Category Wildlife

Urban Birds in Hong Kong inc Ho Man Tin Hotspot

Including the advent of a new birdwatching hotspot in the city – thanks to habitat, location, and pioneering observations by John Chow.

Seabirds of Hong Kong: Sea Swallows, Pirates, and Ocean Wanderers

Three species of terns nest in Hong Kong; the other seabirds are all visitors to Hong Kong waters, including a smattering of vagrants

Birds of Shui Hau on Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Shui Hau on Lantau, Hong Kong, can be rewarding for birdlife - including a good variety of shorebirds in spring.

Birds of Lion Head Mountain and Ngong Ping on Lantau, Hong Kong

In spring 2022, thanks to birding naturalist Paul Aston, I helped discover that the hills near Ngong Ping on Lantau island are good places for observing migrating birds of prey – especially Grey-faced Buzzards and Chinese Sparrowhawks, along with seeing…

Spring Migration of Grey-faced Buzzards and Chinese Sparrowhawks in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is usually a poor place for seeing migrating birds of prey; on many days, you might be hard-pressed to see even one passing over. But on some days – and perhaps not every year, two species can be…

Threats and changes to Hong Kong insect populations

While there's no apocalypse now in Hong Kong's insect world, threats and changes are cause for concern - including for us humans

Birdwatching Close to Home – in Your Hong Kong Local Patch

Many birdwatchers have a place or two near home which they watch regularly – a place known in birdwatching terms as a "local patch".

Era of the Pig – Boom Times for Hong Kong’s Wild Boar

Several factors have led to a marked increase in the numbers of wild boars seen on the city fringes, and even in some urban areas.

Spectacular Swallowtails, Flying Tigers and Archdukes Arriving – Hong Kong Butterflies

Hong Kong is home to 23 species of swallowtails, among an impressive tally of around 245 butterfly species, and watching and photographing these and other eyecatching butterflies can readily enhance outdoor outings.

Hong Kong’s Enigmatic Porpoises: Finless, and Almost Friendless

Growing to just 1.8 metres in length, finless porpoises are shy, and hard to see even in their home ranges within southern Hong Kong waters.

Endangered Hong Kong Birds, on Flights to Oblivion

Like canaries in a coal mine, endangered species are signs of danger facing planet earth, our life support system Perhaps for many people, learning of endangered species involves wildlife that lives “out there” somewhere – like giant pandas in bamboo…

Death in Stanley – Hong Kong’s Last South China Tiger

Hong Kong's last tiger was shot in Stanley, in 1942; prior to which this now extinct sub-species had become an occasional visitor to the territory.