Belated BY - 6th year! Herman&Kit

[Kitsafari]

387. Green Sandpiper

 

I hope I ID=ed this correctly. 

 

[Kitsafari]

388. White-rumped Munia

 

[Kitsafari]

268. Pied Avocet - already in the UK count

389. Black-winged Stilt

 

The handful of avocets at this pond resolutely refused to lift their heads.  

 

Stilt

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

390. Little Grebe
 

This small grebe is very common in HK. 

 

[Galana]

More lovely birds for us to enjoy.

 

Just one small point if I may?

 

Your Red-collared Dove is actually without the hyphen.

Your way would mean a Dove with a red collar whereas  without a hyphen Red Collared Dove means what you are looking at (And 'Galanas rule') . A Red Dove with a collar.

[michael-ibk]

13 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

Green Sandpiper

 

I hope I ID=ed this correctly. 

 

I think so, yes. Not too sure about your Temminck's though but a bit hard to say.

 

Ah, Fred and his hyphens. I always enjoy typing Grey-Crowned Crane just to see how he reacts - but I´m a bit evil.

[Galana]

3 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

but I´m a bit evil.

We know and you "Deutschsprachigers" can be just as pedantic.

[michael-ibk]

Did you just call me a German Fred? 

[Kitsafari]

11 hours ago, Galana said:

More lovely birds for us to enjoy.

 

Just one small point if I may?

 

Your Red-collared Dove is actually without the hyphen.

Your way would mean a Dove with a red collar whereas  without a hyphen Red Collared Dove means what you are looking at (And 'Galanas rule') . A Red Dove with a collar.

 

 

Spot on - in fact the hyphen should be Red Collared-Dove, according to eBird-Clements list. 

 

3 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Did you just call me a German Fred? 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

391. Chinese Pond Heron

 

Non-breeding herons of the Javan, Indian and Chinese versions are extremely hard to tell apart, but in HK you can reliably tell they are the Chinese pond herons. The problem was they were so common that I realised I didn't have a photo of them and by the time I realised it, there was only one - far across the river, keeping a terrapin company. 

 

[Kitsafari]

392. Amur Stonechat

 

[Kitsafari]

393. Baillon's Crake

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

394. Pheasant-tailed Jacana

 

A flock of around 8 jacanas - usually a skittish lot - were surprisingly feeding in the middle of the pond, ignoring a group of human photographers.

 

 

[Kitsafari]

395. Citrine Wagtail

 

[Kitsafari]

396. Oriental Magpie

 

[Galana]

3 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Did you just call me a German Fred? 

I don't think so as I believe you are Austrian.

[Kitsafari]

397. Common Snipe

 

I was stunned to see so many of them dozing openly on and blending in so well into the rocks at the edge of a pond. They are so skulky in Singapore.

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

398. Collared Crow

 

Not shy to put up this handsome crow which is on the IUCN Redlist's vulnerable status with IUCN estimating at least 2000 adults remaining in HK, in addition to some localised populations still holding out in parts of China. Threats are agricultural conversion of land and persecution

 

[Kitsafari]

399. Black-faced Spoonbill

 

Another target of mine on this trip. Although not a lifer, I didnt get good shots of this bird, which is on the redlist's Endangered status. In 1988, a study estimated only 288 adults. IUCN attributed conversion and protection of sites to a gradual recovery in numbers with a 2017 census estimating over 3,900 birds. The spoonbill is distributed in East Asia, with a smattering in some parts of Southeast Asia. 

We stayed in Matthew's hybrid car to avoid spooking the birds, and one spoonbill - intent on feeding - started moving quite close to us. 

 

Spoonbill feeding among the egrets

 

 

 

 

 

and one more - a clip of it feeding. I couldn't zoom out anymore, that was how close it was to us.

 

 

[Kitsafari]

400. Yellow-breasted Bunting

 

I had initially wanted to keep the spoonbill for my 4th century, but then when I learned that the bunting is on the Critically Endangered list, I felt it deserved a strong highlight of this fairly large bunting, and that I was lucky to see it, even though it was an immature male. 

In Europe, the breeding numbers were estimated at between 60,000-300,000 individuals in 2004, but the numbers plunged to just about 120-600 adults by 2015. The declines were blamed on excessive trapping during migration especially at winter sites to feed growing appetite for the birds in China and Cambodia as delicacies or "mascots" for good luck. 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

401. Great Egret

 

The spoonbills were fraternising with a large group of great egrets. 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

402. Spotted Redshank

 

 

[Kitsafari]

403. Dunlin

 

[Kitsafari]

404. Crested Myna

 

[Kitsafari]

405. Oriental Magpie-Robin

 

Also seen at Danang, Vietnam when I was there in August

 

HK

male

female

 

Danang