The weather this week has really been unpredictable. Though it is currently ‘dry season’ in Hong Kong, the nights have been getting cold, mistier and threatening us with the odd drop here and there.
這個星期的天氣很不穩定。雖然現在是香港的「乾季」，夜晚既是寒冷，還有濃霧，而最令人卻步是不時會有陣雨。
Nevertheless, the morning dawned cool but dry, so we decided to tempt fate and set out to the mountain!
儘管如此，今天早晨的天氣涼爽而乾燥，所以我們決定冒險上山去！
Just as the nets went up, the weather turned quite cold and wet- not the best conditions for bird ringing. Drawing the line on which weather is ‘too bad’ to catch in can be tricky, as we obviously want to make sure our birds are safe and sound, and do not get cold or wet. So, we resigned ourselves to closing up immediately after opening, before the mist could properly settle in.
就在設置霧網的時候，天氣突然變得既冷且濕。儘管很難定義何謂「不適合鳥類環諗的天氣」，為了確保雀鳥的安全及不可以讓牠們著涼或弄濕，我們決定在霧氣完全籠罩前把所有剛打開的網關閉。
However, even then, the short morning birds did not fail to impress us, with a gorgeous Eastern Crowned Warbler! This bird was a recapture from December 2023, when it was ringed as a 1st calendar year bird. And now, near Spring, we can see the degradation of the juvenile feathers, especially in the PCs and tail. Now, in February, we can age it as a 2nd calendar year bird!
儘管如此，這個短暫的早上還是帶來一點驚喜，亮點就是這隻冕柳鶯！這隻鳥於2023年12月首次捕捉，當時我們鑑定牠是1齡。到了現在接近春季，我們可以看到磨損的幼鳥羽毛，尤其是在初級覆羽和尾羽。現在已是二月，所以我們可以判斷牠是2齡鳥！
Our Phylloscopus warblers were truly out in force this morning, with two more species to come! Next up was this wonderful Pale-legged Leaf Warbler! Amazingly, this bird was also a recapture. Recapture of Phylloscopus warblers is not super common, so it was astonishing to have two in one day! This guy was originally ringed in September 2023 as a 1st calendar year and, just as in the Eastern-crowned, we can see the juvenile PCs and tail feathers are now bleached with abraded tips!
這個早上的柳鶯鳥況是很不錯，還有另外兩種柳鶯上網！緊接上的是一隻再次捕獲的淡腳柳鶯！我們並不常網獲再次捕獲的柳鶯，但這次竟然一個早上就有兩隻，真是令人驚喜！這隻柳鶯在2023年9月是初次網捕，當時判斷為1齡鳥。跟上一隻的冕柳鶯一樣，我們可以看到幼鳥的初級覆羽和尾羽現在明顯的褪色及已經有磨損的尖端！
Taking a minor break from the wave of warblers, we had yet another recapture bird; a gorgeous Yellow-cheeked Tit. This feisty girl was originally ringed in September 2022 as a 1st calendar year. This means she is now an adult (we class as 2nd calendar year or older, but in reality she must be a 3rd calendar year bird). This can be seen in the wing by the all uniform, glossy and fresh feathers, and from the lack of black in the throat we can be sure she is an adult female!
經過一浪的柳鶯後，我們再網捕到再次捕獲得再次捕獲的雀鳥，這次是黃頰山雀！這隻活躍的雌鳥是在2022年9月第一次捕獲的，當時鑑定為1齡鳥。來到2024年，牠已經是成鳥（我們將其歸類為2齡或以上，實際上牠是3齡鳥），這可以從翅膀上整齊、有光澤和羽色均勻的羽毛中看出。沒有黑色的喉嚨意味著牠是一隻雌鳥！
Ending off our very quick session was yet another Phylloscopus species- the Yellow-browed Warbler! These two were fantastic individuals, as they showed off the difference between juvenile and adult feathers beautifully! The first individual (above) shows more pointy, brown and worn PCs (juvenile) vs the 2nd individual (below), which has dark, glossy, broad and fresh PCs (adult). The same difference can be seen in the tails.
今早很短的環誌結束於另一種柳鶯 – 黃眉柳鶯！最後的收穫還要是兩隻！第一隻（上方）展示了較尖銳、棕色和有磨損的幼鳥初級覆羽，而第二隻（下方）則擁有深色、光澤、寬闊及新的成鳥初級覆羽。尾羽上也可以看到相同的差異。
Thankfully all birds were dry and in good condition, and it ended up being a very lovely, albeit short day for us!
幸好今天所有捕捉到的雀鳥也能保持乾爽及狀態良好，今天的環誌工作要提早結束，但是鳥況還是不錯！
Daily Totals 全日總數
| Species 鳥種 | Original 新捕獲 | Recapture 再次捕獲 |
| Asian Stubtail 鱗頭樹鶯 | 1 | 0 |
| Eastern Crowned Warbler 冕柳鶯 | 0 | 1 |
| Pale-legged Leaf Warbler 淡腳柳鶯 | 0 | 1 |
| Rufous-capped Babbler 紅頭穗鶥 | 1 | 2 |
| Yellow-browed Warbler 黃眉柳鶯 | 3 | 0 |
| Yellow-cheeked Tit 黃頰山雀 | 0 | 1 |
| Grand Total 總數 | 5 | 5 |
*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.*
註：根據香港《野生動物保護條例》第 170 章，任何人未經許可，不得捕捉或故意干擾、帶走、移除或傷害任何野生雀鳥或其巢或蛋，否則即屬違法。香港觀鳥會的鳥類環誌研究已獲得漁農自然護理署發出的特別許可證。所有鳥類環誌員都受過專業訓練，由資深鳥類環誌員帶領，一切以雀鳥為先。
