This is our first every recapture in May, so quite a late bird! Oriental Reed Warblers undergo a Summer Complete moult in both adults and juveniles, so both become indistinguishable by Autumn. The most common way to age them is thus by iris colour instead.
Here we can see the comparison between a 2nd calendar year bird caught in January 2022, and the adult bird (3rd calendar year or older) caught today. Juvenile iris has generally more of a grey-brown hue, vs the warm brown of the adult birds. However, we must be careful in using solely the iris for ageing, as we need the information for when the first juveniles begin to show an adult-type iris- something we do not have for many Hong Kong species.
An otherwise calm and uneventful morning with just a couple of Prinias!
Daily Totals
| Species | Original | Recapture |
| Oriental Reed Warbler | 1 | 0 |
| Plain Prinia | 1 | 0 |
| Yellow-bellied Prinia | 0 | 1 |
*Please note that all wild birds are protected under Hong Kong Law. All ringing activities are conducted with the necessary permits issued by the AFCD. Handling and processing of birds is only carried out by experienced individuals.*
As spring slowly draws in summer, the morning began warm and dry, with our ‘wetland’ not being so ‘wet’. Our total for the day was just 3 birds, 2 new, one recapture.
Just as we were thinking of packing up a little early as it seemed fruitless to stay longer, we got quite a surprise of an Oriental Reed Warbler!
This is our first every recapture in May, so quite a late bird! Oriental Reed Warblers undergo a Summer Complete moult in both adults and juveniles, so both become indistinguishable by Autumn. The most common way to age them is thus by iris colour instead.
Here we can see the comparison between a 2nd calendar year bird caught in January 2022, and the adult bird (3rd calendar year or older) caught today. Juvenile iris has generally more of a grey-brown hue, vs the warm brown of the adult birds. However, we must be careful in using solely the iris for ageing, as we need the information for when the first juveniles begin to show an adult-type iris- something we do not have for many Hong Kong species.
An otherwise calm and uneventful morning with just a couple of Prinias!
Daily Totals
| Species | Original | Recapture |
| Oriental Reed Warbler | 1 | 0 |
| Plain Prinia | 1 | 0 |
| Yellow-bellied Prinia | 0 | 1 |
*Please note that all wild birds are protected under Hong Kong Law. All ringing activities are conducted with the necessary permits issued by the AFCD. Handling and processing of birds is only carried out by experienced individuals.*
