this trip. Fortunately, by this time we had already got used to the high altitude and suffered no ill effects.

The drive to Lhasa was relatively quiet. Our last site was Reting Temple.

I was told that this site was a former religious and administrative centre of Tibet. It consists of only a small group of wood/stone buildings in a relatively undisturbed area. However, human and cattle have reduced the once large forested area to a small woodland. Forest birds now have to squeeze in whatever remains.

As a result, we found high densities of our target birds and we were able to find Prince Henri Laughingthrush, Giant Babax and Tibetan Eared Pheasant in no time. At last we could spend a day in Lhasa as tourists before returning to Hong Kong with happy memories.

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Qinghai Province 18 June - 3 July
By Lew Young

This summer, I had the opportunity to celebrate the handover period on holiday in Qinghai. Fortunately, many of the arrangements were made by our hosts - the Agriculture and Forestry Department of Qinghai Province.

At four times the size of Hong Kong, the saline Qinghai Lake is jointly managed by different sections within the Agriculture and Forestry Department. The Agriculture section is responsible for the fisheries, while Forestry is responsible for wildlife conservation. Apart from the famous Bird Island, which is one of China's seven Ramsar sites, breeding bird colonies can also be found at the nearby Cormorant Hill (Cormorants obviously), and the islands of Hai Xin Dao and San Kuai Shi, which support large numbers of breeding Cormorants, Great Black-headed Gulls, Ruddy Shelducks and Bar-headed Geese. There are few boats on Qinghai Lake, so these islands are infrequently visited. The only exception is Hai Xin Dao, which has a small group of Tibetan monks living on the island.

Many people know that Bird Island really was an island some twenty years ago. But due to decreasing snow and rainfall over the past three decades (attributed by some to global warming), the level of water in the lake has fallen by 2 metres, and the island is now linked to the mainland by a causeway.

Approximately 3km2 around the perimeter of the lake has turned into dry ground due to the falling water level. Desertification is also increasing, with large areas of sand dunes replacing pastures close to Bird Island. The reserve manager considered the falling water level to be the main threat to the reserve, but breeding bird numbers have not yet been affected.

With the large number of Cormorants breeding around Qinghai Lake, there is the usual conflict between fishermen and "wildlife". The lake supports an endemic species of carp called the "Lor li" or Naked Carp which is harvested commercially by the Fisheries Section of the Agriculture and Forestry Department.

In recent years, the annual harvest of carp has declined sixfold from what it was in the late 1950's. The decline has been blamed by the Fisheries Section on heavy Cormorant predation, whilst the Forestry Section blames it on overfishing. However, due to a lack of money, neither side has commissioned any studies to see if the fault really lies with the Cormorants or not.

Bird Island is a popular tourist spot, with day-visitors coming from as far as Lanzhou in Gansu Province. Visitors must first buy a ticket (RMB 25) from the Management Office some 18 km from Bird Island and there are guards at the entrance to inspect tickets. The operation is well organised. A continuously running video at the Management Office explains the reserve to visitors, and a brochure for RMB 3 is available for visitors when they enter Bird Island. Some 30,000 people visit the reserve annually.

Although we arrived late in the breeding season, we still managed to count 2,600 pairs of Cormorants, 7,000 pairs of Brown-headed Gulls, 8,200 pairs of Great Black-headed Gulls and 40 pairs of Bar-headed Geese at the breeding colonies we visited around the lake. In addition, we also came across nests and chicks of Upland Buzzards, Ruddy Shelducks, Red-billed Choughs, Kentish Plovers, Black Redstarts, Shore Larks, Lesser Skylarks and a colony of Sand Martins. Snow Finches and Crag Martins were seen in the hills around the Reserve Management Office, and Pallas' Fishing Eagles were hunting in the nearby rivers.

We also visited two other lakes - Keluke Hu and Tuosu Hu - after an overnight train ride from Xining. Keluke Hu is a 5,810ha freshwater lake. The manager said there were plans to upgrade it from a sanctuary to a nature reserve, but no action has been taken. Keluke Hu flows into Tuosu Hu three kilometres away but unlike the former, Tuosu Hu is a brackish water lake of 18,760 ha.

Keluke Hu is fringed by a large area of reedbed and flooded grassland which is used for grazing, and the lake itself has a rich growth of freshwater macrophytes. In the lake were families of Great Crested and Black-necked Grebe, whilst the surrounding flooded grasslands held 15 species of breeding waterbirds including Little and Common Terns, Red-crested Pochard, Ruddy Shelducks, Gadwalls, Greylag Geese, Redshanks, and Kentish Plovers. Other species recorded included Golden Eagle and Henderson's Ground Jay.

Keluke Hu is unique in being one of only a few sites in Qinghai Province that supports a large area of reedbeds and aquatic plants. The importance of this does not seems to have been considered before, and it seems that no botanist has visited or surveyed the site.

Even though Tuosu Hu was only some 3 km away, it is a complete contrast to Keluke Hu. The surrounding landscape was desert-like with sandstone pinnacles. Although the lake supported a large number of birds - mainly Brown-headed Gulls (440) and Ruddy Shelducks (124) - the diversity was much lower. The only signs of breeding activity, were 3 - 4 broods of Ruddy Shelducks, and a family of Black-necked Grebes. Apart from a pair of Desert Wheatears, no nests were found on the island in the centre of the lake, possibly explained by the number of fox scats and footprints in the sand. The lake freezes over in winter, allowing terrstrial predators to get across to the island.

Members of the HKBWS who have been to China will be aware of the lack of resources in many of the reserves they visit (binoculars, field guides and staff with interest and experience are all in short supply), and that reserves do not get the level of protection they deserve. In the cases of Bird Island and Keluke Hu, where the managers want to upgrade their sites to a national nature reserve and a provincial nature reserve respectively, they lacked the data to support their applications to higher levels of government, including information such as bird lists and counts.

This is where HKBWS members can greatly help the reserves they visit by sending records from their trips. If you are not sure where to send such records, then WWF Hong Kong can try to help by supplying addresses of the relevant provincial or central Government authorities.

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Yangxian, Shaanxi Province 25-27 July, 1997
by Richard Lewthwaite

To escape the Hong Kong summertime blues, Martin Hale and I took a weekend break, flying to Xian, and journeying on to Yangxian, 300km to the south, in the company of Mr Fu Wenkai of the Shaanxi Forestry Department. Our target species was Crested Ibis, one of the rarest and most endangered species in the world.

Having failed to find any at a feeding site on the Han River at Yangxian, (though we did see Long-billed Plover and Crested Kingfisher), a late afternoon visit to a nearby roosting site brought us immediate success - one bird was already there and we later had excellent views of others flighting in with egrets and herons and noisily joining the roost. In all, we saw 17 individuals, including three juveniles.

The rapid decline of Crested Ibis is attributed to the effects of pesticides and hunting. It was once widespread in China and East Asia, occurring in the 1930s in eastern Siberia, Korea, and Japan, as well as in 14 provinces in China (there are summer records from Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, Anhui, Shandong and Zhejiang; with winter records from Fujian, Taiwan and Hainan Island). By the 1960s it was believed extinct throughout its range, except in Japan, where about 10 survived.

This population fell to just six captive birds in 1981, and chances of further breeding were considered very unlikely. In the same year, having covered, 50,000km in three years without result, a search instituted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered seven birds at Yangxian. From this nucleus, numbers have built up to a point where there are now, if I understood our hosts correctly, 57 birds in the area (35 wild birds and 22 in a captive breeding programme). Wild birds are well protected - local people know that it is an extremely serious matter to kill or injure a Crested Ibis, the roost site is watched by staff members, and during the breeding season, nests are guarded against predation by snakes and civet cats. Ardeid numbers at the Crested Ibis roost were quite impressive - 350 Cattle Egrets, 150-200 Little Egrets, 20-30 Night Herons, 150 Chinese Pond Herons and 10 Grey Herons.

The roost and adjacent areas held a number of Hong Kong migrant or wintering birds, including Forest Wagtail, Black-winged Cuckoo-Shrike, Swinhoe’s Minivet, Chinese Blackbird, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Brown Shrike, Chinese Greenfinch, Silky Starling, and Meadow Bunting, many of which appeared to be breeding.

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Taiwan 10-24 August 1997
by HF Cheung

Going to Taiwan in mid-August for birds is not my idea of good birding. However, since this year is the 90th birthday of a famous Chinese physicist, a big conference brought me to Taiwan for the first time. After a week at the conference I had nine days to go birding.

The conference was held in a suburb of Taipei. During the conference, I had time in early morning, lunch breaks, and evenings to check the hillsides nearby.

There were good numbers of Japanese Green Pigeon, Muller's Barbet, Pacific Swallow, Black-naped Monarch, Black Bulbul, and Treepie.

Seabird watching reached new heights in HK this year, so I spent 2 days in the Penghu Islands looking for Brown Noddy, terns, and other seabirds. Flying from Taipei was very easy, but the bird sanctuary "Maoyu" was hard to visit due to lack of public transportation and pre-arrangement seemed necessary.

After getting some information from the Penghu Wild Bird Society, I set off on public ferry to the larger and inhabited Islands. Roseate, Black-naped, Little, and Great Crested Terns were plentiful. To my great pleasure, I enjoyed brief views of a Brown Noddy, and a Lesser Frigatebird flew directly in front of my hotel room. One important tip: boat people don't have a sense of punctuality. So if you have to run for the airport after visiting an island, you need to allow an extra hour just in case the boat is late. I did get to the airport in good time, thanks to the efforts of an excellent taxi driver.

I spent the next two days at Hsitou, a famous resort and experimental forest farm run by a university. This coincided with the arrival of a typhoon to the north of Taiwan. As a result, I was birding in light but continuous rain for a day and a half, and only my last morning was dry.

At this mid-elevation site, endemic species such as Steere's Liocichla, Taiwan Sibia, Taiwan Yuhina were plentiful.

Ashy Wood Pigeon, Grey-capped Woodpecker, White-tailed Robin, Island Thrush, Ferruginous Flycatcher, Grey- cheeked Fulvetta, and Rufous-faced Warbler were also present. Most showed very well. Any video taken? My bins, scope, and video camera all refused to work in rainy weather.

The next site was Heuisun Experimental Farm, another resort and experimental forest at a lower elevation. One mistake in reading the confusing map cost me NTD1500 for the taxi and two extra hours to get there. The site is at a lower elevation. Although it held flocks of Treepie and Black Bulbul, there was little diversity. New species from this site included Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Bronze Drongo, Varied Tit, Formosan Blue Magpie (found with hard work and luck), Spotted Scops Owl (heard), Brown-capped Fulvetta (heard) and at least two Swinhoe's Pheasants (brief flight views). The Pheasants were just below the Heuisun Memorial Stone. Hard work indeed!

Towards the end of the trip, I visited the Taiwan Endemic Animal Research Centre (that is the Mr. Yao connection mentioned in Jim Hackett's trip report, HKBWS Bulletin, March 1997). Mr. Yao took me to their research station (~ 2300 m) on the western slopes of Hohuanshan. Before going to the research station, I got two hours (which is far from sufficient time) at the top of Hohuanshan (~ 3000 m). This short spell produced Taiwan Laughing Thrush, Vinaceous Rosefinch, Beavan’s Bullfinch, Collared Bush Robin and Verreaux's Bush Warbler.

Inside the research station, which is closed even to local birdwatchers, bird density was higher than any of the other sites I visited. This site is excellent for Mikado Pheasant, of which I made four sightings in two days. Other endemics new to me included Taiwan Barwing, and Taiwan Tit. There were also many Collared Bush Robins, including a good number of juveniles.

Other good birds included Tawny Owl (heard), Jay, Streak-throated Fulvetta, Vivid Niltava, Eurasian Nuthatch, Brown Bullfinch and Red-headed Tit. Sadly, during these two days I was without my video camera, since a landslide has blocked the road and I could not carry everything to the research station.

I spent my last day at Wulai, a small town near Taipei famous for its forest streams. Since it was a Sunday, too many tourists came to swim and fish on the rocky streams; but despite all these disturbances, I briefly saw one Taiwan Whistling Thrush.

During this trip I didn't have the luxury of a hire car. Instead, I travelled mostly by buses, and occasionally by taxi. Typically I travelling from site to site between 10 am to 4 pm. The bus services provide easy and affordable access to most key places. The hotels I stayed in were all good, except at the Mikado Pheasant site, where tenting was necessary. Of the 14 Taiwan endemics, I missed only three - Taiwan Firecrest, Formosan Bulbul, and Taiwan Hill Partridge. Overall, I was well satisfied with the results of this "off-season" trip.

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Recent reports (June - August 1997)
by Richard Lewthwaite

June 1997

After a promising start during which a small seasonal pond at Po Toi held a Back Bittern, a Schrenck's Bittern, and eight Yellow Bitterns on 2nd and there were reports of two Black Bulbuls at Tai Po Kau on 3rd, a probable Baillon's Crake at Tung Chung on 4th, a Black Bittern, 12 Yellow Bitterns and a Nordmann's Greenshank at Mai Po on 5th, and a Hobby there (eating a Tree Sparrow) on 7th, the mid-month period quietened down. The only noteworthy birds were one or two Black-faced Buntings, presumed escapes, on 10th and 17th, a Watercock and ten Painted Snipe at Long Valley and an Oriental Reed Warbler at Mai Po on 14th.

A trip on the Dong Ping Chau Ferry on 21st produced a Long-taild Skua, the earliest ever if accepted, and two Aleutian Terns, the latest ever, as well as a combined total of 100 Roseate, Bridled and Black-naped Terns.

In a summer with fewer reports than usual of the rarer over-summering and breeding raptors, there were reports of an Osprey at Crooked Island in late June and two Black Bazas and a Hobby at Ta Kwu Ling on 26-27th. At the latter site, Black-capped Kingfisher was reported as possibly breeding. Remarkably there are still no confirmed breeding records. On 28th, a Red Turtle Dove at Po Toi was the latest (or earliest) ever, and only the third June record.

July 1997

A very wet July proved to be excellent for terns and seabirds. Single Red-footed Boobies, potential 2nd and 3rd records, were found off Dong Ping Chau on 5th, and Discovery Bay on 19th. Terns were regularly seen en route to Dong Ping Chau, and in waters off Tap Mun, with higher numbers in the latter area. From the Dong Ping Chau ferry, there were up to 40 Bridled, four Roseate, and ten Black-naped Terns on 6th, 12th, and 25th, with a Common Tern also there on 25th. Coverage of the Tap Mun/Shek Ngau Chau area from small locally-hired boats on 19th 20th and 26th produced up to 110 Bridled, 65 Roseate and 90 Black-naped Terns as well as an unidentified egret (Swinhoe’s or White-phased Reef ), a White-winged Tern, and a Greater Crested Tern, all on 20th, up to 30 Common Terns on 19th and 20th, and single skuas, thought to be Long-tailed, on 19th and 26th.

An adult oriole feeding young at Cheung Chau on 18th, initially assumed to be Black-naped, was subsequently thought to be a Slender-billed Oriole, a potential first record.

Elsewhere during the month were a Far-Eastern Curlew at Mai Po on 6th and a Lesser Treeduck there on 6th and 25th, a Black Baza at Queen's Hill Camp on 17th, a Grey-cheeked Fulvetta at Tai Mo Shan on 20th, and a Besra trapped at KARC on 23rd.

August 1997

The month opened with the approach of Typhoon Victor, which passed directly over the territory on the night of 2nd. Seawatching activities that day produced at least one shearwater/petrel and 40 Bridled Terns at Cape'd Aguilar and seven Bridled Terns at Cheung Chau. Seawatching at Cape'd Aguilar in the aftermath of Victor on 3rd was initially so slow that birders were actually leaving the site when a booby, the first of four to be seen, flew over. Not surprisingly, seawatching resumed with renewed purpose and those present were rewarded with a Short-tailed Shearwater (a potential 1st record), a Brown Booby (potential 2nd record), an immature Red-footed Booby (4th record, if all this summer are accepted), an adult Red -footed/Masked Booby and an unidentified booby.

A boat trip to the tern colony at Shek Ngau Chau on 7th brought unexpectedly happy news. Despite days of torrential rain in the wettest summer on record and a direct hit from Typhoon Victor only a few days earlier, not only had breeding occurred, but 80 Bridled Tern chicks, and a combined total of 20-30 Roseate and Black-naped Tern juveniles had survived. Also present were 250-300 adult Bridled Terns, easily the highest count at a breeding colony and the second highest for the territory, 40 adult Roseates, and 30 adult Black-naped Terns. The highlight of the Society boat trip on 24th was 20 Aleutian Terns.

Elsewhere, an adult Slender-billed Oriole was again on Cheung Chau on 2nd and 6th, a flock of 11 Black Bazas were moving north at Castle Peak on 5th, and at Mai Po there was an influx of 100 Eurasian Curlews and 20 Whimbrels on 6th, an Asian Dowitcher there on 6th and 15th, and a Far Eastern Curlew, a Purple Gallinule (possibly escaped) and a Black Bittern there from 15th.

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