Located in the far northwest of Hong Kong, Mai Po is Hong Kong’s premier birding spot. Over 400 species have been recorded on this sliver of Gei Wai (shrimp farm) ponds, mangroves, mudflats and reed beds, many of them migratory birds all the way from Siberia! In fact, over 60,000 individual shorebirds winter in Mai Po consisting of dozens of species. Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy the avian wonders of this wetland. Mai Po has some of the strictest protections of any nature reserve in the world, complete with barbed-wire fences and armed policemen, and entering its restricted area (where most of the shorebirds are found) requires a permit. If you’ve read my other posts, you’ll know that I’ve applied for a permit several weeks ago. Though I haven’t heard back yet, I do know a road where birders without a permit can still birdwatch in Mai Po. I’ve done it several times in the past few years, and its where many of my initial lifers in the territory are from. My goal today was to seek out a Black-Faced Spoonbill, an endangered wader that winters in Hong Kong. Around 12 noon, I arrived at the road leading up to the reserve. In some Gei Wai ponds lining the track, several bird species were immediately noticeable. A female Common Moorhen foraged through the water, and a bunch of Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets and Chinese Pond Herons lined the telephone wires above.

I entered the reserve proper and although I’d been there before, the vastness of the mangrove flats is still breathtaking. All that breaks up your view of the wetland and its numerous waterfowl are the nearby high rises of Shenzhen and the barrier fence of the restricted area.

As I walked toward the nearest bird hide (basically a concealed shed where you can birdwatch without disturbing the birds), I noticed many egrets, waders and waterfowl, including quite a few dabbling ducks. Most of the ducks I saw were Eurasian Wigeons, Eurasian Teals and Northern Shovelers. A few different bird species, namely Pied Avocets and Black-Winged Stilts, were also quite numerous and foraged alongside the ducks and egrets.

I spotted a Wood Sandpiper, nearby some branches along the edge of a pond, which flew off upon my arrival. I did manage to get a photo. The next bird I saw was a Gray Heron in some distant mangroves.

At around 1pm I arrived at my favoured bird hide. The hide revealed many ducks and egrets, but nothing I hadn’t seen before, which was a little upsetting as I had a specific query in mind. It was around 1:45 pm when I started walking toward an information kiosk several kilometers away from the hide where I sought some more interesting finds. Many ponds and mangrove forests stood adjacent to the road, providing good views of the common waterfowl I’d been seeing. Atop some dead trees was a colony of Great Cormorants, an abundant bird in the region during the winter months.

Farther along, alongside the usual ducks was a sleek Little Grebe, the first lifer of the day. A Long-Tailed Shrike, an open-country species I haven’t seen for awhile made an appearance, though not long enough for me to get a good photo! After reaching the information kiosk and seeing nothing of interest, I began the long walk back. It was around 2:30. On the way, I met a lively female Daurian Restart, a common migratory songbird. Males sport vivid orange breasts and greyish-blue foreheads.

As I was approaching the end of the road, my target species of the day arrived! I haven’t seen a Black-Faced Spoonbill in years, and it really made my day.

Happy as I returned to the parking lot around 3:15, I saw my second and final lifer of the day, a beautiful Azure-Winged Magpie atop a telephone wire.

Overall, great expedition to Mai Po and I hope that going forward I’ll have my permit so I can enter the truly unique ecosystem of the Mai Po restricted area. Thanks for reading as always, and keep posted for my next birding and mammal watching adventures!

Bird Species Recorded: (20 total, including 2 lifers)

Azure-Winged Magpie (Lifer)

Little Grebe (Lifer)

Northern Shoveller

Eurasian Teal

Eurasian Widgeon

Pied Avocet

Black-Winged Stilt

Black-Faced Spoonbill

Long-Tailed Shrike

Great Cormorant

Daurian Restart

Wood Sandpiper

Grey Heron

Little Egret

Intermediate Egret

Barn Swallow

Japanese White-Eye

Chinese Bulbul

White Wagtail

Chinese Pond Heron