A week when I felt Po Toi was starting to return to normal.
Bird of the week, probably bird of the spring and maybe even Po Toi bird of the year was the Redstart found by Mr C W So on the football field early on Tuesday morning. I don’t mind repeating his photos here, they are so good
Thanks to Mr So, we actually have some good photos of the bird which proved very elusive all week but was definitely still there yesterday. I think it’s a female Black Redstart which would be a second HK record (the first in 1995, also in April). Thank you Mr So.
A very bizarre event happened on Wednesday evening. I had been looking for the redstart on-and-off through the day, without success, and near to 6pm I decided to return home for dinner.
Walking up from the ferry pier and nearly at Mr Ng’s house, a small brown bird ran up the path just in front of me and ran around the corner. I quietly rounded the corner and found the bird standing upright in the middle of the concrete path. Very long pale legs – I quickly thought through what it could be – the redstart?, a Siberian Rubythroat?, a Siberian Blue Robin?, all occurred to me but they were all wrong somewhere.
I started to take some photos when I suddenly noticed the redstart was actually in a bush next to this bird. I left the bird and followed the redstart – here are the photos of the bird.
It looks to me like a Bush Warbler, and a Brown Bush Warbler since the under-tail coverts are plain orange buff.
But, a Brown Bush Warbler standing on a concrete path?? Or any Bush Warbler come to that. My conclusion is that I disturbed this bird when it had just arrived and it was a bit lost.
Other supporting cast this week – two Grey-faced Buzzards on Wednesday, the Hoopoe still there, Ashy Minivets and male Blue-and-white Flycatcher all week, also Asian Brown, an early Grey-streaked and at least one male Narcissus, and on Thursday six species of bunting, Tristram’s, Little, Yellow-browed, early Chestnut, Japanese Yellow and Black-faced (very common). Here some photos of Blue-and-white, Narcissus, Tristram’s and Japanese Yellow.
What we are missing are other Philippine species – Ferruginous and Mugimaki Flycatchers. So still a long way to go to catch up previous years. And no cold fronts on the horizon, so we may even miss some regular species this year.
At sea, the first terns and skuas plus a long awaited Ancient Murrelet and a Sanderling caught up in the Red-necked Phalarope flocks
For the third time in six years, the whole South Peninsular was ravaged by fire for Ching Ming. Firemen and helicopters were called in
I’m starting to believe these fires are started deliberately, possibly to clear gravesites. It looks black now but it will start to green after the first rains and will be back to normal for autumn migration. Nature will win.
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Last edited by wgeoff at 8/04/2011 12:37 ]