Po Toi camping expedition
9-10/4/2023 - Camping trip to Po Toi
With my Easter holidays coming to an end on the 11th, I arranged a camping trip to Po Toi island with my father and grandfather. Besides father-son bonding, the main goal of this camping trip was to photograph the migrating flycatchers, most notably — the narcissus flycatcher, I dubbed it the ‘holy grail’ as it is one of the most sought-after flycatcher here in Hong Kong during migrating season.
We decided to head to Po Toi on the earliest ferry on the 9th, and then return on the afternoon of the 10th
Day 1 - 9/4
My grandfather, father and I boarded the earliest boat to Po Toi from Aberdeen. Upon arriving on the island, we quickly headed to the western part of the island, Ngong Chong, to get the camp set up. After a short break and a sip of hot water boiled from the teapot we brought, I headed back to the main island and walked towards the helicopter pad beside Ming Kee’s seafood. There was already a small cluster of birders by the lake when I arrived, photographing a kingfisher in close proximity
Photo of our campsite
Have never seen such a confiding common kingfisher before! It somehow stayed for a solid 10 minutes, without darting off
Me and other birders seizing the opportunity
I looked to my left and noticed another group of birders lying on their belly along the short coast, and that’s when I noticed a red-necked phalarope in the water as well
I got up quickly and quietly, scooted over to the other group of birders and started photographing the bird as well
Red-necked pharalopes that pass through Hong Kong don’t typically have their full breeding plumage
This one already has a red neck shown, which is lucky considering that most of the phalaropes that pass through are grey
It must’ve been exhausted, it was barely twitching in the water or hunting for food. Migration takes a toll!
A short video of the phalarope
I returned to the other side of the island after this encounter. While walking past the main plaza/field, I noticed some birders photographing buntings in the meadow there.
The bird’s dull plumage blended into the fields perfectly
Turns out to be a female black-faced bunting
An adorable ferruginous flycatcher was seen in the woods behind the sister’s cafe
One of the spring migrating flycatchers, the ferruginous flycatcher
It is the easiest flycatcher to find out of all spring migrating flycatchers
This individual was not shy at all and posed for photos all around the woods
Locals call it “big eyed kid”, a fitting nickname for its massive eyes
While photographing the flycatcher, movements along a nearby tree trunk caught my attention
A family of three lantern bugs (pyrops candelaria)
These adorable bugs are relatives to moths
I then walked towards the Po Toi school, where a flock of bramblings were present. A chestnut bunting also appeared momentarily out of a nearby bush that was seen by another photographer, but disappeared just as fast when we went looking for it
Male brambling
Female brambling
Before heading back to camp, I took one last stroll around the central plaza and found a good looking male black-faced bunting inside one of the abandoned buildings
More good-looking as compared to its female counterpart, the black-faced bunting
Not to be confused with the black-headed bunting, this is the more common out of the two
After heading back to camp and meeting up with my dad and grandpa, we headed out to the sister’s cafe for a chill lunch. I then set out to look for the narcissus flycatcher once more
I found a Chinese pond heron in full breeding plumage by the public lavatory, as well as the same kingfisher, under the beautiful sunset light
I then went up to the Po Toi school in a futile attempt at finding the chestnut bunting, but found an olive-backed pipit instead
B&W view of the ocean from the island
I like Chinese pond herons a lot more in breeding plumage
Extra saturated kingfisher under the setting sun
An olive-backed pipit hiding in the undergrowth next to the Po Toi school
This marks the end of day 1 of the camping trip on Po Toi, my grandpa, father and I then headed to Ming Kee’s for a dinner by the seaside.
Day 2 - 10/4
I woke up in the tent early in the morning, determined to find the narcissus flycatcher, and headed out to the main part of the island at 7am
After an energising breakfast at the sister’s cafe, I entered the woods behind. Surprisingly, the ferruginous flycatcher from yesterday was still at the same perch. Looks like this may be its favourite spot
Lantern bug was also present
I headed back to the helicopter pad, but this time I noticed a birder entering the woods from a small opening on the right. Out of curiosity, I followed him in
When we reached the end, there was a small clearing, with several birders already gathered. When we approached, they all turned and signalled us to be silent, I instantly knew that something was up
After whispering to one of the birders, he told me that there was a narcissus flycatcher mingling in the woods! That got my adrenaline up and my heart started pumping. Scanning the forest, there were indeed several shadows darting here and there, and I spotted the holy grail soon after. The best thing is that both the male and female versions of the narcissus flycatcher were present, and there were also a pair of mugimaki flycatcher, another gorgeous spring migrant
The first photo and my favourite photo taken of the narcissus flycatcher
Female narcissus flycatcher, although similar to the female B&W flycatcher, can be distinguished by its mottled chest
Mugimaki flycatcher, looking similar to the narcissus flycatcher
This individual was shy at first, hiding and barely showed
The bird was not fully mature yet, with shallow spots still present on its back
The flock of birds stayed for 30 minutes, feeding on berries
It slowly got more comfortable with us and approached closer fruit trees
Audibly gasped when it came out into the opening
A shot of the female narcissus flycatcher feeding on fruits
I did not expect to find the mugimaki flycatcher when I set out for the camping trip, this was certainly a welcoming surprise
Its beautiful plumage in full glory
A female blue and white flycatcher was also present, can be identified by its purely white chest in contrast with the narcissus flycatcher’s mottled chest
Not only did I find my top bird here, it was also complemented by 2 other highly sought-after species. It was literally a dream come true for me! The other more experienced birders were all complaining about how the plumage of the narcissus flycatcher wasn’t the prettiest after the flock left, but I couldn’t care less
I was more than happy with my photos and the encounter left me in complete awe. Couldn’t have prayed for a more perfect ending to my trip!
We packed up our camp and left on the 4pm boat off the island
While on the boat, I noticed a large bird coming headfirst towards our ship and flying towards Po Toi island. I quickly fished my camera out of my bag again and started taking photos. It turned out to be a lesser frigatebird, judging from its shape and size! The frigatebird is a rare migrant that is only occasionally recorded here in Hong Kong, which makes the trip all the more memorable
Its distinctive hook and white belly gave its identity away!
This trip was definitely one worth remembering. Thank you for reading :)
