Mai Po Marshes, Hong Kong
06 September 2005

The wetlands around the Mai Po Marshes and Inner Deep Bay in the northwestern corner of Hong Kong, have been known as an important staging and wintering area for migratory waterbirds (including threatened species such as Black-faced Spoonbills and Spoon-billed Sandpipers) for many decades. Not recognized as any form of protected area until 1976, Mai Po was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. In 1984, WWF Hong Kong began to take active management of the Reserve for environmental education and conservation. In 1995, 1,500 ha of wetlands around Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay were formally designated a Wetland of International Importance.

The marshes at Mai Po are worth a visit anytime from September to April, but are perhaps not quite the draw they once were as rampant development on the Chinese mainland side of Deep Bay has altered the ecological character of the Bay adversely. They are still without doubt the most internationally well-known birding area in Hong Kong, and as such a first stop for most visitors. but bear in mind the following warning on the official WWF Mai Po website: “The Mai Po Nature Reserve is a restricted area. Entrance without prior permission from the related Hong Kong SAR Government authorities as well as WWF Hong Kong is strictly prohibited and may lead to your arrest and possible prosecution by Hong Kong SAR government officials. They are not kidding around here and permits are checked regularly.

Local time: GMT +8
Approx noon temp: 30C
Weather: High humidity, very hot, and rain in afternoon.

A third visit to Hong Kong this year - and it’s very hot and incredibly humid. It’s like walking around in a bathroom after you’ve run a hot shower and forgotten to open the windows. It’s actually really unpleasant. Still, if you’re lucky enough to be here, you’ve really got get outside…

I joined up with colleague/friend, new father, environmentalist and guide Martin Williams (one of the leading lights of the “No - we’re not all going to die” Flu camp - go to drmartinwilliams.com: H5N1 - Avian/Poultry Flu to see some great writing on the subject) and went with him to the world-famous Mai Po WWF Reserve.

Renowned for its migrant shorebirds (Spoon-billed Sandpipers were once regular in spring, but reflecting the declines noted everywhere else on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway are no longer dependable), wintering waterfowl (which until recently often included the now rapidly disappearing Baer’s Pochard), wintering raptors, and good numbers of Black-faced Spoonbills, Mai Po is a large expanse of scrapes, mangroves, and tidal mud-flats.

Because of its proximity to the “old” border with China and the rapid development of cities along its edge it’s not quite the major attraction to birders it once was, but there’s no doubt that as more of the wetlands along the coast are developed it will remain critically important to the region’s birds. Access is strictly by permit (this can’t be stressed enough) and - even though the colony was returned to Chinese administration in July 1997 (for more info go to HK Legislation) - because Hong Kong doesn’t want to be flooded by poor immigrants from rural mainland China seeking the “good life” in the city’s choked and gaudy streets, the border patrols are regular and trying the old “I’m a birder” line won’t help…

Martin had arranged permits ahead of time which we picked up at the rather smart World Wide Fund for Nature Field Centre (photo above) which is adjacent to the small main car park. (No car? Mai Po is more easily reached now than in the past as an MTR station recently opened at Sheung Shui. Taxis in the area know the reserve fairly well (though not every taxi-driver will admit to speaking any english) and should drop you off at the Field Centre, where permits MUST be collected or ratified: directions on the Mai Po (visitor map) website are quite useful.)

Mai Po Reserve is a warren of paths and waterways, and whether shorebirds are present is very dependent on tide levels out in Deep Bay: when the tide is high the shorebirds roost on the Reserve, when water levels are low most of them feed out in the bay. Martin timed the trip so that we arrived as the tide as coming in and the shorebirds were flighting into the scrapes.

Mai Po (area 15 & 16)

After a long, hot walk around the perimiter of the reserve (which was not very productive, but would have been if the management at Mai Po hadn’t re-flooded an excellent area of mud that had been packed with birds the day before) we spent a rewarding few hours grilling shorebirds from the main hides (particularly from the large Hide #6). On Martin’s advice we didn’t bother with the once-excellent hides off the famous boardwalk - apparently tidal flow around the hide is so slowed by silt and mangroves that the mud near the hide is virtually now devoid of invertebrates and most shorebirds spend the low-tide a couple of hundred metres out in the midst of Deep Bay: not good news for Mai Po’s eco-tourism revenue if they don’t sort that particular problem out…

The vast majority of the shorebirds present were Common Greenshanks (we checked every one of them for an early Nordmann’s but drew a blank) and Common Redshanks, with good numbers of Eurasian Curlews - and at least one Far-eastern Curlew -, Marsh Sandpipers, eastern Black-tailed Godwits, and a scattering of both Red and Great Knots.

On the far side of the main scrape were small numbers of Greater Sandplover and Red-necked Stints, a single Grey-headed Lapwing and Grey-tailed Tattler, and a Terek Sandpiper.

The “scarcest” bird on view was a Ruff - an irregular migrant at Mai Po - but highlight was undoubtedly a loose party of four Asian Dowitchers.

Shorebirds from Hide #6

Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus (with Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa)

Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus
(with Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris in front and Redshanks Tringa totanus)

Ruff Philomax pugnax

Eurasian Curlews Numenius arquata orientalis

Eurasian Curlews Numenius arquata orientalis

Common Greenshanks Tringa nebularia (with a Common Redshank Tringa totanus right)

Whilst shorebirds are the obvious draw at Mai Po the reserve is not bad for passerines either, though early September is not really a good time of year and many of the winter visitors were not back yet. We did see a Brown Flycatcher and two Arctic Warblers but to be honest not a great deal else. For instance the only raptors we picked up were a couple of Black Kites, we saw no waterfowl at all, though we did at least see four Purple Herons (which are not usually too visible at Mai Po) amongst the Great Egrets.

Juvenile Black-collared Starling Sturnus nigricollis

Juvenile Black(-eared) Kite Milvus (migrans) lineatus

Though there were no real rarities we had a good day, though the onset of rain in the early afternoon cut short the birding.

As always I’d like to thank Martin - if you need a knowledgeable and friendly guide for a day out in Hong Kong he comes thoroughy recommended…his website is at http://www.hkoutdoors.com/

…while Martin somehow succeeds

Maya Williams and new-born son David

On this blog the bird-related themes never stop…

Mai Po, with the “old” Chinese border fence to the right

Whilst I normally like to keep my blog and my work with Birds Korea separate I am of course very proud of everything my brother Nial (Birds Korea’s Director) and I do.

I recently posted some of Nial’s digi-scoped shorebird photographs in Birds Korea’s Latest Bird News pages that are just too good not to post elsewhere and that complement nicely this Mai Po posting: both the Nakdong and Mai Po are sites that are immensely important to migrant shorebirds (if you like these, please do bear in mind that there are hundreds more on the Birds Korea website)…

Greater Sandplovers, Nakdong
© Nial Moores/Birds Korea

Juvenile Red-necked Stint, Nakdong
© Nial Moores/Birds Korea

Long-toed Stint, Nakdong
© Nial Moores/Birds Korea

Juvenile Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nakdong
© Nial Moores/Birds Korea

Juvenile Spoon-billed Sandpiper with Red-necked Stint, Nakdong
© Nial Moores/Birds Korea

Juvenile Spoon-billed Sandpiper with Red-necked Stint in threat posture, Nakdong
© Nial Moores/Birds Korea

Juvenile Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nakdong
© Nial Moores/Birds Korea