Thursday, January 1, 2026

December Birds

Tai Po Kau has been hosting a few rarities this season, including White Spectacled Warbler and Emei Leaf Warbler. I visited this site three times, and each time I got a good range of birds. Chestnut Bulbuls were a staple of every bird wave, and usually a few came down low to feed, while a Mountain Bulbul was preening. 

大埔滘有几只罕见的鸟,例如白眶鹟莺和峨眉柳莺。我去了三次,每一次都看了很多鸟,有栗背短腳鵯和綠翅短腳鵯。


Chestnut Bulbul(栗背短腳鵯)


Mountain Bulbul(綠翅短腳鵯)

Some of our most common forest species at Tai Po Kau is the Huet's Fulvetta, and each time I visited I managed to get some good eye level shots.

我们在大埔滘看的最多的鸟类是黑眉雀鶥 ,每次都看到。


Huet's Fulvetta(黑眉雀鶥 )

I have longed to see Bay Woodpeckers for years, and on one of my visits I finally got the chance when a trio of them started calling loudly around me. With some playback, one of the females came down for a few seconds. Afterwards, when checking photos I found that it was ringed. 

我一直渴望见到黄嘴啄木鸟,终于在一次旅行中如看到,当时三只黄嘴啄木鸟在我周围大声鸣叫。我播放了一些录音,其中一只雌鸟飞下来停留了几秒钟。之后,查看照片时,我发现它身上戴着脚环。



Bay Woodpecker(
黄嘴啄木鸟)

On my third and last visit to Tai Po Kau, I finally connected with the long-staying Emei Leaf Warbler. I first picked up it's loud and ringing song in a bird wave, then located it feeding low down. However, the warbler moved fast, and I only managed a blurry record shot of it before I lost it. 

我最后一次去大埔滘终于看到了峨眉柳莺。我听到了他很大声的歌,但是它很快,拍了一个记录相片。


Emei Leaf Warbler(峨眉柳莺)

Mai Po has been pretty birdy this season, with rare birds everywhere including a Brahminy Kite and Hen Harrier. However, despite trying multiple times for the Hen Harrier, I still failed in finding it, every time I went to Mai Po it was found somewhere else nearby. The only rare raptor I managed to see was a Brahminy Kite. 

米埔这个冬天都挺多鸟,有栗鳶和白尾鹞,但是我自己看到了栗鳶,


Brahminy Kite(栗鳶)

Other than the kite, I also had other commoner raptors, including Black Kites, Pied Harrier, Eastern Marsh Harriers and Greater Spotted Eagle. 

除了栗鳶,还有黑鳶,鹊鹞,白腹鹞和烏鵰。


Black Kite(黑鳶)


Pied Harrier(鹊鹞)


Eastern Marsh Harrier(白腹鹞)


Greater Spotted Eagle(烏鵰)

There were also lots of ducks in the area, including Northern Pintails, Eurasian Wigeons and Northern Shovelers. 

还有很多鸭子在附近,有针尾鸭,赤頸鴨和琵嘴鴨。


Northern Pintail(针尾鸭)


Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Shoveler(赤頸鴨和琵嘴鴨)

Other than our most common duck species, there were also a few rarer ones, including multiple Falcated Ducks and at least five Mallards. Mallards may seem common in many countries, however in Hong Kong they are considered an uncommon winter visitor.

稀有的鸭子又看到了是羅紋鴨和綠頭鴨。


Falcated Duck(羅紋鴨)


Mallard(綠頭鴨)

There were four Ferruginous Ducks found in a fishpond along Tam Kon Chau Road, which was another rarity. They were in a pond with Litte Grebes, and there were one male and three females, all of them were stable and in the same pond. 

有四只白眼潛鴨在米埔的擔杆洲路的鱼塘,和小鸊鷉一起。




Ferruginous Ducks(白眼潛鴨)

Chinese Grosbeaks have returned to Mai Po for the winter, I usually find them outside the public toilet at Pak Hok Chau, and on the day I visited it was not exception, with there being a flock of around 10-15 in the trees above. 

黑尾蠟嘴雀回来了米埔,我在米埔的白鶴洲看到。


Chinese Grosbeak(黑尾蠟嘴雀)

Another rarity which I found was a flyover of a Vega Gull, which was weird since I saw it in the Gei Wai and not in the mudflats. 

我看到了一只海鸥飞过,原来它是一只稀有的西伯利亚银鸥。


Vega Gull(西伯利亚银鸥)

There has been more Eurasian Spoonbills in recent years, you can find at least one or two in a large flock of Black Faced Spoonbills.

今年又多几只白琵鷺,一个黑面琵鷺群可以看到一到两只。


Eurasian Spoonbill(白琵鷺)

I spotted many White Cheeked Starlings around the reserve, however they all remained far and didn't come close. 

米埔里面还有很多只灰椋鳥。


White Cheeked Starling(灰椋鳥)


Purple Herons, despite their size, are often skittish and like skulking in tall grass and reedbeds, unlike the Gray Herons. I was lucky enough for a buzzard to scare this one out of the grass and perch out in the open for a while. 

虽然草鹭很大,他们经常雷在高高的草里面,一只鵟飞过久它飞出来了。


Purple Heron(草鹭)

I visited Ma Tso Lung, where a Water Pipit had been found. As I arrived at the sight, I saw a crowd of admirers already on the bird. The pipit stood out from the other pipits like a sore thumb, mainly because of it's lack of streaking on the belly and an overall pale body. 

我去了馬草壟,那里发现了一只水鹨。我到达时,看到一群人已经围着这只鸟了。



Water Pipit(水鷚)

Other than the Water Pipit, I also saw a Red Throated Pipit, which was feeding alongside the Water Pipit.

还有一只红喉鹨。 


Red Throated Pipit - Water Pipit behind(红喉鹨)

There were also other birds around, including Long Tailed Shrike.

有一只棕背伯勞在吃东西。


Long Tailed Shrike(棕背伯勞)


Tai Sang Wai has been getting a lot of attention recently by the photographers, so I paid a visit. The rarest bird present there was an Eared Grebe, which had stayed for a long time and would presumably stay the rest of the winter. On my visit, it stayed in the middle of the fishpond and remained far. 

最近大生围很受摄影爱好者的关注,所以我也去那里探访了看看。那里最稀有的鸟类是一只黑頸鸊鷉,它停留了几个星期。



Eared Grebe(黑頸鸊鷉)

Great Crested Grebes is mainly a costal species, wintering in the ocean in the New Territiories. However, one turned up in another fishpond next to the Eared Grebe, and this one came much closer than the other grebe.

凤头䴙䴘主要栖息于沿海地区,在新界的海域越冬。然而,一只凤头䴙䴘出现在耳䴙䴘旁边的另一个鱼塘里,而且这只凤头䴙䴘比黑頸鸊鷉离得更近。


Great Crested Grebe(凤头䴙䴘)

At the catchwater near where I live, all the wintering birds seemed to have settled down. Some new birds for the catchwater was Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher, Sulphur Breasted Warbler and Hartert's Leaf Warbler. 

在我家附近的集水区,所有越冬的鸟类都回来了。一些新来的鸟类也来到了这里,例如方尾鶲,黑眉柳莺和华南冠纹柳莺。
 

Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher(方尾鶲)


Sulphur Breasted Warbler(黑眉柳莺)


Hartert's Leaf Warbler(华南冠纹柳莺)

There were a few other commoner warblers, including Pallas' Leaf, Two Barred and Eastern Crowned Warblers.

我都看到普通的莺,比如黄腰柳莺,雙斑綠柳鶯


Pallas' Leaf Wabler(黄腰柳莺)


Two Barred Warbler(雙斑綠柳鶯)


Eastern Crowned Warbler(冕柳莺)

The rarest of all the warblers was found in a mixed flock, which was the Chestnut Crowned Warbler! At first I thought it was a Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher due to it's similar size and colors, but upon closer inspection it turned out to have a chestnut crown!

在所有莺类中,最稀有的竟然是栗头鶲莺!起初我以为它是方尾鶲,因为它体型和颜色都和方尾鶲很像,但仔细观察后发现它头顶的羽毛是栗色的!



Chestnut Crowned Warbler(栗头鶲莺)

The local birds have also been extremely active, I found Rufous Capped Babblers, Common Tailorbirds and Black Throated Laughingthrushes very active in the open, I usually overlook them but it was nice to take a while to photograph them.  

当地的鸟类也非常活跃,我发现红头穗鹛,长尾缝叶莺和黑喉噪鹛,很高兴能抽出时间来拍摄它们。


Rufous Capped Babbler(红头穗鹛)


Common Tailorbird(长尾缝叶莺)


Black Throated Laughingthrush(黑喉噪鹛)

I will write the rest of the birds seen in December in another post later in the month, and will add the bird totals for 2025.

Happy New Year!

我会在下一月晚些时候的另一篇文章中写出12月份观察到的其他鸟类,并补充2025年的鸟类。

新年快乐!

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