Birding location guides
In this section of the guide, I will go over all of the birding locations I’ve visited throughout the year, and give a detailed explanation of my route, especially birdy locations, and some things to note when you visit
I will be illustrating on screenshots of Google maps for routes and special locations as you will see later on
List:
1. Nam Sang Wai
2. Hong Kong Wetland park
3. Po Toi island
4. Mai Po Nature Reserve
5. Long Valley
6. Ho Man Tin
7. HKU & Lung Fu Shan
8. Shui Hau
9. Tai Po Kau
10. Luk keng
11. Pui O
12. Lok Ma Chau village
13. Tsim Bei Tsui
14. Ng Tung Chai
1. Nam Sang Wai
Nam Sang Wai is a mixture of wetlands & fish ponds, surrounded by a bicycle track/car road on the perimeter. Two rivers encompass the island: the Kam Tin river on the right and the Shan Pui river on the left. Usually, I’ll take either bus route 76K from Yuen Long MTR station and drop off at Hung Mo Kiu station, or take the minibus routes 36/37/75/76 until the same location. On average, a loop of Nam Sang Wai takes around 4-5 hours, especially if you’re there birding. Cycling or just walking around the place should only take you about 2 and a half. I typically arrive at Nam Sang Wai at 9 am with a sandwich packed for lunch, with the trip ending at around 2 or 3 pm.
Route by number:
Hung Mo Kiu bus station — after getting off the bus, you should see Kam Tin river stretching down a path, walk down from the highway to a sidewalk and start walking down along the river. There should be plenty of egrets, herons and ducks along Kam Tin river, even black-faced spoonbills if the time is right (winter/spring months, November - April)
After passing below the highways, you should reach a short bridge that crosses a shallow canal. During the winter months, dozens of waterfowl can be found gathered below the bridge here. I’ve encountered multiple black-faced spoonbills clustered up right below the bridge which allowed me to take some beautiful close-up shots. I’ve also had black-headed gulls cruising around here and feeding cormorants spotted at this spot. If this place is birdy the day you visit, it is worth it to stay and photograph for a while
Bare river stretching down here, various species of waterfowl can be found along the river. Mostly the common species such as cormorants, pied avocets, wagtails, shovelers, herons, egrets etc. I usually speed up along this section unless I see anything of interest. There is also a long reedbed stretching along the riverbank here and plain prinia can be found hopping among them
This is where mangrove trees start growing along the shallower parts of the river, only individual trees scattered loosely along the river
Denser mangrove trees along the river, keep your eyes open for kingfishers and warblers among the branches. I’ve had encounters with common & white-throated kingfishers here. Also, keep your eyes open for white-breasted waterhen and common moorhen on the muddy banks among the roots of mangrove trees
The public fishponds that are open to visitors at Nam Sang Wai, this is usually the highlight of the trip. The access road leading into the fishponds branches off into a small forest, where thrushes, warblers and other forest-dwelling birds. I’ve also seen a yellow-fronted canary right on the edges of the forest here during migrating months. Walking into the fishponds, you should immediately notice birds flying in the sky, including black kites and sometimes other birds of prey. I’ve seen flocks of barn swallows darting around above the first fishpond to the left. There are lines/ropes strung up along the banks of the ponds, and you can find yourself barn swallows and kingfishers resting/hunting on these lines often. Little grebes and other ducks can be regularly seen on these fishponds, and cormorants are clustered along the telephone lines above. Dried-up fishponds can attract birds such as wagtails and pratincoles during the right months, and munias, prinias, reed warblers can be found on the tall reeds along the banks. One thing to take note of when visiting is to not walk too close to the houses/properties within the place, and definitely not to intrude on any fenced-off area. Keeping dogs is a common practise among fish farmers in Hong Kong to guard their property, and they are certainly no joke and not to be taken lightly. Stay alert when walking among the fishponds and make sure you don’t trespass and you’ll be fine
Dense mangrove forest blocks the Kam Tin river entirely along this section, I also usually speed up through this part, while also keeping an eye on the trees along both sides of the road for forest birds
Dense mangrove forest ends here and the two rivers converge at this point. Clearing provides unobstructed views of waterfowl resting on the riverbanks here, birds such as kingfishers may be seen among the branches of mangrove trees along the bank. Black-faced spoonbills may be found around here
Smaller, less dense mangrove woods along the riverbank here. I have spotted large groups of pied avocets here, flocks of azure-winged magpies and black-faced spoonbills along this part. Keep an eye out to your left for forest birds
Mangrove wetland end here, unobstructed views of the river continue here. Waterfowl and black-faced spoonbills can be seen here. Keep an eye out for kingfishers on top of stray poles that stick out of the water
Massive reedbed here, nothing much of interest here wildlife-wise, but is a well-known tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Remember not to protrude down into the reedbed itself, respect nature!
A ferryman charging 7 dollars per person will take you across a canal here. After getting off, you can take a minibus back to Yuen Long MTR station after crossing the road
Reminders:
Bring adequate water, there are very little benches/chairs for you to rest on along the sidewalk and can be very tiring during sunny days. There are only 2 resting spots along point 3 on the map I believe where benches are built
Nam Sang Wai is extremely windy, and the place is freezing especially during winter months. The temperature there can be a few degrees lower than what the weather report says. Bring more clothing and gloves to protect your hand from being frozen
The sidewalk that you walk on is beside a road where cars are constantly passing, be careful when crossing the road
Do NOT trespass into fenced off areas
There are no toilets at Nam Sang Wai, except for 2 port-a-potties situated at point 10 on the map
Always respect the wildlife and environment there!
2. Hong Kong Wetland Park
Wetland Park is more of a tourist attraction than a birding site in Hong Kong, you’ll find a ton of tourists during the holidays and the construction of the park severely decreased the ecological value of the wetland over there. Hence do expect fewer birds compared to other birding sites in Hong Kong, but with tourist-friendly facilities such as restaurants, toilets, benches, bird hides and a museum, the place is still worth visiting if you just want a chill and less intense bird-watching trip. Birds are mostly located outside bird hides hence I do recommend skipping the entire park and heading straight for the hides if you’re there solely for bird-watching. Tickets are $30 per adult, $15 per student/child/elderly, and free for kids under 3. Opening hours are from 10 am until 5 pm and is closed on all Tuesdays.
Route by number:
Entrance and visitor centre of Wetland Park. Front desk, restaurant, toilet, vending machines, lockers and other tourist attractions are located inside the building. Take a left turn within the building to enter the wetlands itself
A discovery centre with a boardwalk leading up to it and extending beyond it. Take this path to reach the 3 bird hides. Egrets and other common waterfowl may appear here. There is also an abundance of water lily and is very beautiful during the blooming season
First bird hide, the riverside hide. Usually only cormorants appear here, drying their feathers on the riverbank. However, I have seen a hunting hovering common kingfisher at this spot before. Does not recommend staying at this hide for too long
The butterfly garden, which only houses butterflies during the right months, otherwise will be empty. Recommend skipping this part unless you see butterflies
Second bird hide, the fishpond hide. Reeds are overgrown here and obscure everything if you stay on the ground floor of the hide. Going upstairs may reveal more birds at the hide, but this hide is also often empty. Does not recommend staying at this hide as well
The only good hide at Wetland Park, the mudflat hide. Most of the waterfowl that can be found at the park resides here. Black-faced spoonbills are most easily seen here, and sometimes birds of prey or kingfishers will perch on the wooden poles sticking out from the mud. Smaller waders such as plovers may come close to the hide for photographing opportunities. Birds of prey such as black kites or ospreys can be regularly seen here, if you’re lucky you might also see one swoop down to catch prey. As birds of prey commonly hunt here, bird waves happen frequently and is a good spot for practising in-flight shots of birds
Reminders:
Would only recommend the Wetland Park for amateurs or older birders as the park does not offer a lot of biodiversity compared to other birding sites in Hong Kong
Personally, I don’t find this location worth visiting if you’re going for wildlife. As it is quite far from the city and takes at least an hour and a half for travelling
