Itinerary

Bibliography

Identification

Shorebirds- An Identification Guide : Hayman, Marchant, Prater - essential.
Birds of Hong Kong and South China : Viney, Phillips, Chiu Ying- the standard reference.
Helm Id. Guides-Raptors of the World :Ferguson Lees, Christie - too heavy to take ,but photocopied the accipiter plates.

Site Guides

Birding Hong Kong- A Site Guide : Diskin - essential.
Trip Report- April 2001 :I Fisher & A Johnston.

General

Lonely Planet Hong Kong - very useful.

Strategy

The main aim of this trip, the first leg of our round the world trip, was to try and see the trio of rare waders- Asiatic Dowitcher, Nordmann's Greenshank and Spoon-billed Sandpiper. The first two fell quickly, but ,despite putting in long hours at Mai Po , we failed to see Spoon-billed Sandpiper, and to my knowledge none had been seen anywhere in Hong Kong by the time we left on 22/4. It seems clear that it is getting much harder to see this bird in HK- and this is presumably a reflection of recent documented declines.

As a result of spending so much time looking for S-b. S. we didn't cover some sites that we may have done otherwise. Nonetheless the spectacle that is Mai Po with thousands of shorebirds rapidly advancing to within a few metres of the Boardwalk Hide on a rising tide is something any wader buff will want to experience at least once! We managed to log 38 species of wader, and there can't be too many places where you will see more.

Highlights

The following made it on to my top 10 list (in no particular order):-

A total of 149 species  recorded.

Systematic List                              

Little Grebe  Tachybaptus ruficollis
Noted on eight dates.

Grey Heron  Ardea cineria
Noted on nine dates, max. 30+ on 15th.

Purple Heron  Ardea purpurea
1 on 16th at Mai Po was suprisingly the only one recorded.               

Great White Egret  Egretta alba
Noted on nine dates.

Intermediate Egret  Egretta intermedia  
One on 19th at Mai Po was the only one recorded

Little Egret  Egretta garzetta
Noted on 11 dates- max.20+ on 11th.

Chinese Egret  Egretta eulophotes    
Two at Mai Po on 19th were well appreciated.
Classified as Vulnerable by Birdlife International. Population estimated at 1,800 to 2,500 birds and declining.

Chinese Pond -heron  Ardeola bacchus
Noted on nine dates.

Cattle Egret  Bubulcus ibis
Spcifically noted on four dates.

Green-backed Heron  Butorides striatus
One on 18th and one on 21st.

Black-crowned Night-heron  Nycticorax nycticorax
Noted on eight dates. Max. 5+ on 16th.

Yellow Bittern  Ixobrychus sinensis
One on 17th, 19th and 21st.

Black-faced Spoonbill  Platalea minor    
Excellent looks at this endangered species on nine dates at Mai Po. Max. c.40 on 17th.
Classified as Endangered by Birdlife International. Population estimated at 700 birds and declining.

Eurasian Spoonbill  Platalea leucorodia
One on 15th at Mai Po.

Eurasian Wigeon  Anas Penelope
One pair on 21st and 22nd at Mai Po.

Mallard  Anas platyrhynchos
One on 21st was the only one recorded.

Garganey  Anas querquedula
Noted on four dates. Max. 16 on 18th.

Northern Shoveler  Anas acuta
Two pairs on 21st and 22nd at Mai Po.

Osprey  Pandion haliaetus
Two or three most days at Mai Po.

Black Kite  Milvus migrans lineatus
Noted daily in small numbers.
Sometimes treated as a separate species, Black-eared Kite.

Common Kestrel  Falco tinnunculus
One Tai Mo Shan, 20/4.

Chinese Francolin  Francolinus pintadeanus    
Two Chau Tau  on 16th, two or three at Tai Mo Shan on 20th and one at Chau Tau on 21st.

White-breasted Waterhen  Amaurornis phoenicurus
Common, noted daily.

Moorhen  Gallinula chloropus
Common at Mai Po.

Eurasian Coot  Fulica atra
Common at Mai Po.

Black- winged Stilt  Himantopus himantopus
Seven on 15th at Mai Po.

Pied Avocet  Recurvirostra avosetta
Noted on several dates aaat Mai Po, max. 290 on 17th.

Grey Plover  Pluvialis squatarola
Noted on eight dates at Mai Po.

Pacific Golden Plover  Pluvialis fulva
Noted on seven dates at Mai Po, with max. of 70+ on 15th.

Little Ringed Plover  Charadrius dubius
Two on 15th at Mai Po.

Kentish Plover  Charadrius alexandrinus
Noted on four dates ,with max. 50+ at Mai Po on 13th.

Lesser Sandplover  Charadrius mongolus
Noted on four dates with max. of 5+ on 18th to 21st inc.

Greater Sandplover  Charadrius leschenaultia
Noted on nine dates, with max. of 20+ on 13th.

Pintail Snipe  Gallinago stenura
One at Mai Po on17th.

 Snipe  sp.  Gallinago spp.
A bird at Lok Ma Chau on 16th was either Pintail or Swinhoe's, but views weren't conclusive.

Common Snipe  Gallinago gallinago
Two or three at Lok Ma Chau on 16th, 1 at Mai Po on 17th and 2 there on 18th.

Long-billed Dowitcher  Limnodromus scolopaceus
One at Mai Po 15th.
A vagrant in HK. This bird had been present for a while.

Asiatic Dowitcher  Limnodromus semipalmatus
One on 13th, 5 on 15th and 10 on 17th at Mai Po.
Classified as Near Threatened by Birdlife International. Population estimated at 20,000+.

Black-tailed Godwit  Limosa limosa
Noted on nine dates, with max. of 300+ on 13th.

Bar-tailed Godwit  Limosa lapponica
Noted on nine dates with max. of 300+ on 13th.

Little Curlew  Numenius minutus
One infront of the boardwalk hide at Mai Po on17th.

Whimbrel  Numenius phaeopus
Noted on six dates, with max. of 40+ on 19th.

Eurasian Curlew  Numenius arquata
Noted on three dates, with max. of 7+ on 15th.

Far Eastern Curlew  Numenius madagascariensis    
Two at Mai Po on 13th, 1 there on 15th and another on 19th.
Classifed as Near Threatened by Birdlife International. Population recently estimated at 21,000 birds.

Spotted Redshank  Tringa erythropus
Noted on nine dates, with max. of 300+ on 13th.

Common Redshank  Tringa tetanus
Noted on nine dates, with max. of 150+ on 13th.

Marsh Sandpiper  Tringa stagnatilis
Noted on eight dates, with max. of 750+ on 13th.

Common Greenshank  Tringa nebularia
Noted on eight dates, with max. of 350+ on 13th.

Nordmann's Greenshank  Tringa guttifer
Two or three on 15th at Mai Po, three on 17th, and four or five on 18th. All ads. Except a 1s on the latter date.
Good looks at this special bird were one of the highlights of the trip.
Classified as Endangered by Birdlife International. Population estimated at 250 to 999 birds and declining.

Green Sandpiper  Tringa ochropus
One at Mai Po on 15th was only record.

Wood Sandpiper  Tringa glareola
Noted on nine dates, with max. of 150+ on 15th.

Terek Sandpiper  Xenus cinereus
Noted on nine dates with max. of 200+ on 18th.

Common Sandpiper  Actitus hypoleucos
One at Mai Po on 13th was the only one.

Grey-tailed Tattler  Tringa brevipes
One on 17th, three on 20th, eight on 21st and two on 22nd at Mai Po.

Great Knot  Calidris tenuirostis
Noted on nine dates, with max. of 50+ on 15th.

Red Knot  Calidris canutus
Three at Mai Po on17th, two on 20th and four on 21st.

Sanderling  Calidris alba
Two on 18th, three on 19th and two on 21st at Mai Po.

Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis
Noted on nine dates at Mai Po, with max. of 300+ on 13th.

Little Stint Calidris minuta
Two at Mai Po on 15th and singles there on 21st and 22nd.

Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta
Noted on eight dates at Mai Po with max. of c.50 on17th.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminate
Noted on nine dates, with max. of 15+ on 17th.  

Curlew Sandpiper  Calidris ferruginea
Noted on nine dates, with max. of c2,500 on 18th.

Broad-billed Sandpiper  Limicola falcinellus
Noted on seven dates at Mai Po. No counts, but <10 on most dates.

Red-necked Phalarope  Phalaropus lobatus
One at Mai Po on 21st.

Saunder's Gull  Larus saundersi    
A 1s bird at Mai Po gave great views on 15th, and 17th to 20th inc.

Classified as Vulnerable by Birdlife International. Population estimated at 7,000 and declining.

Gull-billed Tern  Gelochelidon nilotica
Noted on nine dates, with max. of 30+ on 15th at Mai Po.

Caspian Tern  Hydroprogne caspia
5+ at Mai Po on 15th, 17th and 21st.

Little Tern  Sterna albifrons
Six at Mai Po on 19th.

Whiskered Tern  Chlidonias hybrida
Two at Mai Po on 21st.

Oriental Turtle Dove  Streptopelia orientalis
Noted on nine dates, with max. of 5+ on 13th.

Spotted Dove  Streptopelia chinensis
Common, noted daily.

Large Hawk-cuckoo  Cuculus sparverioides
Two heard on Lantau on 14th, and two more heard at Tai Mo Shan on 20th, with one seen well at Chau Tau also on 20th.

Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus   
One heard on 14th on Lantau, four heard on 16th and singles seen at Mai Po on 17th and 22nd.

Common Koel  Eudynamis scolopacea
Noted on ten dates, with max. of 5+ on 13th.

Greater Coucal  Centropus sinensis
Noted on nine dates. No counts made.

Lesser Coucal  Centropus bengalensis   
One at Chau Tau on 20th.

Collared Scops Owl  Otus lempiji
One heard on 21st at Mai Po.

Asian Barred Owlet  Glaucidium cuculoides
One heard at Chau Tau on 20th.

Savanna Nightjar  Caprimulgus affinis
Two performed at dusk at Chau Tau on 16th and three to four spotlighted on 20th.

Pacific Swift  Apus pacificus
5+ on 12th around Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island.

House Swift  Apus nipalensis
Noted on four dates with max. 40+ on 20th at Tai Mo Shan.

Swiftlet sp.  Collocalia spp.
14 all dark swiftlets were seen prior to dusk over Mui Woi ,Lantau on 14th.
According to Birds of HK the most likely species is the migratory Himalayan Swiftlet.

Common Kingfisher  Alcedo atthis
Noted on nine dates.

White-throated Kingfisher  Halcyon smyrnensis
One on 17th and another on 19th at Mai Po.

Black-capped Kingfisher  Halcyon pileata
One on 17th at Mai Po.

Pied Kingfisher  Ceryle rudis
Two or three daily at Mai Po.

Great Barbet  Megalaima virens
One heard at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Parakeet sp.  Psittacidae spp.
3 flew over Kowloon Park on 11th.

Eurasian Wryneck  Jynx torquilla
One at Lok Ma Chau on 16th.

Barn Swallow  Hirundo rustica
Noted on 11 dates in small numbers.

Asian House Martin  Delichon dasypus    
10+ around Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island on 12th.

White Wagtail  Motacilla alba
Noted on at least four dates.

Yellow Wagtail  Motacilla flava
Noted on at least four dates, with max. of 200+ on 18th at Mai Po.

Grey Wagtail  Motacilla cineria
Singles recorded on 12th, 13th and 22nd.

Richard's Pipit  Anthus novaeseelandiae
One on 16th and 6+ at  Tai Mo Shan on 20th.

Olive-backed Pipit  Anthus hodgsoni
Singles on 15th and 16th

Red-throated Pipit  Anthus cervinus
One on 16th was the only one recorded.

Upland Pipit  Anthus sylvanus
Excellent 'scope. views of a bird singing at Tai Mo Shan on 20th.

Scarlet Minivet  Pericrocotus miniatus
5+ at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Grey-chinned Minivet  Pericrocotus solaris griseigularis
3 at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Red-whiskered Bulbul  Pycnonotus jocosus
Noted daily.

Chinese Bulbul  Pycnonotus sinensis    
Noted daily.

Red-vented Bulbul  Pycnonotus aurigaster
Two or three at Chau Tau on 16th and two there on 20th.

Chestnut Bulbul  Hypsipetes castanonotus cannipennis    
Two on 12th at Pok  Fu Lam C.P. and 6+ at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Orange-bellied Leafbird  Chloropsis hardwickei    
5 on 19th at Tai Po Kau.

Blue Rock Thrush  Monticola solitarius
5+ at Tai Mo Shan on 20th.

Blue Whistling Thrush  Myiophoneus caeruleus caeruleus
Two heard at Tai Po Kau on 19th.
Yellow-bellied Prinia  Prinia flaviventris
Noted on nine dates. No counts made.

Plain Prinia  Prinia inornata extensicauda
Noted on nine dates.No counts made.

Mountain Bush Warbler  Cettia fortipes    
One heard singing on Tai Mo Shan on 20th. The song ends with a very distinctive whiplash note.
Black-browed Reed Warbler  Acrocephalus bistrigiseps
Singles seen on four dates at Mai Po.

Oriental Reed Warbler  Acrocephalus orientalis
One on 13th, two on 15th, and singles on 20th and 21st at Mai Po.

Common Tailorbird  Orthotomus sutorius
Common indeed, noted daily.

Yellow-browed Warbler  Phylloscopus inornatus
2+ still at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Hainan Blue Flycatcher  Cyornis hainana
One male watched singing at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Siberian Blue Robin  Luscinia cyane
Crippling views of a male in a small gulley on Tai Mo Shan on 20th.
Very scarce passage migrant and winter visitor to HK.

Oriental Magpie Robin  Copsychus saularis
Noted daily.

(Siberian) Stonechat  Saxicola torquata stejnegeri
One on 13th, another on 15th and two or three on 16th.

Black-faced Laughing Thrush  Garrulax affinis    *
Common, noted on 10 dates, with max. of 10+ on 15th.

Greater Necklaced Laughing Thrush  Garrulax pectoralis
Circa 8 at Pok Fu Lam C.P. on 12th and three or four at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Black-throated Laughing Thrush  Garrulax chinensis     *
One at Pok Fu Lam C.P. on 12th.

Hwamei  Garrulax canorus
Two on Victoria Peak on 12th, one on Tai Mo Shan on 20th and one heard at Chau Tau also on 20th.

Grey-cheeked Fulvetta  Alcippe morrisonia
One at Tai Po Kau on 19th. 

Red-billed Leiothrix/ Pekin Robin  Leiothrix lutea    
One on 19th at Tai Po Kau.

Vinous-throated Parrotbill  Paradoxornis webbianus    
5 near the summit of Tai Mo Shan on 20th.

Great Tit  Parus major commixtus
Noted on six dates, with max. of 6+ on 19th.

Yellow-cheeked Tit  Parus spilonotus
Two on 19th at Tai Po Kau.

Fork-tailed Sunbird  Aethopyga christinae    
A pair at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Fire-breasted Flowerpecker  Dicaeum ignipectus
3+ at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker  Dicaeum cruentatum
One or two at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Japanese White-eye  Zosterops japonica
Common, noted daily.

Black-naped Oriole  Oriolus chinensis
One at Mai Po on 22nd.

Long-tailed Shrike  Lanius schach
One on 13th, two on 15th, 5+ on 16th, inc. a 'Dusky Shrike'at Chau Tau, also noted on 17th and another 'Dusky' at Chau Tau on 20th.

Black Drongo  Dicrurus macrocercus
One on 13th and another on 17th.

Azure-winged Magpie  Cyanopica cyana
One on 22nd.

Introduced.

Blue Magpie  Urocissa erythrorhyncha
4 on Hong Kong Island on 12th.

Black-billed Magpie  Pica pica
Noted on 10 dates.

Jungle Crow  Corvus macrorhynchus
Three on 12th and singles on 19th and 20th.

Collared Crow  Corvus torquatus    
Small numbers noted on eight dates.

Crested Myna  Acridotheres cristatellus    
Common, noted daily.

Black-necked Starling  Sturnus nigriccollis     
Noted on 10 dates.

Silky Starling  Sturnus sericeus    
One still at Mai Po on 17th.

Spotted Munia  Lonchura puntulata
Noted on eight dates ,with max. of 15+ 16th.

Chestnut-eared Bunting  Emberiza fucata    
One by the shrimp ponds on the approach road to Mai Po on 16th. It had been present for a couple of days.

Black-faced Bunting  Emberiza spodocephala
Two on 17th at Mai Po and one at Tai Mo Shan on 20th.

Tree Sparrow  Passer montanus
Common, noted daily.

Baya Weaver  Ploceus philippinus
Noted on seven dates at Mai Po ,where nesting.

CATEGORY E

Silver-eared Mesia  Leiothrix argentauris
4+ at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Blue-winged Minla  Minla cyanouroptera
6+ at Tai Po Kau on 19th.

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch  Sitta frontalis
4 at Tai Po Kau on 19th.