An Introduction to the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve, Hong Kong

BIRDS OF THE CAPE D'AGUILAR MARINE RESERVE

B฀IRDSO฀F฀THE฀CAPE฀D฀AGUILAR฀MARINE฀RESERVE฀ Within a small area, there is a great variety of habitats available a t Cap e d'Aguilar , bot h withi n th e se a environment o f th e marin e reserv e an d th e surroundin g land whic h i s vegetate d b y coasta l scru b gradin g int o thicket and, even, to the west in the grounds of Hong Kong Telecom int o pocket s o f forest . Man y specie s o f bird s exploit suc h a range o f habitat s (Plat e 32) . Morto n an d McChesney (1993 ) recor d fifty-fiv e specie s of birds fro m the marin e reserv e are a an d ther e ar e typica l land-base d species suc h a s partridge s an d quails , fo r example , th e Chinese francoli n (Erancolinus pintadeanus), dove s (Columbia livia an d Streptopella chinensis), th e Collare d scops owl (Otus bakkamoena), pipit s and wagtails, such as Richard's pipi t (Anthus novaeseelandiae) an d Yello w (Montacilla flava) an d Whit e (M . alba) wagtails, bulbuls , for example, the Chinese bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis), chats and thrushes , fo r example , th e Magpi e robi n (Copsychus saularis) an d th e Viole t whistlin g thrus h (Myiophoneus caerulus), warbler s an d babbler s suc h a s th e Black-face d laughing-thrush (Garrulax perspicillatus), th e White-ey e (Zosterops japonica) an d shrikes , for example, the Rufous backed shrik e (Lanius schach). Blac k drongo s (Dicrurus macrocercus) haw k th e hillside s fo r insect s i n summer . Magpies (Picapica), Crow s (Corvus macrorhynchus and C . torquatus) and Starlings (Sturnus sericeus) are always present and th e reserv e are a i s home t o a larg e floc k o f Creste d mynahs (Acridotheres cristatellus). I n th e hil l grasse s ca n Plate 32. Birds of the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve. A, House swallow (Photo: J. Holmes); B, Richard's pipit (Photo: J. Holmes); C, Hwame i (Photo : WWFHK) ; D , Greate r couca l (Photo : WWFHK); E. Aleutian ter n (Photo : P. Leader);F, Black-headed gull (Photo: WWFHK). 73฀ be seen Rustic buntings (Emberiza rustica), Yellow-fronte d canaries (Serinus mozambicus), Tre e sparrow s (Passer montanus), an d Spotted munias (Lonchura punctulata). A n obvious winter visito r i s the Blu e rock-thrush (Monticola solitaria) which likes to perch on rocky outcrops. A variet y of egret s visi t th e grass y area s o f th e reserv e onl y occasionally bu t th e shore s themselve s ar e th e hom e o f the purple Reef egret (Egretta sacra), a pair of which nest s above th e se a arch . Kingfisher s periodicall y fis h Lobste r Bay an d Hous e swift s (Apu s affinis) haw k fo r insect s a t dusk. Th e mos t obviou s birds , however , ar e th e bird s o f prey. A pai r o f Blac k kite s (Milvus migrans) nes t o n th e cliffs clos e to the reserve as do a pair of Peregrine falcon s (Falco peregrinus) on Ka u Pe i Chau. Sometimes , i f one i s very lucky, Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) and White-bellie d sea eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster) can be seen soaring over the reserve . Gull s an d terns , characteristi c o f temperat e marine reserves, are absent from Cap e d'Aguilar . During Typhoons Becky and Dot in September 199 3 members of the Hong Kong Birdwatching Society camped at the Swire Institute o f Marine Scienc e an d watched fo r the arrival of normally oceanic birds forced clos e inshore . Large numbers of Bridled terns, Sterna anaethetus (over 600 in on e day) , were recorded o n bot h occasions , a s well a s several hundred Aleutia n terns , S. aleutica, and Commo n terns, S. hirundo. A Soot y tern, S. fuscata, durin g typhoo n Dot, wa s th e firs t recor d fo r Hon g Kong . Equall y interesting, but occurring in smaller numbers were several...