ddavid

Dylan -

Is your Black-headed Bunting a typo for Black-faced?

Dave

subbuteo

Yes!  Wishful thinking!  I've changed it to Black-faced/ Masked Bunting.

Dylan

kmike

A very few birds at Tai Om this morning :

Daurian Redstart

Russet Bush Warbler
Asian Stubtail
Manchurian Bush Warbler
Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler

Tristram's Bunting - 4

Cheers
Mike

kmike

An adult Striated Heron was at KFBG at about 4:30 on the flamingo pool.

Cheers
Mike

kmike

This morning at 0930 a dark phase  Oriental Honey Buzzard (assumed to be the same bird as seen a couple of weeks previously was seen flying over She Shan.

Other birds present later this morning down there included a Red-throated Flycatcher and an Ashy Drongo.

Cheers
Mike

kmike

A quiet morning at Ng Tung Chai:

Rufous-tailed Robin - 1

Grey-backed Thrush - 1

Asian Stubtail - 1
Mountain Bush Warbler - 1
Yellow-browed Warbler - 5
Pallas' Leaf Warbler - 5

Chestnut Bulbul - 2 - seem to be fewer this winter.

Cheers
Mike

kmike

Another quiet morning in Lam Tsuen:

Besra - 1

Rubythroat - 3

Chinese Blackbird - 10

Dusky Warbler - 5
Bright-capped Cisticola - 2

Red-throated Flycatcher - 1

Little Bunting - 7
Black-faced Bunting - 1

Ashy Drongo - 1

Cheers
Mike K

kmike

Another quiet weekend at Lam Tsuen with no flycatchers, chats, thrushes, or interesting warblers.

The best bird was the Oriental Honey Buzzard which was seen over Tai Om Shan on Saturday morning, but apart from that a single Asian Stubtail on each day and 5-10 each of Yellow-browed Warbler and Pallas' Leaf Warbler were the rather dismal highlights.  

I did also enjoy this Chinese Blackbird perched on a tree with brillant red flowers - anyone know what is?

Cheers

Mike

ddavid

Mike -

I think it's African Tulip Tree Spathodea campanulata - native to Africa, widely cultivated in tropical regions of the world, including S China. Flowering Jan-May. Info from Flora of Hong Kong Vol.3

Dave

[ Last edited by ddavid at 8/01/2012 22:04 ]

kmike

Thanks Dave!
Mike

subbuteo

I concur with Mike, it is quiet out there!  Highlight yesterday was two Crested Serpent Eagles circling with two Eastern Buzzards.  There have been a couple of Black-faced (Masked) Buntings regularly this week but little else of note.  

Dylan

subbuteo

11.1.12

A Brown Wood Owl was calling this morning at 6.15am in the Pak Tin Kong area.  It started to call just as rain began to fall.  I've noticed that it seems to like calling in damp weather and this is the first call I have heard in several weeks (along with the first rain in while!).

Dylan

[ Last edited by subbuteo at 11/01/2012 08:21 ]

kmike

A few birds at KFBG today:

Striated Heron
Rufous-tailed Robin
Red-throated Flycatcher
Striated Yuhina

Cheers
Mike

subbuteo

A damp walk this morning around Pak Tin Kong and Lung A Pai.

Russet Bush Warbler 3
Ashy Drongo 2
Hair-crested Drongo 3
Asian Stubtail 1
Chestnut Bunting 5
Black-faced Bunting 2

Still quiet- I didn't manage a Stonechat today, haven't seen a Red-flanked Bluetail or Red-tailed Robin.  I must try harder.

Dylan

kmike

A few more to add from the She Shan - Tin Liu Ha area

Large Hawk Cuckoo - 1 (probable - very distant)

Black-winged Cuckooshrike - 1
Ashy Drongo - 2
Hair-crested Drongo -1

Ocularis White Wagtail - 1
Grey Wagtail - 4
Richard's Pipit - 3
OBP - 20

Daurian Redstart - 1
Siberian Stonechat - 5 (mostly She Shan)
Chinese Blackbird - 4

Fan-tailed Warbler - 15
Bright-capped Cisticola - 1
Manchurian Bush Warbler - 1
Dusky Warbler - 5
Yellow-browed Warbler - 2

Red-throated Flycatcher
Brown Flycatcher (outside Dylan's house!)

Bunting sp. - 1
Large-billed Crow - 3


Cheers
Mike

subbuteo

I caught up with the Asian Brown Flycatcher outside my house this afternoon and at dusk saw a Woodcock fly over the marsh at Pak Tin Kong.

Dylan

kmike

A Collared Dove with a heavily worn tail was a first record for Lam Tsuen, and the Oriental Honey Buzzard showed well at Pak Tin Kong at around 10am.

Apart from that it was pretty quiet.

Cheers
Mike

subbuteo

A quick dog-walk this morning between showers and I immediately saw a red-throated (Taiga) flycatcher outside my home at a small vegetable patch.  There seem to be more stonechats about.  Further on, I was very surprised to hear Brown Wood Owl calling.  Daylight calls have been restricted to dusk or dawn but today between 7.50 and 8.20 the BWO was calling consistently, very 30-60 seconds.  There were occasional pauses when firecrackers went off.  Whether hearing the call today is a result of fortunate timing, cold weather, damp or noise disturbance I can only speculate.  I did end up wet- it is hard to be quick when there are things to see!

kmike

A quiet Monday morning  (23 Jan) in Ng Tung Chai revealed just a Goodson's Leaf Warbler near the top falls.

2 Rufous-tailed Robins and an Asian Stubtail were at Tai Om Shan yesterday.



Cheers
Mike K

Beetle

5 Feb 2012

Ng Tung Chai:
Ashy Drongo
Tristram's Bunting
Goodson's Leaf Warbler

She Shan:
Bright-capped Cisticola

Tin Liu Ha:
Oriental Honey Buzzard (Chased and attacked by a Kestrel)

[ Last edited by Beetle at 5/02/2012 18:49 ]

subbuteo

Brown Wood Owl was calling seemingly from the hillside above She Shan this morning at 6.15am.  Yesterday I saw my first Common Mynah in Lam Tsuen in a large flock of Crested Mynahs.  Also, in Sek Kong yesterday a large green, long-tailed parrot was flying- presumably rose-ringed parakeet which I have not seen in the New Territories before, although there was a an escape blossom-headed parakeet in Lam Tsuen last year.

Dylan

ajohn

The other parakeet species to consider is Alexandrine. There are a few of these at large in the New Territories.

subbuteo

Just looked at google images and I think that probably is it- Alexandrine- the tail was noticeably lighter when it landed in a tree- it was a long way off by the time I got my binoculars onto it.  

Dylan

subbuteo

Spring seems to be arriving in Lam Tsuen.  Koel started to call on 2.3.12, Large hawk Cuckoo 6.3.12 and then in the evening Savanna Nightjar.  Brown Wood Owl has been heard intermittently, and seems to be more  mobile calling from at least four different locations along the valley (I have not heard more than one bird call).  Swallows are investigating nest sites, a group of six yesterday was the largest I have seen so far.

A few winter birds are still about, this morning two black-faced buntings, a russet bush warbler, ashy drongo and stonechat.

Dylan