Mynas, kingfishers, sandpipers and cormorants; characters you will often see in Sai Kung

COMMON MYNA

This bird likes habitats with tall vertical structures and little or no vegetation, hence its activity around our waterfront and streets. They pair for life, breeding through much of the year, building nests in holes in trees or walls with twigs, tissue paper, rubbish and even snake skin. They are aggressive, sometimes taking over nests and evicting chicks. Couples produce clutches of four to six eggs which incubate in 18 days.

The common myna will eat anything: insects, reptiles, worms, small mammals, grains, fruits and human waste. They like hopping around on the ground, looking for food — you’ll notice this in Sai Kung. Sometimes they’ll wade in shallow water to catch fish.

COMMON KINGFISHER

This bird is resident in Sai Kung all year round. It likes slow-flowing streams and in winter, rocky seashores. You may see them in the mangroves at Three Fathoms Cove. They are good indicators of the quality of the water. Solitary, they will fight an intruding bird, holding its beak and forcing it underwater. The birds form pairs in the autumn but stay as much as two miles from each other. In courtship the male chases the female, calling continually, feeding with elaborate ritual, then coupling. They form burrows with an entry up to three feet then a large chamber. The clutch is two to ten chicks. An incubating bird sits, trance-like. When large enough, the chicks will come to the burrow entrance to be fed.

For the little ones the first few days outside the nest can be hazardous. They can become waterlogged and drown. Many will not have learned how to fish when ejected from the burrow; only about half survive a week. Other causes of death are cats, rats, and collisions with vehicles or windows. The common kingfisher eats about 60 per cent of its body weight daily, mainly fish, but also aquatic insects and crustaceans.

COMMON SANDPIPER

This bird breeds in temperate climates in Europe and Asia, often migrating to Africa and Australia. They are usually alone, but occasionally in small groups. This species has a distinctive stiff-winged flight, low over water. They nest on the ground near freshwater. When threatened a chick may cling to its parent’s body to be flown to safety.

They forage on the ground or in shallow water, picking up insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates. Sometimes they will catch an insect in flight.

GREAT CORMORANT

This is a widespread species, known in New Zealand as kawau. You see them on the waterfront in Sai Kung, because they like to feed on the seashore. In winter cormorants will fly south, moving to coasts or freshwater well supplied with fish. They nest in colonies in wetlands, rivers and inshore areas. Couples will use the same nest to breed year after year. Made with sticks, nests are built in trees, on cliffs and on rocky islands, free from predators. They lay three to five eggs that are pale green or blue.

Cormorants dive for their food, sometimes underwater for three minutes going as deep as 30ft.

Cormorant fishing is practiced in China. Fishermen tie a line around the throats of cormorants, tight enough to prevent them swallowing fish, and deploy them from boats. To encourage cooperation, the fisherman will let the bird eat about every eighth fish. The cormorants eventually recognise this pattern declining to dive for the eighth fish unless untied. If the human doesn’t treat them well, they go on strike.