The dry weather continues. And whether for this reason, or some other factor, it has been a slow spring in the forest, with just 6 new birds ringed this session.
However, interestingly the first bird we caught today was this little Fire-breasted Flowerpecker. These guys most likely carry out adult and juvenile Summer Complete moults, making 2nd calendar and 3rd calendar year birds impossible to distinguish. Thus, we can only age this bird as a 2nd calendar year or older.
Another noteworthy catch was this beautiful White-bellied Epornis, another bird whose moult is not well studied. This bird appeared to show a uniform wing and tail, suggesting it had undertaken a complete moult. Therefore, it is best to also age this bird as a 2nd calendar year or older!
Daily Totals
| Species | Original | Recapture |
| Chestnut Bulbul | 0 | 1 |
| Cinereous Tit | 0 | 1 |
| Fire-breasted Flowerpecker | 1 | 0 |
| Fork-tailed Sunbird | 1 | 0 |
| Huet’s Fulvetta | 2 | 3 |
| Silver-eared Mesia | 0 | 1 |
| Swinhoe’s White-eye | 1 | 2 |
| White-bellied Erpornis | 1 | 1 |
| Grand Total | 6 | 9 |
*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 wilfully 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.*
