Hello from Hong Kong

Arrived yesterday into Hong Kong after a very long but good flight, got on the minibus on the way to the Hotel and was keen to put my field guide research into practice. but there was barly a dicky bird all i had was a 50/50 black collared starling so i couldn't claim that as my first tick. but as we arrived into the Harbour area lifer #1 was a definate as the were several Black Kites (lineatus) floating around in the slightly failing light. not a bad start in my eyes you cant go wrong with a ruddy great bird of prey!!

Went to bed early hoping to tackle jetlag head-on and get up early in the morning to get to Kowloon park..... i took jeylag on and came in a convincing 2nd place awoke at midnight and stayed so until 4.00am. Never mind the alarm was set for six and i wasn't changing ut for the loss of a little sleep.

got a taxi down to Kowloon park and the were Tree Sparrows, Red Whiskered bulbuls and people doing Tai Chi everywhere. it was brilliant now i knew i was on holiday if i was to be walking around london at 6.30 in the morning with Camera and Bins out i would probably been ridiculed and maybe even set upon by some bad boy yardies! but here it is the complete opposite you feel completly safe here..... Chinese people are all right!!

Continuing through the park i picked up more lifers in the forms of Masked Laughingthrush, Crested Myna, Chinese Bulbul, Japanese White-eye, and Black Collared Starling could be made official here. but my two favourite new ones were Yellow browed Warbler (that saves a twitch for me at home)and the star was Orange headed Thrush which i chanced upon as two other fellas were lurking in the shrubbery photographing it. a good morning i reckon. other birds here included loads of Black Crowned Night Heron, Alexandrine Parakeet, Oriental Magpie Robin, and loads more Black Kites

Went out with the family in the afternoon to Hong Kong Park, the Peak and the Botanical Gardens here the star attraction here were the feral flock of Yellow Crested Cockatoos, It is apparently the biggest flock of this critically endangered species living ferally in the world. So i'm counting it, if Rose Ring Parakeet counts in London this Bad Boy Counts here. my list, my rules!!!

The only other new tick was a Common Tailorbird in the Zoological gardens, this one goes to show that the hours put in on the field guide paid off as i new what it was as soon as i saw it.... Well done Karl

Back in the taxi to the hotel i saw what must have been between 50 and 80 Black Kites circling around the Skyscrapers they must be filling the job of gulls and crows as i havent seen any here yet.

Pip Pip i'm all done now the list stands at 19 Species, 10 Lifers, 1 Subspecies
Mai Po and Tai Po Kau tommorow.

Karl

p.s some chinese words can be fun i saw these signs on shops today, Wanko fashion, Lube and Pakie Babie!!! Tittering ensued by me!