Another chilly (as far as HK gets chilly) day today for us and our guests, bringing a calm to the forest, and another quiet day.
Although the birds seem to be moving just as little as we would like to, we still managed to end up with a very interesting individual! This White-bellied Epornis was first ringed by us on the 16th September 2022, and is now in its 2nd calendar year! In comparison to the adult individual from yesterday (See 2023/03/08- Forest Ringing: A Guest Goshawk!), this individual shows pointier tips to the primaries, and one moulted tail feather (5th from the left), but still a very nice and fresh plumage overall.
Our peaceful day continued, only to be broken by the incessant pecking of a Japanese Tit in the nets! This individual was lacking the glossy black crown and throat that we have seen in previous male individuals- revealing it to be a female! In the wing, we can see the tell-tale brown and dull PCs, PPs and SSs, contrasting to the black and blue postjuvenile GCs, meaning it must be a 2nd year bird.
Also note that this individual has an extraordinarily worn tail. However, this is not the general wear and tear seen in other individuals. Instead, we can see what looks like chunks have been taken from the tail. This is most certainly the work of feather parasites, and should not be mistaken for regular wear that helps us to differentiate juvenile and adult-type feathers.
Finally, we ended with a Red-billed Leiothrix. Although this is another common resident for us, it was a lifer for our visitors! The plumage of this bird appears to be completely moulted, leaving only the iris for ageing clues. However, although this individual showed an adult-type iris, this late into the season we cannot rule out that this could be a fully developed juvenile. Thus, we must leave it as a 2nd calendar year or older bird.
Thanks for visiting, and hope to see you all again soon!
Daily Totals
| Species | Original | Recapture |
| Cinereous Tit | 1 | 0 |
| Huet’s Fulvetta | 0 | 3 |
| Pallas’s Leaf Warbler | 1 | 0 |
| Red-billed Leiothrix | 1 | 0 |
| Red-flanked Bluetail | 0 | 2 |
| White-bellied Erpornis | 0 | 1 |
*Please note that all wild birds, their nests, and eggs are highly protected (under Wild Animals Protection Ordinate, Cap. 170) in Hong Kong. It is an offence to willfully disturb, take, remove, or injure wild birds or their nests/eggs. The actions described here were undertaken by trained professionals holding the necessary licenses and permits issued by the AFCD.*
