The migration season starts

September marks the onset of the migration season. Lung Fu Shan is my familiar patch so I know where to find the migrants along its hiking trails. Birding is a great way to start a week. Going into the woods can be refreshing and energizing. 

This little fella greeted me with a nasty surprise. I always know the wits of the Pallas's Squirrels (Callosciurus erythraeus). They are pretty fearless among the trees. I have seen them provoking parrots and grabbing food from human. This time, it dropped an unknown fruit just in front of me, perhaps as a revenge of me interrupting his quiet teatime. I looked up and saw a great deal of these bright-coloured fruits. Does this tree belong to the Melodinus genus?

It is near the end of summer. Lung Fu Shan is littered with juvenile birds. Other than the Chinese Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis). Other juveniles spotted included a Blue Whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) and a Cinereous Tit (Parus cinereus). Recently, photos of a dead juvenile Crested Goshawk have been posted to a Facebook group on local ecology. The cause of death is suspectedly the streak of typhoons hitting Hong Kong hard during which the birds may have a bitter time foraging. Let's hope that the juveniles in Lung Fu Shan can make it through the year and expand the bird community here.

On the way back, two Yellow-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua sulphurea) were seen hanging around a dead tree. It is an interesting scene because they are active mainly in the urbanized area. But recent studies have pointed out the lack of suitable nests for them to breed. If these critically endangered critters settle in the country parks of Hong Kong, there will be no excuse to destroy the homes of these internationally rare birds. 

An unidentified warbler and a Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) were seen but not photographed. It could be a sign that I need to sharpen my photography skills which is a fading prowess. Last but not least, are these orchids? I have gone through some threads on the HKWildlife forum. Still, it may took forever for me to identify them. Are there any readers willing to offer some help on this?