The HongKongBirdReport2003-04 The Hong Kong Bird Report 香港鳥類年報 Schmidt Marketing (HK) Ltd. 香港鳥類年報 2003-04 Published in 2009 by The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society Limited G.P.O. Box 12460, Hong Kong (Approved Charitable Institution of Public Character) Editors: Geoff J. Carey and Helen Lockey Front Cover: Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga A first-winter of the fulvescens morph, Mai Po, Hong Kong, 19th November 2004 Angus Lau The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society Committees and Officers 2007-08 C. Y. Lam سᄎ९ President ࣥ၌૎٣ C. Y. Lam سᇀࠃᄎ Board of Directors ࣥ၌૎٣ ്௯ᔕ໑Փ Ho Fai Cheung Michael Kilburn سʳ ඕ٣ܦ ܦలত໑Փ C. N. Ng Alan Chan س٣᧵ຫᐜ ࡌཕߜ՛ࡦ Ada Chow ޕᐝఇ՛ࡦ Ronley Lee ച۩ࡡ୉ᄎ Executive Committee ׌ஂ Chairman ്௯ᔕ໑Փ Ho Fai Cheung లত໑Փ C. N. Ngܦ ೫׌ஂ Vice-chairman Michael Kilburn سඕ٣ ܦ ೫׌ஂ Vice-chairman Alan Chan س٣᧵ఽ஼ Honorary Secretary ຫᐜ ׹஄ Honorary Treasurer ࡌཕߜ՛ࡦ Ada Chow ધᙕ׌ٚ Honorary Recorder Richard W. Lewthwaite ࡡ୉ Committee members ޕᐝఇ՛ࡦ Ronley Lee Forrest Fong س೜ဎ٣ֱ Apache Lau س٣اᏥ೛ ೴ঊ౼՛ࡦ Joanne Au Samson So سᤕᑞႂ٣ John Allcock ໑Փ Bena Smithڣᄘሁ Leung Kwok Wa سඩഏဎ٣ ᆠ೭ுᑇஃ Honorary Auditor ႓ࣥඩພᄎૠஃࠃ೭ࢬ Wong Lam Leung Kwok CPA Ltd ધᙕࡡ୉ᄎ Records Committee (since 1957) Geoff J. Carey س٣۩׌ஂ Chairman ᇸव ࡡ୉ Committee members Richard W. Lewthwaite Paul J. Leader سႁᐚ٣ܓ ೛֮໑Փ Michael R. Levenܓ ്௯ᔕ໑Փ Ho Fai Cheung Yu Yat Tung سࣟ٣ֲ܇ Editor’s Preface In an effort to bring HKBR production back on schedule, this is another two-year issue. My thanks are due to Alan Chan, who provided the Chinese text, and to the authors of the Systematic List and various papers. In addition, I am very grateful to my co-editor Helen Lockey, who has turned all of the text and photos into the finished product. The quality of bird photographs taken in Hong Kong continues to increase, and this is reflected in this report. The number of records submitted has also increased, which is very welcome, as the usefulness of the Systematic List is greater the larger the number of records submitted. The Records Committee continues to encourage both birders and bird photographers to submit records utilising the recording forms available on the website. Geoff Carey - 1 - ᒳृݧߢ ठΖݺ૞נࠓٽऱಖᙕڣലࠟڻρΔݺଚ٦ܫๅཚऱπଉ຺ཽᣊ໴ڃ੡Աᕣݶಳ ࡉڗ֮ڶԺലࢬٽࡉݺ֗אΕृ܂ᒧ֮ີऱٺᙕࡉټტ᝔խ֮៬᤟ຫᐜ᧵Ε຺ᣊ ቹׂᖞ෻䋵ऱʳ˛˸˿˸́ʳ˟̂˶˾˸̌ʳΖʳ ʳ ࠩऱ຺ᣊگխߠࠩΖݺଚܫ໴ءڇױۯٺࣁ൓ऱ຺ᣊᅃֽׂؓլឰ༼֒Δچءڇ ໛Ζધᙕࡡ୉ᄎᤉᥛቔᚐ຺֖ࡉࣁ֖ࠌױڇΔኔشڶޓᙕټ຺ᣊחԱʿףಖᙕٍᏺ ጻ଄Ղऱಖᙕ।༼ٌಖᙕΖʳش 䊜ⶹ㸠ʳ - 3 - The Hong Kong Bird Report 2003-04 Contents Editor’s Preface 1 Records Committee Report 5 Systematic List 13 Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site Waterbird 157 Monitoring Programme: Winter 2002-03 Report Yat-tung Yu Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site Waterbird 169 Monitoring Programme: Winter 2003-04 Report Yat-tung Yu Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus from Cape 182 D’Aguilar: The first record for Hong Kong Paul J. Leader Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris in Mirs 188 Bay: The first record for Hong Kong Gary, K. L. Chow Malayan Night Heron Gorsachius melanolophus: The 192 first record for Hong Kong Jose Alberto Cheung Mok Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons at Lok 198 Ma Chau: The first Category A record for Hong Kong Michael R. Leven Chinese Thrush Turdus mupinenis at Kadoorie 203 Agricultural Research Centre: The first record for Hong Kong David Carthy Baikal Bush Warbler Bradypterus davidi at Mai Po: 210 The first Hong Kong record Paul J. Leader White-Spectacled Warbler Seicercus affinis at Tai Po 218 Kau: The first record for Hong Kong Peter and Michelle Wong Red-rumped Swallows Hirundo daurica breeding at 224 Kam Tin: The first nesting record for Hong Kong John A. Allcock Nesting of Yellow-billed Grosbeaks Eophona 228 migratoria at Kam Tin in 2003: The first breeding record for Hong Kong John A. Allcock Guidelines for the Submission of Records 235 Note for Applicants wishing to visit Mai Po Marshes 240 Nature Reserve Records Committee Report 2003-04 Geoff J. Carey Records Committee Chairman This double-year issue of the Hong Kong Bird Report follows the same for 2001-02, and such an approach will continue until we are up to date. During 2003 the number of species recorded in Category A to D was 344, while the equivalent figure for 2004 was 345. These figures compare with between 317 and 333 for the years 1999 to 2002, and between 342 and 370 for the years 1993 to 1998. New additions to the Hong Kong List are detailed below. Category definitions can be found at the end of this account. Additions to Category A 006.1 Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus ࠴壅㌹㕼 One was seen from Cape D’Aguilar on 6th July 2001. 006.4 Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris ࠴壅㌹㕼 One was seen in Mirs Bay 3km east of Tap Mun on 16th May 2004. 025.5A Malayan Night Heron Gorsachius melanolophus ࡙ᨔ Two birds were photographed by remote-sensing camera at Lo Kei Wan, Lantau on 19 th April 2003. In addition, two adults and two juveniles were present at On Po Tsuen, near Fanling, from 3rd September to 1st October 2004. 038.1 Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons ཌ㒔 One was at Lok Ma Chau during 8-15th November 2004. 308.5 Chinese Thrush Turdus mupinenis ཌ㒔 One was trapped at KARC on 18th November 2004. - 5 - 327.1 Baikal Bush Warbler Bradypterus davidi ೏՞࿍ౕᦉ One was seen and trapped on 16th and 30th January 2004 respectively. Additions to Category E Mongolian Lark Melanocorypha mongolica ៴໫ᚵ೻຺ֵ 730.2 One was at Mai Po NR on 7th November 2003. White-winged Lark Melanocorypha leucoptera ៴໫ᚵ೻຺ֵ 730.3 One was at Mai Po NR on 9th November 2004. فLesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger ػཌ႕ 747.2 One was at Tai Po Kau on 10th and 11th December 2004. - 6 - Removals from the Hong Kong List Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler Cettia acanthizoides Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler Cettia acanthizoides was accepted onto Category A of the Hong Kong list on the strength of a bird trapped at Mai Po on 8th December 1989 (Melville, 1990). Three further records of this species are listed in Carey et al. (2001): one trapped at Mai Po on 29th November 1992 and retrapped there on 30th January 1993; one trapped at Mai Po on 10th December 1997; and one trapped at Mai Po on 27th December 1997. (Note that during the course of this review the original ringing data in respect of the last two birds was checked, and the dates published in Carey et al. (2001) were found to be incorrect, the correct dates are 10th and 27th December 1998.) Genetic testing of samples from the birds trapped on 10th and 27th December 1998 demonstrated that their mitochondrial DNA was indistinguishable from that of Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler Cettia fortipes (U. Olsson in litt.). Accordingly, in respect of these two birds, it is clear that an error was made in identification. During the current review, biometrics and photographs of the two birds shown on genetic evidence to be fortipes were compared with those of the first two birds. Biometric data from all four birds was very similar (and all parameters fell within the range of birds identified as fortipes), and whilst there was minor plumage variation between the four birds, no consistent plumage differences between the first two and the second two birds could be found. Thus, the Records Committee considered it highly likely that the first two birds were also fortipes. Accordingly, Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler has been removed from Category A of the Hong Kong list and placed on Category F (as all published records must be regarded as doubtful due to the possibility of mistaken identification). The Records Committee noted that at the time of the first records the status of fortipes in Hong Kong was still being established (see Carey et al., 2001), and that there was a perception then that fortipes was a species of upland shrubland. With the benefit of hindsight, and comparable records of (e.g.) Mountain Tailorbird, late autumn and early winter records in the lowland Deep Bay area of short-distance migrant hill birds are no longer unexpected. - 7 - Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Changes A number of taxonomic changes have been accepted by the Records Committee, as follows. Goodson’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus goodsoni Based on analysis of DNA, vocalisations and morphology, Olsson et al. (2005) recommended the following taxa of Phylloscopus reguloides be treated as separate species: P. reguloides (with the subspecies reguloides, assamensis and ticehursti), P. claudiae (monotypic) and P. goodsoni (subspecies goodsoni and fokiensis). The Records Committee has accepted this approach and has placed on to the Hong Kong List P. goodsoni goodsoni. The nominate subspecies of P. goodsoni is identified in the field by the yellow tinge to the chest and face. P.g. fokiensis often has a slight yellow wash to the face and chest, but most birds in Hong Kong are likely to be off-white below. The features that separate the southeast Chinese P.g. fokiensis from the central and northeast Chinese P. claudiae are unknown at present. Consequently, although fokiensis almost certainly does occur (and it is assumed that ‘Blyth’s Leaf Warblers’ with off-white underparts occurring in forest and mature shrubland in winter are primarily this taxon), P. claudiae may well occur in Hong Kong, but neither is yet proven. Observers are encouraged to note carefully the appearance of birds seen and submit records as either goodsoni or fokiensis/claudiae. Northern Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx hyperythrus Having decided to treat the four taxa hyperythrus, pectoralis, nisicolor and fugax (previously treated as a single species, Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo H.