Amazing Swarms of Shorebirds

The Mai Po Nature Reserve in Hong Kong is famous for housing thousands of wintering birds each year. When the tide is right, these beautiful birds often put on a magnificent display. Watching these spectacular shows is always the highlight of my day there.

When I visited the Reserve last week, I was amazed to find the biggest swarms of shorebirds I have ever seen on display. 

The number of Pied Avocets is often huge, but that day it was enormous!

Because they prefer to feed in shallow water, these birds would fly with the low tide which gave us birdwatchers a real treat!  

                             

See more photos: at Google+

Get Up Close and Personal With The Waders (3)-----Plovers

Many of the Plover family shorebirds are long-distance migratory birds and are often seen feeding on mudflats.  

Kentish Plover

Unlike most of the waders, the Plovers have relatively short bills but big eyes.

Kentish Plover

Little Ringed Plover (Winter Plumage)

Little Ringed Plover (Summer Plumage)

They prefer to keep away from water and are often spotted on dry ground. Unlike the longer billed waders, the plovers hunt by sight.

In order to catch the prey, some Plovers, such as the Little Ringed Plovers, use one of their feet to scratch the ground first,  

and then peck at the disturbed prey with their bill.

Early Arrivals----Black-winged Stilts

   The pleasant autumn brings not only the cool and comfortable weather but also the annual bird visitors to Hong Kong.  

    Although at the moment most of the migratory birds from Northern China are still on their way to the South, some early starters have already arrived in Hong Kong. The Black-winged Stilt is among the early arrivals. A couple of days ago, I saw several Black-winged Stilts enjoying a quiet and peaceful lunch.

   The long orange-red legs and a straight and thin black bill make them very easy to identify.  

  The feather of the young Black-winged Stilts are mainly grey coloured. 

  The Black-Winged Stilts usually breed in West and Central China and spend winter in the South, including Hong Kong. They feed mainly on aquatic insects. Instead of swimming, the prefer to walk around in shallow water,

and catch prey on the surface.

Occasionally, they plunge their heads below the surface to catch prey in the water.