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 There are many good birdwatching locations throughout Hong Kong, holding species that rarely or never occur at Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve.
Note that birding in HK is best from around early October to late April. In summer, birds are relatively sparse, and the heat and humidity quickly sap energy (if you wish to try watching birds at this season, it may be best to include at least one high location, such as Tai Mo Shan, where the temperature should be a little lower).
If you're a first-time visitor to HK who'd like to spend a day birdwatching here, the best itinerary would include Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve, along with Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve and, perhaps, Long Valley. And if you're here in spring, especially, Po Toi Island is well worth a try for migrants.
Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve is Hong Kong's premier birding locality; I've covered it in Birding at Mai Po Marshes on this site.
Birding hotspots in Hong Kong beyond Mai Po
Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve
 Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve boasts the best forest in Hong Kong. Birdwatching can be frustrating here, but rewards include some of the SAR's most brilliantly coloured birds, such as resident Scarlet and Grey-chinned minivets, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker and Fork-tailed Sunbird.
There are also Crested Goshawks, Rufous-capped Babblers, Chestnut Bulbuls, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babblers, Black-throated and Greater Necklaced laughingthrushes.
Some of these species may have originally been of captive origin - it's hard to say for sure for species occurring nearby in China, but others such as Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Blue-winged Minla and Silver-eared Mesia are surely descended from captive birds that have escaped, and are now prospering here.
 It surely helps such species that Hong Kong was largely deforested by the turn of the last century; the forest at Tai Po Kau mostly dates from around the mid 20th century, and has been colonised by many escapees, as well as species formerly occurred as winter visitors, such as the two minivets and Chestnut Bulbul.
Colonisation is ongoing; Pygmy Wren-Babbler was only recently discovered in Hong Kong, but several have been recorded since - mostly thanks to the distinctive, two-note whistle song of this very skulking little bird. Mountain Tailorbird was similarly new to the territory a few years ago, but is now fairly easily heard (it seems to skulk in cover, so isn't simple to see). Hainan Blue Flycatchers also seem to be "enjoying" the forest renaissance, becoming relatively common.
Winter visitors include Grey-headed Flycatcher, Blyth's Leaf-Warbler, and elusive Grey-backed Thrush, Red-tailed Robin and Tristram's Bunting; April brings spectacular flycatchers, including Japanese Paradise, Blue-and-White and Narcissus flycatchers. Hainan Blue Flycatcher and Large Hawk Cuckoo are among the rather few species that arrive to breed in summer.
Po Toi Island
Po Toi Island (article on this site), lying south of Hong Kong Island, is another island that is good for birding during migration seasons, again with a chance of seabirds during the crossing or while seawatching from a headland. Here, too, there are ferries on weekends and public holidays, also some weekdays; though it's possible to hire a junk for a group visit.
The island proved superb during spring 2006, thanks partly to a birder who rents a place there. Started with Orange-breasted Green Pigeon and Chinese Song Thrush in March; later impressed with overall mix of songbird migrants such as flycatchers, warblers; migration generally good, with records including HK record count of 930 Chinese Goshawks migrating one day, 900 terns of nine species another day. Smattering of Browh Hawk Owls - otherwise rare in Hong Kong. Other seabirds too, inc Short-tailed Shearwater - occasional sightings, then 80 in a raft on 17 May (a typhoon close); May also produced reports of Bulwer's Petrel and Little Pied Flycatcher - both previously unrecorded in Hong Kong.
It wasn't so outstanding in spring 2007, but there were again notable rarities, and good numbers of migrants including flycatchers. Spring 2008 began with another first for Hong Kong - a Masked Booby.
The main places for finding landbirds are small fung shui woods near the main pier and small village; the rest of the island is mainly covered in grassland and scrub. The southernmost headland can be good for seawatching.
Maybe check with HK Birdwatching Soc if there are any hired boat trips to the island and nearby waters that you might be able to join (for share of costs).
Long Valley
 There is a good mix of habitats at Long Valley, including freshwater marsh and farmland. Pintail and Swinhoe's snipes, Greater Paintedsnipe, Wood Sandpiper and Long-toed Stint may be found in the marshy areas, while there are also birds of farmland and open country such as Red-throated and Richard's pipits, Yellow and (rare) Citrine wagtails, Spotted Munia, and buntings.
Other areas I recommend - especially if you can spend more than one day birdwatching in Hong Kong - include:
Kowloon Park
This park is worth a visit for relatively easy birdwatching, with residents including Koel, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Magpie Robin, Black-necked Starling, Japanese White-eye, White-rumped Munia and Red-billed Blue Magpie. It's a bit like an oasis in the city, and attracts winter visitors and passage migrants such as thrushes, flycatchers, and warblers (sometimes, individuals of normally shy species can be relatively easy to see here - these have included wonderfully "tame" White's Thrush, Red-tailed Robin, Asian Stubtail and Siberian Rubythroat).
The Peak (Mount Austin)
 The Peak (Victoria Peak) on HK Island affords a chance to combine birding with sightseeing. If you stroll up Mount Austin Road from the Peak Tram station, you should enjoy classic views of the city and Victoria Harbour (weather and smog permitting!); as well as birding in woods and gardens that hold species including Blue Magpie, Violet Whistling Thrush, and more elusive Black-throated Laughingthrush and Rufous-necked Scimitar-Babbler. There's also a chance of interesting migrants and winter visitors, such as White's Thrush.
Tai Mo Shan
 The upper reaches of Hong Kong's highest mountain, Tai Mo Shan, hold few species, but there are specialities, notably Upland Pipit (left), Chinese Babax, Vinous-throated Parrotbill and Large Grass-Warbler (none of which can be guaranteed; indeed, by 2006, possible that the babax has become locally extinct). Also very good for Chinese Francolin. Though all are resident, they are most readily found when singing in spring and early summer; note, however, that the weather can be grim here, so try to pick a fine day for a visit.
To cover this area, it's best to head to the barrier on the road to the summit (there's a small car park here), then walk up this road. Soon after a couple of uphill zigzags, there's a rough track to the right, which leads to a path into a small, wooded valley that's good for Red-billed Leiothrix, with the chance of other HK montane birds such as Brown-flanked and Russet bush-warblers (though you might hear but not see these warblers).
Also on Tai Mo Shan is Kap Lung Forest Trail, where the variety of species is usually lower than in Tai Po Kau, but there may be fair numbers of migrants in autumn, and local rarities such as Siberian Thrush may occur.
Ng Tung Chai
A wooded ravine at Ng Tung Chai, on the north slopes of Tai Mo Shan, is another good birding location - but you have to hike to reach the best parts. Birds here may include some species that are rare elsewhere (as they favour higher elevation forests?) - such as Siberian Thrush; and Japanese Robin in winter. Slaty-backed Forktail is fairly regular.
Lam Tsuen Valley
Lam Tsuen Valley just north of Tai Mo Shan, was one of the top birding areas in Hong Kong, especially for birds of fields, and woods. Sadly, there has been something of a housing boom, with three-storey villas smothering large areas of fields; this helped deter birders, and reduced habitats.
But winter 2005/2006 has seen a resurgence for birding here, with interesting species at two sites:
She Shan, where there is a good fung shui wood by a small village at the foot of the hills; south of the Wishing Tree. Good for woodland birds, with chance of local rarities - a Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler was among species in winter 2005/2006.
"The Golden Triangle" - another fung shui wood, lying beside - just north of - the Lam Kam Road (small turning by a sign advertising Coca-Cola). There are houses right by it, a tyre dump within the wood, yet big old trees still attract forest birds, including a Thick-billed Pigeon in winter 2005/2006. An easy place for making a perhaps productive halt whilst on a birding jaunt in the area.
Ho Chung
This is a small valley near northwest Kowloon, along the main road to Sai Kung. The fields here (above new housing developments) can hold birds; so too the woodland on the slopes.
Northeast New Territories
Bride's Pool and Wu Kau Tang in the northeastern New Territories are perhaps best visited if you want to enjoy scenery as well as watch birds. The species variety is usually not great, but may include Lesser Coucal, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (common here), Violet Whistling Thrush and, perhaps, Bonelli's Eagle. In late spring, there is a chance of Black Baza; you might be lucky enough to watch one displaying.
A little north of them is Luk Keng, with lovely old villages facing abandoned rice fields that's become one of Hong Kong's better freshwater (or brackish?) marshes.
Shuen Wan
Shuen Wan is a site that's easily visited en route to Bride's Pool, or as a side-trip from nearby Tai Po Kau. There's a freshwater marsh, where birds may include Long-toed Stint and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (sadly, this marsh has deteriorated considerably); woodland close by can hold Hair-crested Drongos and, in late spring, this is a good site to try for Black Baza, and Indian, Large-hawk and Red-winged cuckoos.
Tsim Bei Tsui
Tsim Bei Tsui lies on Inner Deep Bay, west of Mai Po. The bay and neighbouring fishponds hold many of the Mai Po birds - and though some are often seen better/more regularly at Mai Po, this is a far better place to view birds in Deep Bay itself when the tide isn't relatively high (in which case, most birds are far away from the Mai Po Boardwalk hides). This is also a better vantage for some of the birds of more open water, such as Great Crested Grebe, Red-breasted Mergansert and Greater Scaup.
Tsim Bei Tsui is at the northeast tip of a headland, which on some days in spring is followed by good numbers of migrants such as Grey-faced Buzzard and Chinese Goshawk (chiefly a couple of days after a cold front has pushed over, bringing fine weather and rising pressure to the northern Philippines - I believe the birds leave in such conditions, and are drifted towards Hong Kong in easterly airstreams).
Tung Ping Chau
 Tung Ping Chau is more remote than Po Toi - it's an island in the far northeast of Hong Kong (see Tung Ping Chau article elsewhere on this site). Ferries run only on weekends and public holidays; Saturdays are better for birdwatching, as there are fewer people. Though sometimes quiet, the island can hold good densities of passage migrants, especially in spring when it can be one of Hong Kong's best sites for flycatchers.
Check the small woods by existing and crumbling villages, and you might find birds such as Blue-and-white, Narcissus, Japanese Paradise, Mugimaki and Grey-streaked flycatchers, and other species perhaps including Pale-legged Leaf-Warbler and thrushes. There may be a few seabirds during the ferry journey - with some luck, these could include one or more of Ancient Auklet, Long-tailed Skua and, in later spring, Aleutian Tern.
More information
The Hong Kong Birdwatching Society website has links to info on Hong Kong birding sites; you can also download a checklist of HK birds. BBS link on the main page leads to the active forum.
The best field guide for the territory is The Birds of Hong Kong and South China. Maybe not readily available outside Hong Kong, it's on sale in several local bookshops, as well as at Mai Po. |
