Early Birds
by Thomas Gomersall
Autumn is every Hong Kong birdwatcher’s favourite time of the year. This is the season when the long, bird-light summer wait finally ends and the migratory species begin returning to Hong Kong once again. But the period from early September to November isn’t just special for the black-faced spoonbills, cormorants and other birds that start turning up at this time. It also has a few seasonal specialties of its own — birds that show up earlier than the others. Some are just passing through. Others will arrive in droves and then leave while a few individuals stay behind for the winter. In any case, they’re all worth looking for.
So in this final entry in what’s been my unofficial series on birdwatching through the seasons, here are seven autumn migrants for you to start the birdwatching season off with.
Garganey (Anas querquedula): Compared to the colourful teals, shovelers, pintails and wigeons that come to Deep Bay, the relatively drab garganey is an easy duck to overlook. This is particularly true of the female bird, which has a very similar appearance to the female Eurasian teal. The male however is much easier to distinguish, thanks to the prominent white crescent stretching from above his eye to down the back of his head. In another dissimilarity to the other duck species, the garganey is almost exclusively an autumn passage migrant to Hong Kong. It prefers shallow, freshwater areas with plentiful vegetation (Tipper, 2016, p. 19), so the freshwater ponds at Mai Po are a good place to look for it. Numbers peak around September (although a few individuals do spend the winter here too) and are usually greater after periods of heavy rainfall (Allcock, 2019).
Yellow Breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola): It’s a common assumption that ordinary species are less vulnerable to extinction due to their larger numbers. The yellow breasted bunting is (for now) living proof of just how wrong that assumption can be. As recently as 2004, this tiny songbird was listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN. But today it is critically endangered due to intensive hunting in southern China, where it is considered a delicacy. Fortunately, Hong Kong provides a safer place for this passage migrant to rest mid-migration. Not only is there no hunting here but in Long Valley, a conservation project co-organised by the Conservancy Association and the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society is promoting the maintenance of rice paddies, which are the bunting’s preferred habitat. It seems to be paying off too, with an increase in bunting numbers in Hong Kong from 11 in 2009 to 20 in 2018 (Mcleish, 2018).
Crested Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus): Most raptors (birds of prey) are strict meat eaters. However, there is the occasional species among them that breaks the mold. One of these is the crested honey buzzard. Instead of hunting for rodents or small birds, this raptor feeds on the larvae and even honeycombs of social bees, possessing long toes and a long, thin beak to help dig them out of their nests (Sievwright & Higuchi, 2011). It passes through Hong Kong en-route between northeast China and Southeast Asia (Viney et al, 2005, p. 68), a journey made possible by autumn winds that carry it south over the East China Sea (Nourani et al, 2016). But as climate change disrupts these wind patterns, migration is likely to become a much more difficult and energy demanding task for this bird (Nourani et al, 2017).
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis): This black-and-gold bird is a beautiful, but brief autumn passage migrant to Hong Kong, staying mainly for October (Allcock, 2019) and being found in open wooded areas in the New Territories (including Mai Po) and on offshore islands (Tipper, 2016, p. 94). It is also an infrequent breeder in Hong Kong and numbers of breeding birds here have declined dramatically in recent decades. When it does breed here, it will sometimes nest around drongos, using the more aggressive birds for protection against predators (Viney et al, 2005, p. 216).
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus): This medium-sized falcon is frequently seen hovering high above the ground in search of prey (Tipper, 2016, p. 87), which consists almost exclusively of small mammals. It was once thought to detect rodents by using ultraviolet (UV) reflections from their urine, however a study in 2013 found that this was unlikely to be a useful hunting strategy (Lind et al, 2013). As it is so dependent on sight to hunt, it prefers open environments and so is best found in places like Long Valley, although it has also been recorded on islands, too (Tipper, 2016, p. 87).
Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica): Game birds are often very shy and the Japanese quail is no exception. This small, dumpy, ground-dwelling bird has few natural defenses, save for its ability to stay camouflaged amongst the vegetation. As such, whenever it feels threatened (say, by a passing birdwatcher), it will keep very still and quiet, giving no indication of its presence. If the predator gets too close, it will abruptly burst out of hiding and quickly fly away. It prefers open grassland and farmland in the northern New Territories and so is most likely to be found in Long Valley (Tipper, 2016, p. 21).
Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola): Like the Japanese quail, the Eurasian woodcock is a very shy, secretive bird that is usually only seen when disturbed. It is also largely nocturnal, though it may sometimes be seen flying at dawn or dusk in late autumn, especially in November (Allcock, 2019). Its preferred habitat is areas of damp ground in and around woodlands, where it probes for earthworms (Tipper, 2016, p. 47; IUCN Red List, 2019). It has also been recorded along sheltered streams (Viney et al, 2005, p. 92).
References:
· Allcock, J., interviewed by Thomas Gomersall, 2019, WWF-Hong Kong .
· IUCN Red List, Eurasian Woodcock, [website], 2019, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22693052/86627978 (Accessed: 2 August 2019).
· Lind, O., Mitkus, M., Olsson, P. and A. Kelber. 2013. Ultraviolet sensitivity and colour vision in raptor foraging. The Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 216: 1819pp.–1826pp.
· Mcleish, E., ‘The Chinese diners eating a rare songbird into extinction, and the conservationists fighting to save the yellow-breasted bunting’. South China Morning Post, 5 July 2018, https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2153735/chinese-diners-are-eating-yellow-breasted-bunting-rare-songbird-extinction (Accessed: 2 August 2019).
· Nourani, E., Yamaguchi, N.M., Manda, A. and H. Higuchi. 2016. Wind conditions facilitate the seasonal water-crossing behaviour of Oriental Honey-Buzzards Pernis ptilorhynchus over the East China Sea. Ibis, vol. 158 (3): 506pp.–518pp.
· Nourani, E., Yamaguchi, N.M. and H. Higuchi. 2017. Climate change alters the optimal wind-dependent flight routes of an avian migrant. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, vol. 284 (1854): 20170149.
· Sievwright, H. and Higuchi, H. 2011. Morphometric analysis of the unusual feeding morphology of Oriental Honey Buzzards. Ornithological Sciences, vol. 10 (2): 131pp.–144pp.
· Tipper, R. 2016. A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of Hong Kong, John Beaufoy Publishing, United Kingdom. 19pp., 21pp., 47pp., 87pp., 94pp.
· Viney, C., Phillipps, K. and C.Y. Lam. 2005. The Birds of Hong Kong and South China. Information Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government, Hong Kong. 68pp., 92pp., 216pp.
