Ho Man Tin, Pui O & Shap Long
7/4/2023 - Ho Man Tin
Nothing could be really said about this visit. It was my very first trip to there and I didn’t know where to look
I spent a morning looking for the alleged flycatchers that were present, only got a short glimpse of a mugimaki flycatcher
Although uneventful, I recorded two lifers that morning
A Chinese hwamei, often caught and sold for their beautiful singing
Female mugimaki flycatcher
Gave up on the day after a while
8/4/2023 - Pui O & Shap Long
Painted snipes have been at the top of my list for a while now. So I headed towards Pui O after hearing that they were spotted there, as there are many small patches of wetlands available here
I walked along the ham tin path as well as the small beach path, with patches of wetland on two sides. There were sandpipers present and swallows present, but I never managed to find any snipes
A wood sandpiper was present
As I slowed down to scan the ground for snipes, I started noticing the many swallows there were swooping down onto the ground from time to time to collect mud and sticks. I then switched my attention to the swallows, I sat down by the sidewalk and started photographing the swallows
Barn swallows use wet mud and sticks to construct their nests
Every few minutes, there would be half a dozen or so swallows landing
Cattle egrets were around the herds of buffalos that were there as well
Gracious-looking with its breeding plumage on
After spending nearly an hour with the swallows, I started working towards Shap Long along the road. That is when I spotted another species high on my target list - Chinese grosbeak
Only a record shot, as the flock of grosbeaks passed quickly
Shap Long proved to be unproductive, other than a long-tailed shrike that flew by and several black kites circling above, there weren’t much to see
I headed back towards Pui O after enjoying a sandwich lunch on the beach facing the ocean
I decided to spend some more time at the wetlands where I photographed the swallows, but this time when I arrived, a small flock of little buntings were also foraging there. So I switched my attention to them instead
They were foraging on the floor for seeds (I think?)
One of my favourite birds to photograph, always so photogenic and energetic!
Although not as fruitful, it was 2 relaxing days spent out here in the wild, really enjoyed the break from school
Wood sandpiper seen on the way out (why couldn’t it be a painted snipe :(
Thanks for reading :)
