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The Magic Roundabout (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter MKinHK
- Start date
Owen Krout
Well-known member
Great stuff MK!
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
August in Hong Kong is hotter than a blacksmith's armpit. Today was typically acrid, especially as I trogged round the Roundabout during a pretty well bird-free lunch hour - where a solitary Eastern Great Tit was the only bird of the most meagre note.
However, a site visit to the golf course blew the summer doldrums into oblivion as a magical half hour delivered patch tick 140 in the shape of a spanking male Daurian Starling! Better still, having initially dived into a hedge showing only enough to get me wondering hopefully, it perched beautifully allowing a solid five minutes of wonderful views some 20 metres away!
But this was just the cherry on the top of a totally unexpected set of waterbirds and passerines which included two each of Grey Heron and Chinese Pond Heron, four Black-crowned Night Herons (my colleague had seen ten in the morning), a couple of Pacific Golden Plovers, a Common Sandpiper, a calling White-breasted Kingfisher, two taivana Yellow Wagtails, a Richard's Pipit, 50 Scaly-breasted Munias , two White-shouldered Starlings and, amazingly, another - this time fully mobile and gloriously flollopy Hoopoe!
This would have made for a good day anywhere in Hong Kong , but for the Roundabout in August this is utterly, mind-blowingly beyond my expectations.
Cheers
Mike
Post script: it turns out that the Daurian Starling was the earliest autumn record for Hong Kong - by a full week from the previous earliest - which was of four birds on Po Toi on 4 September 2010.
However, a site visit to the golf course blew the summer doldrums into oblivion as a magical half hour delivered patch tick 140 in the shape of a spanking male Daurian Starling! Better still, having initially dived into a hedge showing only enough to get me wondering hopefully, it perched beautifully allowing a solid five minutes of wonderful views some 20 metres away!
But this was just the cherry on the top of a totally unexpected set of waterbirds and passerines which included two each of Grey Heron and Chinese Pond Heron, four Black-crowned Night Herons (my colleague had seen ten in the morning), a couple of Pacific Golden Plovers, a Common Sandpiper, a calling White-breasted Kingfisher, two taivana Yellow Wagtails, a Richard's Pipit, 50 Scaly-breasted Munias , two White-shouldered Starlings and, amazingly, another - this time fully mobile and gloriously flollopy Hoopoe!
This would have made for a good day anywhere in Hong Kong , but for the Roundabout in August this is utterly, mind-blowingly beyond my expectations.
Cheers
Mike
Post script: it turns out that the Daurian Starling was the earliest autumn record for Hong Kong - by a full week from the previous earliest - which was of four birds on Po Toi on 4 September 2010.
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Yeah, I was thinking "unusual habitat for Hoopoe!"
Mike - any word on if the bird looks like it will get better?
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MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
HKIA is having a great run at the moment Gus, but there are plenty of other better sites in HK. Having said that the only message on the local birders' Whatsapp group today was again from the Roundabout and included a high-speed flyby of five more Daurian Starlings, my first Stejneger's Stonechat on the Grassy Verge and Asian Brown Flycatcher of the autumn, a lingering Arctic Warbler on the Core Area.
Other bits and pieces included a trio of Little Ringed Plovers flying off the golf course, followed by a White-throated Kingfisher that flew out over the carpark before diving into a tree on the edge of the course, a Sooty-headed Bulbuland a distant Yellow Wagtail. I also picked up a surprise Pacific Reef Egret from the sea watch point.
I also had one non-bird addition to the patch list on Friday last week - an fine adult Chinese Skink - complete with elegant cherry scaling on the sides - was in a roadside flowerbed.
Cheers
Mike
Other bits and pieces included a trio of Little Ringed Plovers flying off the golf course, followed by a White-throated Kingfisher that flew out over the carpark before diving into a tree on the edge of the course, a Sooty-headed Bulbuland a distant Yellow Wagtail. I also picked up a surprise Pacific Reef Egret from the sea watch point.
I also had one non-bird addition to the patch list on Friday last week - an fine adult Chinese Skink - complete with elegant cherry scaling on the sides - was in a roadside flowerbed.
Cheers
Mike
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Oh dear, a chunk of the famous patch vanishing ...some nice stuff in the last few posts, always a pleasure to catch up on this thread :t:
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
That's one sexy starling for the patch, Mike. So sad to hear about "Little Curlew's" patch will be gone in the future.
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Thanks Jos and Dev. It may be going, but I plan to make the very best of the golf course before it does. So yesterday I was out there again - after nobly resisting the temptation to bypass the rest of the sweaty and mozzie-infested patch. To no avail I had possibly fewer birds than I had ever previously seen on a full round - two Magpie Robins, and single juvenile Chinese Bulbul and Crested Bulbul offering the very scantest interest.
The golf course was another story altogether. A Grey Heron flew in and landed briefly just as a Black-winged Stilt few up from the edge of the first pond, and settled on the other, posing elegantly among the abandoned golf balls.
This was just my second record here, so a nice start!
As in previous days a Chinese Pond Heron was stalking the rough and a Black-crowned Night Heron flew up from one of the course-side trees, while half a a dozen Little Ringed Plovers explored the areas where the turf had been cut away in strips.
The star birds of the day were the lingering Pacific Golden Plovers on the farthest tee. They allowed a reasonably close approach, and them delighted me by walking even closer, giving wonderful views. It was just one of those days - as I waited for the PGPs a couple of Scaly-breasted Munias jumped into a tussock and again posed beautifully to be nailed by the trusty SX50.
As before there were a gang of eight Yellow Wagtails which included at least one adult tschutschensis /simillima and an interesting looking, very pale juvenile. Other repeats included both Common and White-throated Kingfishers, and the Common Sandpiper count increased to two
Amazingly yet another Daurian Starling was gorging itself in the lantanas on the eastern edge of the course, but moved of just as I got zoomed in on its branch. This was clearly a different bird from my first male, making seven altogether including the migrating party of five the day before. Just brilliant!
As if that are not enough the Hoopoe then popped up again on the far side of the course, but similarly was not interested in being immortalised on this thread. There's no accounting for taste!
The last hurrah was a new bird for the patch, complete surprise, a something of a damp squib - an eclipse Pin-tailed Wydah (141) - an obvious escape (and kindly identified by Grahame Walbridge on the ID thread) - was trotting about in the gravel on the side of the Eastern pond. Escape or no, it goes onto the patch list, bring me ever closer to the major milestone of 150.
Cheers
Mike
The golf course was another story altogether. A Grey Heron flew in and landed briefly just as a Black-winged Stilt few up from the edge of the first pond, and settled on the other, posing elegantly among the abandoned golf balls.
This was just my second record here, so a nice start!
As in previous days a Chinese Pond Heron was stalking the rough and a Black-crowned Night Heron flew up from one of the course-side trees, while half a a dozen Little Ringed Plovers explored the areas where the turf had been cut away in strips.
The star birds of the day were the lingering Pacific Golden Plovers on the farthest tee. They allowed a reasonably close approach, and them delighted me by walking even closer, giving wonderful views. It was just one of those days - as I waited for the PGPs a couple of Scaly-breasted Munias jumped into a tussock and again posed beautifully to be nailed by the trusty SX50.
As before there were a gang of eight Yellow Wagtails which included at least one adult tschutschensis /simillima and an interesting looking, very pale juvenile. Other repeats included both Common and White-throated Kingfishers, and the Common Sandpiper count increased to two
Amazingly yet another Daurian Starling was gorging itself in the lantanas on the eastern edge of the course, but moved of just as I got zoomed in on its branch. This was clearly a different bird from my first male, making seven altogether including the migrating party of five the day before. Just brilliant!
As if that are not enough the Hoopoe then popped up again on the far side of the course, but similarly was not interested in being immortalised on this thread. There's no accounting for taste!
The last hurrah was a new bird for the patch, complete surprise, a something of a damp squib - an eclipse Pin-tailed Wydah (141) - an obvious escape (and kindly identified by Grahame Walbridge on the ID thread) - was trotting about in the gravel on the side of the Eastern pond. Escape or no, it goes onto the patch list, bring me ever closer to the major milestone of 150.
Cheers
Mike
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Cypselurus92
Well-known member
Those Golden Plovers are lovely! And the Whydah's quite interesting-looking too in eclipse (I'm used to males in full breeding attire), resembles the north american White-crowned Sparrow for some reason..
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Mostly Crested and Chinese Bulbuls eating the berries Gretchen, along with Crested Mynas and Black-necked Starlings.
The wydah certainly had me thinking "American sparrow" Cypselurus, right up to the point where it's bill emerged, glowing like a beacon!
Yesterday maintained the fine momentum of autumn passage on the Roundabout, albeit after a slow start, with the Core Area, Grassy Verge and the Tangles failing to produce the (massively optimistically) hoped-for pitta or Japanese Paradise Flycatcher, and instead a probable Oriental Reed Warbler (Blunt-winged Warbler could not be ruled out) was the only bird except for Magpie Robin, and Crested Bulbul.
Things changed on the Northern Edge as the first of a patch record three Yellow-rumped Flycatchers popped up and over the next 15 minutes posed well enough for record shots and for me to be sure I couldn't string it into Elisa's or Ryukyu Flycatcher. I was also pleased to pick up just my second Eastern Crowned Warbler on the patch - a cracking bird with an enormous yellow bill, bold head pattern and clearly yellow undertail coverts.
The golf course delivered once again, starting with three Common Sandpipers, a Long-toed Stint and a patch tick Green Sandpiper (142) coming off the north end of the long pond.Other waders included a record count of 12 Little Ringed Plovers and a very bulky Swintail Snipe that came out of the grass on the edge of the same pond and lumbered away.
Other goodies included another patch first a grotty female Yellow-breasted Bunting (143) washing in a rainwater puddle, the first Red Turtle Dove of the autumn, a flyover Cattle Egret and a couple of Zitting Cisticolas, a single Richard's Pipit, a Common Kingfisher, and a dozen Yellow Wagtails, with the usual supporting ardeid cast of two Chinese Pond Herons, a Grey Heron and four juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons.
Cheers
Mike
The wydah certainly had me thinking "American sparrow" Cypselurus, right up to the point where it's bill emerged, glowing like a beacon!
Yesterday maintained the fine momentum of autumn passage on the Roundabout, albeit after a slow start, with the Core Area, Grassy Verge and the Tangles failing to produce the (massively optimistically) hoped-for pitta or Japanese Paradise Flycatcher, and instead a probable Oriental Reed Warbler (Blunt-winged Warbler could not be ruled out) was the only bird except for Magpie Robin, and Crested Bulbul.
Things changed on the Northern Edge as the first of a patch record three Yellow-rumped Flycatchers popped up and over the next 15 minutes posed well enough for record shots and for me to be sure I couldn't string it into Elisa's or Ryukyu Flycatcher. I was also pleased to pick up just my second Eastern Crowned Warbler on the patch - a cracking bird with an enormous yellow bill, bold head pattern and clearly yellow undertail coverts.
The golf course delivered once again, starting with three Common Sandpipers, a Long-toed Stint and a patch tick Green Sandpiper (142) coming off the north end of the long pond.Other waders included a record count of 12 Little Ringed Plovers and a very bulky Swintail Snipe that came out of the grass on the edge of the same pond and lumbered away.
Other goodies included another patch first a grotty female Yellow-breasted Bunting (143) washing in a rainwater puddle, the first Red Turtle Dove of the autumn, a flyover Cattle Egret and a couple of Zitting Cisticolas, a single Richard's Pipit, a Common Kingfisher, and a dozen Yellow Wagtails, with the usual supporting ardeid cast of two Chinese Pond Herons, a Grey Heron and four juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons.
Cheers
Mike
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MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
And the score keeps ticking up . . . albeit somewhat embarrassingly.
A presumed Cattle Egret flying around the golf course the day before yesterday finally came down and allayed a nagging doubt about the ID - as it conclusively proved itself to be my first Intermediate Egret (144) for the patch and my fifth patch tick in the last two weeks! Other ardeids included single Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron and Grey Heron.
In truth it was a somewhat quieter day, with an Asian Brown Flycatcher the only bird of note on the Roundabout itself. An Oriental Reed Warbler was lurking in the grass by the gate into the golf course, and was too curious to make itself scarce and allowed me a good look as it peered down from the tree it flipped up into.
Other birds included a confiding Long-toed Stint on the long pond, five or six LRPs, a Common Sandpiper, the same flock of 12 Yellow Wagtails, both Common and White-throated Kingfishers, three Zitting Cisticolas and as I left, three Red Turtle Doves zipped out of a tree by the fence and away. Two House Swifts also put in an appearance.
Cheers
Mike
A presumed Cattle Egret flying around the golf course the day before yesterday finally came down and allayed a nagging doubt about the ID - as it conclusively proved itself to be my first Intermediate Egret (144) for the patch and my fifth patch tick in the last two weeks! Other ardeids included single Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron and Grey Heron.
In truth it was a somewhat quieter day, with an Asian Brown Flycatcher the only bird of note on the Roundabout itself. An Oriental Reed Warbler was lurking in the grass by the gate into the golf course, and was too curious to make itself scarce and allowed me a good look as it peered down from the tree it flipped up into.
Other birds included a confiding Long-toed Stint on the long pond, five or six LRPs, a Common Sandpiper, the same flock of 12 Yellow Wagtails, both Common and White-throated Kingfishers, three Zitting Cisticolas and as I left, three Red Turtle Doves zipped out of a tree by the fence and away. Two House Swifts also put in an appearance.
Cheers
Mike
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Owen Krout
Well-known member
Ah, that is where my Intermediates went!
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Thanks Gus
Today started well with a Wryneck surprisingly on the grassy patch and a nicely marked White-shouldered Starling washing in the ditch on the Western Tangle with the Crested Bulbuls. The Wryneck was my 54th bird of the quarter, and moved the quarter into equal fourth on the all-time list (of 12 quarters since Oct-Dec 2012).
The golf course was quieter, with only LRPs and 3 Common Sandpipers only waders on the ponds, and 20-odd Eastern Yellow Wagtails and 3 Zitting Cisticiolas the only other migrants.
The Intermediate Egret had moved on but the Grey Heron, 2 CPHs and 5 Black-crowned Night Herons were still present, along with a couple of Little Egrets.
Hoping for better later in the week.
Cheers
Mike
Today started well with a Wryneck surprisingly on the grassy patch and a nicely marked White-shouldered Starling washing in the ditch on the Western Tangle with the Crested Bulbuls. The Wryneck was my 54th bird of the quarter, and moved the quarter into equal fourth on the all-time list (of 12 quarters since Oct-Dec 2012).
The golf course was quieter, with only LRPs and 3 Common Sandpipers only waders on the ponds, and 20-odd Eastern Yellow Wagtails and 3 Zitting Cisticiolas the only other migrants.
The Intermediate Egret had moved on but the Grey Heron, 2 CPHs and 5 Black-crowned Night Herons were still present, along with a couple of Little Egrets.
Hoping for better later in the week.
Cheers
Mike
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MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
The day's highlight was nailing a second Black-winged Stilt for the autumn from my office 6 floors up. It was walking around the drained part of the pond, and politely hung around until lunchtime, when I was able to snatch a swift half hour before heading off to town for three back to back meetings and a curry.
The Yellow Wagtail count has risen to 25,including an adult simillima the Common Sandpiper count to 4 and there were two Great Egrets, a Little Egret, a Chinese Pond Heron and seven Black-crowned Night Herons to further swell the ardeid file.
And finally, a juvenile Red Turtle Dove was wandering around in one of the bunkers by the gate and posed nicely for a rather distant photo.
Cheers
Mike
The Yellow Wagtail count has risen to 25,including an adult simillima the Common Sandpiper count to 4 and there were two Great Egrets, a Little Egret, a Chinese Pond Heron and seven Black-crowned Night Herons to further swell the ardeid file.
And finally, a juvenile Red Turtle Dove was wandering around in one of the bunkers by the gate and posed nicely for a rather distant photo.
Cheers
Mike
Attachments
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
A mother good day that started with hard work on the Roundabout proper - with just a solitary Asian Brown Flycatcher to show for the effort, before the golf course again showed its promise as a yellow-bright male Black-naped Oriole darted away out of the one of the lollipop trees on the fairway and a quartet of circling egrets dropped to reveal themselves as three Cattle Egrets and a solitary Intermediate Egret.
There were two Grey Herons and the usual couple of Chinese Pond Herons, but the night herons stayed well hidden for once. The Black-winged Stilt was again on the Round Pond along with seven LRPs and a couple of Common Sandpipers, and a Swintail Snipe lurched out of the long grass next to the Long Pond as I inadvertently flushed it.
A Richard's Pipit had joined the 20-odd Eastern Yellow Wagtails, two Red Turtle Doves again came out of the trees along the northern perimeter fence, and the White-throated Kingfisher called from the same general area but did not show.
The long grass by the final corner rounded the day off in style as first a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler (with a decidedly uncontrasting rump), and then a patch tick Yellow-bellied Prinia (145) shot out across the path and into the undergrowth.
Cheers
Mike
There were two Grey Herons and the usual couple of Chinese Pond Herons, but the night herons stayed well hidden for once. The Black-winged Stilt was again on the Round Pond along with seven LRPs and a couple of Common Sandpipers, and a Swintail Snipe lurched out of the long grass next to the Long Pond as I inadvertently flushed it.
A Richard's Pipit had joined the 20-odd Eastern Yellow Wagtails, two Red Turtle Doves again came out of the trees along the northern perimeter fence, and the White-throated Kingfisher called from the same general area but did not show.
The long grass by the final corner rounded the day off in style as first a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler (with a decidedly uncontrasting rump), and then a patch tick Yellow-bellied Prinia (145) shot out across the path and into the undergrowth.
Cheers
Mike
It's obviously getting more fun down there! Congrats on a new bird for the list. Enjoyed the picture of munias - I do think them a very good looking bird, even if common. (Saw a shocking purple one here when I was looking up dyed birds.) Is the front bird with only a few "scales" likely to be a first year bird?
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MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Wow - that purple munis is a shocker Gretchen! They seem to be one species that almost always turned out well in photos for me.
A somewhat frustrating day . . . starting with a small shape in a bush on the Core Area that I could do nothing with . . . followed by distant and partial views of a probable Arctic Warbler, followed by more bad flight views of the probable Oriental Reed Warbler (with a tail that might o be long enough to raise ethe glimmer of a hint of a possibility of something more exciting) on the Eastern Tangle.
The Northern Edge finally delivered with an Arctic Warbler and an Eastern Crowned Warbler foraging together high in the treetops, plus an Asian Brown Flycatcher that gave its short rattling call that hints at Red-breasted Flycatcher . . .
All these meant I had very little time on the golf course and added little more than the three Cattle Egrets, the same twenty-odd Eastern Yellow Wagtails, and a shrike that flew into a bush looking like a Brown Shrike, and then out the other side looking like a Long-tailed Shrike. The latter, naturally, would have been a new one for the quarter . . . Ho hum.
Anyway, some of my pix of the BW Stilt and the egrets from yesterday turned out OK, so there is some consolation.
Cheers
Mike
A somewhat frustrating day . . . starting with a small shape in a bush on the Core Area that I could do nothing with . . . followed by distant and partial views of a probable Arctic Warbler, followed by more bad flight views of the probable Oriental Reed Warbler (with a tail that might o be long enough to raise ethe glimmer of a hint of a possibility of something more exciting) on the Eastern Tangle.
The Northern Edge finally delivered with an Arctic Warbler and an Eastern Crowned Warbler foraging together high in the treetops, plus an Asian Brown Flycatcher that gave its short rattling call that hints at Red-breasted Flycatcher . . .
All these meant I had very little time on the golf course and added little more than the three Cattle Egrets, the same twenty-odd Eastern Yellow Wagtails, and a shrike that flew into a bush looking like a Brown Shrike, and then out the other side looking like a Long-tailed Shrike. The latter, naturally, would have been a new one for the quarter . . . Ho hum.
Anyway, some of my pix of the BW Stilt and the egrets from yesterday turned out OK, so there is some consolation.
Cheers
Mike
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