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Topic: Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬 (Read 4200 times) |
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Andrew
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Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬
« on: Oct 29th, 2005, 3:04pm » |
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I walked along the stream at Ho Chung this morning and it was good for Dusky warbler.
I managed one reasonable shot but they were very skulking. Other birds seen were Common sandpiper, White (luecopsis) and Grey wagtails, a small flock of White-rumped munia, Chinese pond heron and higher up the road, Chestnut bulbul.
The area is being slowly encroached by new buildings so I don't know how long this area will survive.
Andrew
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| « Last Edit: Nov 10th, 2005, 2:59am by Webcreeper » |
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Paul Leader
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌
« Reply #1 on: Nov 1st, 2005, 2:28pm » |
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I think this is a Yellow-streaked Warbler. It is not a Dusky Warbler due to the thick eye-stripe, pale supercilium which is well-marked behind the eye, olive tone to the upperparts, relatively thick and pale legs, distinctly buff underparts, slightly longer tail, and large feet!
This really leaves Radde's or Yellow-streaked; the features which favour Yellow-streaked are the darkish legs and the relatively thin bill.
Do you have pictures of the throat and breast. Also did it call? Yellow-streaked has a distinctive bunting-like 'tic' call.
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Andrew
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌
« Reply #2 on: Nov 1st, 2005, 10:14pm » |
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Paul, I had gone for Dusky mainly because of the call, which was a regular soft 'tchak' - also there were at least 3 different birds along the stretch with the same call. This is the nearest I got to a throat shot.
I looked afterwards at Plate 28 in Kevin Baker's book Warblers of Europe, Asia and N.Africa. I know this book was quite heavily criticised when it came out for the poor illustrations but the pictures in 84 don't look too far apart from my photo. In my second photo the legs look decidedly spindly and this is the same bird as its the only one I managed to photograph. The odd thing about Baker is the text doesn't really match his illustrations and he draws out some of the points you make including the supercilium which he describes as "thin and comparatively short... well defined in front of the eye" for Dusky. Again, this is not how it is shown in Viney, Phillipps and Lam! Baker describes the voice of Radde's as as a soft chek.....chek and that could be pretty close. He also describes Yellow-streaked's voice as "a metallic tack or tschak similar to Dusky warbler". I'm not convinced therefore that the call would be sufficiently distinct to me to rule any of these in or out. If its Yellow-streaked according to the Avifauna, at the time of publication there were only 9 records for HK so I'm not surprised it didn't occur to me - I've never seen it.
Thanks for the comments
Andrew
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| « Last Edit: Nov 1st, 2005, 10:20pm by Andrew » |
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Andrew
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌
« Reply #3 on: Nov 6th, 2005, 3:08pm » |
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06 November 2005
Little egret
Common sandpiper
Siberian stonechat
*Bonelli's eagle*
Grey wagtail
The same "Dusky"/Yellow-streaked warbler
Masked laughing-thrush
Scaly-breasted munia 10+
Long-tailed shrike
Hair-crested drongo
Black-collared starling
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Andrew
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌
« Reply #4 on: Nov 6th, 2005, 8:10pm » |
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This is the area of Ho Chung I have visited recently, still very rural.
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Tony
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌
« Reply #5 on: Nov 8th, 2005, 2:28am » |
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I go to Ho Chung on 6th November too.
There are
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common Koel
Greater Coucal
Cattle Egret
Little Egret
Black Capped Night Heron
Common sandpiper
Common kingfisher
White brested waterhen
Common Buzzard
White rumped Munia
Chinese Pond Heron
Mapie
White Throated Kingfisher
Black faced Laughingthrush
Long tailed strike
Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail
Durian Redstart female
Hairy Crested Drongo
Red Flanked Robin
Crested Goshawk
House swift
Grey headed Flycatcher
Common Tailorbird
Black bird
Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush
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Andrew
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌
« Reply #6 on: Nov 9th, 2005, 3:37pm » |
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Tony, a very good list. I stayed inthe valley because I am struggling with a bad back. Did you go up to the woods on top of the hill? What time of day did you go - I was there late morning as I wanted to photograph dragonflies as well.
Andrew
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Andrew
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬
« Reply #7 on: Nov 13th, 2005, 10:24am » |
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13th November 07.30 - 09.45 Valley area only
Grey heron
Yellow-browed warbler
Dusky warbler
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common Koel
Lesser coucal
Great white egret
Little egret
White rumped munia
Scaly-breasted munia
Great tit
Chinese pond heron
Magpie robin
White throated kingfisher
Black faced laughingthrush
Long tailed shrike x3
Grey wagtail
White wagtail (leucopsis)
Daurian redstart female x 2
Hair-crested drongo
Yellow-breasted prinia
Black-collared starling
Chinese bulbul
Red-whiskered bulbul
Sooty-headed bulbul x 3
Olive-backed pipit
Black kite
Siberian stonechat
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| « Last Edit: Nov 19th, 2005, 9:15am by Andrew » |
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Tony
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬
« Reply #8 on: Nov 16th, 2005, 11:54am » |
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Andrew,
I did went up to the hill and valley, probably from 8:00 - 11:30. I just saw those raptors on the hill.
Tony
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Andrew
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬
« Reply #9 on: Nov 20th, 2005, 5:52pm » |
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Today, 20th Nov 2005 I went up as far as The Wilson Trail from 13.45 to 16.00. Best sighting today was a group of half a dozen Hair-crested drongoes "plunge-bathing" in the stream. They were too quick and distant for me to photograph in action but I got a few good shots once they were sunning themselves:
Other birds seen were:
Little egret
Grey wagtail
White wagtail
White-breasted waterhen
Black-winged cuckoo-shrike
Dusky warbler
Chinese bulbul
Red-whiskered bulbul
Sooty-headed bulbul
Tailorbird
Japanese white-eye
Bonelli's eagle
Crested serpent eagle
Black kite
Scaly-breasted munia
White-rumped munia
Siberian stonechat
Magpie robin
Yellow-browed warbler
House (Little?) swift
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| « Last Edit: Nov 20th, 2005, 5:52pm by Andrew » |
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miket
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬
« Reply #10 on: Nov 20th, 2005, 11:19pm » |
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Hi Andrew,
I'm also a regular visitor to Ho Chung and have been over several years, currently living nearby in Hing Keng Shek.
Do you check the woods on your visits? This is the area where the Wilson Trail comes over from Tseng Lan Shue and/or down from Customs House Pass (Fei Ngo Shan), at the very end of the catchwater, just past Tai Lam Wu. There was a Black-naped Monarch there today, as well as many 'hikers', and this is the area with the greatest 'rarity potential' in my view. The catchwater's a very pleasant stroll and good for HK Newt (dead ones at least), and the lowland fields have been great in their time, but just aren't burnt off enough now, reducing their attractiveness to buntings, for example.
I'm intrigued by your mentions of Bonelli's Eagle - the area looks good for them and I've seen them passing over nearby, higher up at Ta Ku Ling San Tsuen where I used to live, but never at Ho Chung itself. I clearly need to keep an eye out for them in future.
Mike Turnbull
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Andrew
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬
« Reply #11 on: Nov 20th, 2005, 11:33pm » |
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Mike, I have just "discovered" Ho Chung. I live in Pik Sha Road off Clearwater Bay Road so its a 10min drive there. I walk from the road at the bottom up through the fields to the Wilson Trail but haven't been further up into the woods proper. If you'd like to meet up do give me a call sometime on 9889 6638. Sunday early a.m. is my preferred time for birding the fields. I was not there at the best time today but i slept very late after a long trip back from Harare on Friday/Saturday and a late night watching the rugby. The consolation is that the dogs are dozy in the afternoon. Lots of hikers as you say. Shame I didn't see the monarch. I haven't seen any other birders yet but the locals all seem very friendly even if they do regard me as eccentric.
Andrew
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Andrew
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬
« Reply #12 on: Nov 26th, 2005, 10:54am » |
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Nov 26th 2005 8am-10am
An Asian stubtail warbler was my best bird this morning -I had 2 brief unobstructed views before it disappeared into the undergrowth. Chestnut bulbul, Black-throated laughing-thrush and Greater necklaced laughing-thrush were all seen this morning higher up near the catchwater. I didn't see any raptors today. The edges of the fields have been burnt off but only in patches.
Andrew
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hey
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬
« Reply #13 on: Nov 26th, 2005, 5:12pm » |
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Nice to meet you, Andrew
Here is the bird list for the visit on 26th Nov 8:00-11:00
Common Sandpiper
Chinese Pond Heron
Black Crowned Night Heron
Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail
Common Tailorbird
Yellow-bellied Prinia
Olive-Backed Pipit
Fork-tailed Sunbird
Masked Laughingthrush
Black-throated Laughingthrush
Hair-Crested Drongo
Daurian Redstart F
Common Kingfisher
Common Blackbird
Common Buzzard
Siberian Stonechat
Red-billed Starling
Sooty-headed Bulbul
Long Tail Shrike
Chestnut Bulbul
White-rumped Munia
Accipiter sp. (Probably Crested Goshawk)
Great Tit
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| « Last Edit: Nov 26th, 2005, 10:12pm by hey » |
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Andrew
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Re: Ho Chung 蠔涌 2005 Winter 冬
« Reply #14 on: Nov 26th, 2005, 5:28pm » |
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You too Hey! I still have not seen night-herons or blackbird at Ho Chung. Well done. I think its a good area that will repay regular watching. Hope to meet up again.
best wshes
Andrew
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