Sunday, April 12, 2015

Hong Kong 27th Jan to 3rd Feb 2015



In early November 2014 we had the opportunity to participate in a “learning” trip to the Hong Kong Wetland Park and Maipo Wetland Reserve organized by NParks for its volunteers.  As it was a 3 days programme, we had little free time to fully explore Maipo.  Therefore when Alan suggested going on another trip in January, we were glad to join.



He arranged the permit and also got in touch with his birding friend, CF, in Hong Kong. While CF was away birding in Taiwan, his girlfriend joined us for a day, to show us Shek Kong, a site popular with HK birders. 
With the itinerary planned by Alan,  we met on Tues 27th January at Changi Airport for Hong Kong.  On arrival we bought the HKD 100 SIM card for our week’s use and took the public bus E34A for HKD13 to Tin Sui Wai bus terminal.  It was a short walk to Harbour Plaza Resort where we stayed.

With the Octopus card it was easy moving around.  On Wednesday morning we made our way to Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve and walked slowly up the hill.   There were a good number of morning walkers up the hill and we met photographers walking up. Although there were not many birds sighted going up we spotted a fruiting tree near the first rest area, and on a ridge there were a group of photographers.  We soon joined them taking photos of the Japanese White-eye, Orange-bellied Leafbird and Fork-tailed Sunbird feeding at the tree.  On the way down we saw the  Mountain Bulbul, Long-tailed Shrike and White-rumped Munia.

In the afternoon we took a taxi to Long Valley. We stopped by the Bean curd shop for the bean curd and then walked to the  farmland.  We were surprised to see Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Common Snipe and Sandpipers so close.  We also got shots of a Ruddy-breasted Crake, Siberian Stonechat but missed the Blue Throat as it appeared as we were leaving.  






Our permit (HKD180 per pax) was approved for Thursday 29th so we took a taxi to Maipo Wetlands Reserves stopped at the village and walked into the reserve.  On the way we spotted birds in the canal and the trees on both sides.  Somehow by the time we reached the reserve it was late morning and were greeted by the Azure-winged Magpie.  Alan’s contact at Maipo told us the tide would be later at 3pm which meant we would have less time at the hides.  We had our packed lunch then made our way to the Deepwater Bay hide.   The birds were quite far as the tide had not yet come in, we decided to try another hide and on the way out met 2 Hong Kong birders who told us to try the hide on the left.  We left Maipo at 6 pm, an hour after the closing time, very pleased with the birds we saw at this hide.







On Friday we met CF's friend at Kam Sheung Road MTR, and took a taxi to Shek Kong, which is a canal outside a military compound. The first bird we spotted was the Chinese Grosbeaks. As we walked along the side of the canal we spotted other birds, Flycatchers, Bulbuls and Pipits.   From Shek Kong we walked back to the MTR. We then went to Central for our lunch.  after which it was a short walk to Hong Kong Park, located behind the Island Shangri-la Hotel. The open aviary had a lot of birds to keep our cameras busy.

On Saturday morning we took a taxi to Long Valley and alighted at the Hor Sui Heung (Bean Curd factory), walked to the farm-land and birded till 12 noon. We got the Blue Throat!  We took the mini bus 51K to the MTR station and it was time to doing some shopping. 

On Sunday we visited the Kowloon Park’s open aviary and revisited the aviary at Hong Kong Park before we packed and left for home.





Birds Seen


 Tai Po Kau   Shek Kong
1)     Black-throated Thrush1)     Chinese Bulbul
2)     Japanese White-eye2)     Common Sandpiper
3)     Orange-bellied Leafbird3)     Daurian Redstart
4)     Fork-tailed Sunbird4)     Yellow-browed Warbler
5)     Mountain Bulbul5)     Dusky Warbler
6)     Long-tailed Shrike6)     Olive-backed Pipit
7)     White-rumped Munia7)     Chinese Grosbeak
8)     Japanese White-eye
                Maipo 9)     Common Blackbird
1)     Azure-winged Magpie10) Grey-backed Thrush
2)     Black Kite11) Masked Laughing Thrush
3)     Black-faced Spoonbill12) Grey Wagtail
4)     Black-headed Gull13) Magpie Robin
5)     Chinese Bulbul14) Crested Mynah
6)     Chinese Pond Heron15) Cinereous Tit
7)     Collared Crow16) Black-collared Starling
8)     Common Kingfisher17) Fire-breasted Flowerpecker
9)     Common Magpie
10) Eurasian Collared Dove
11) Eurasian CurlewLong Valley
12) Eurasian Curlew1)     Pied Avocet
13) Eurasian Dove2)     Black-winged Stilt
14) Eurasian Tree Sparrow3)     Common Snipe
15) Eurasian Wigeon4)     Ruddy-breasted Crake
16) Great Cormorant5)     Wood Sandpiper
17) Great Egret6)     Little Ringed Plover
18) Grey Heron7)     Siberian Stonechat
19) Grey Plover8)     Yellow-bellied Prinia
20) Heuglin’s Gull9)     White Wagtail
21) Little Cormorant10) Daurian Myna
22) Little Egret11) Collared Starling
23) Little Grebe12) Common Magpie
24) Long-tailed Shrike13) Red-billed Starling
25) Marsh Sandpiper14) Blue Throat
26) Masked Laughing Thrush15) Common Moorhen
27) Northern Shoveler16) Plain Prinia
28) Pied Avocet17) Eastern Wagtail
29) Plain Prinia18) Common Kingfisher
30) Red-whiskered Bulbul19) Black-winged Stilt
31) Tufted Duck20) Zitting Cistiscola
32) Western Osprey21) Dusky Warbler
33) White Wagtail22) Crested Mynah
34) Wood Sandpiper23) Scaly-breasted Munia
35) Yellow Wagtail24) Eurasian Tree Sparrow
  
             HK ParkKowloon Park
1)     Alexandrine Parakeet1)     African Grey Parrot
2)     Bali Mynah2)     Argus Pheasant
3)     Blue-winged Leafbird3)     Black-necked Swan
4)     Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler4)     Common Peafowl
5)     Common Shelduck5)     Coscoroba Swan
6)     Crested Partridge6)     Greater Flamingo
7)     Crested Pigeon7)     Grey-headed Imperial Pigeon
8)     Fawn-breasted Bowerbird8)     Hawaiian Goose
9)     Golden Yellow Pheasant9)     Lesser Flamingo
10) Greater Green Leafbird10) Red-crested Pochard
11) Green Imperial Pigeon11) Ringed Teal
12) Java Sparrow12) Victoria Crowned Pigeon
13) Long-tailed Broadbill13) Wood Duck
14) Maroon-breasted Crowned Pigeon
15) Mountain Peacock Pheasant
16) Orange-spotted Bulbul
17) Pied Imperial Pigeon
18) Pinon Imperial Pigeon
19) Purple-tailed Imperial Pigeon
20) Red-billed Blue Magpie
21) Rainbow Lorikeet
22) Ruddy Cuckoo Dove
23) White-eared Catbird
24) White-hooded Babbler
25) White-necked Myna
26) Yellow-crowned Bulbul aka Straw-headed Bulbul
27) Yellow-faced Myna
28) Yellow-spotted Bulbul



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