Rush hour in Mui Wo

There was a big herd of buffalo in Mui Wo earlier this week.    All seemed peaceful enough and the big bulls seemed totally relaxed.    

But this big fellah who from a distance looked like he was just out enjoying the spring sunshine has evidently been in a bit of action.      

The rest of the herd was nowhere to be seen so perhaps he has decided to go and find another herd to try his luck in? 

Easter eggs come early

Presumably because Christmas marketing seems to start earlier and earlier each year our cockatiels, Douglas and Babs have decided to get in on the act too and yesterday, exactly 1 week after the new and much larger nest box was installed they have all ready produced their first egg.   
   

Any port in a storm

While checking over the boat last night before the typhoon struck today, I found this fellow resting, curled up around the engine control leads.    The picture is not very clear but it is a baby Burmese Python of around two feet in length.    I have no idea where he came from or how long he had been living on the boat either.   Anyhow, he was duly set adrift to find his home elsewhere.

Nearly fledged

About 3 weeks old

Wong Dai or 17 year old Orange Winged Amazon.  
Greedily mops up the left over baby bird formula 

Falling asleep on my hand after being fed

Our cockatiels have bravely tried to raise three broods this year.   The first batch of eggs were patiently sat on for four weeks but none hatched so we removed them.   Yet three weeks later they were busy brooding a second clutch.    This time three of the eggs hatched but all three only survived a week or so.   After that we removed the nest box as we did not want them to keep laying and laying but they found a way and a third set of eggs were duly laid.   This time three hatched but only one has survived.   We suspect the nest box they have used was too small and cramped and only the strongest was getting noticed in the scrum inside.   Anyhow, this little chap (or chappess)  is all but ready to leave the nest box.  

Up On The Roof

Our trusty summer bell tenet awning is about to explode.    After five years of sun, sun and more sun, plus rain and wind it is nearing the end of its safe life.   The search is now on for a replacement before a good blast of wind rips this one apart and makes a right old mess for us to sort out.  

So much for the new cycle path

One of Mui Wo's coolest residents shows his complete indifference to petty regulations by walking on the newly opened cycle path.  

Large owl of some sort spotted in South Lantau Road

A rather large owl of some sort decided to take flight from the trees at the side of the road as I came down from Nam Shan to Mui Wo on my motorbike last night.   It was brown, big and just seemed to cruise in front of me for a couple of seconds before disappearing into the trees on the other side of the road.    Great to see it but just too dark and quick to be able to get any detail.   Its back and tail feathers seemed quite light brown but that may have been the effects of the street lighting.  I guess t was either a fish owl, a brown wood owl or possible an eagle owl.

Kingfisher fishing

Matthew and me made a detour around the river Silver estuary and were rewarded with watching a brilliantly coloured male kingfisher snatch a fish from the river.  Here comes springtime.    We waited to see if he would return again but he had disappeared over the wall to the Yuen ancestral home.    Instead a rather moody looking grey heron cruised onto the scene and was just about to land when it saw us and flew off further down stream but not without a good screech, which presumably was directed at us having spoiled his fishing spot.

Japanese White Eye

Matthew and I found this poor little Japanese White Eye this morning.    Not sure what happened to him but it seems today was not his day.  

Beasts

The herd is upto 20 now with four born recently.   There are few other cows that look like they will soon be giving birth too.

African Spurred Tortoises in Mui Wo

Nine thirty at night and I am strolling past the bank in Mui Wo and these two are outside casing the joint.   Got to be the easiest pets to take for a walk....

5 years old apparently, one male and one female.   No hanky pinky expected until they are at least 7.
Male weighs in at about ten kilos and the female slightly less.   If I remember rightly the female is the darker coloured one.

Up on the roof

Mango the macaw out in the perch and enjoying the spring sunshine.   Matthew of course, engrossed in things electronic and online is cursing the sun for affecting his screen's contrast! 

Buzzards

Super courtship display by three buzzards over Butterfly Hill just now but just too far away to film on phone.  Spring is in the air obviously.   Amazing how the parrots spotted this before I did. All of them suddenly went very still and stared in the same direction.

Red Tide

This scummy red mess appeared in November.   It is actually some sort of plankton.   When I first saw it I thought someone had dumped some red paint into the river.   Thankfully it disappeared after a day or so.   Apparently caused by low oxygen and high nitrogen in the water and is thought to be attributable to run off from aggressive use of nitrogen fertiliser in farming.

Mui Wo Python

I caught this beauty last year.   All afternoon the dogs next door had been making a right old racket  running and barking and generally making it very obvious something was not right.   I had a look about a couple of times but never saw the snake.   By the evening the dogs had quietened down and it was the turn of our neighbours to start making a racket.    The python had ended up on a concrete yard and found not find its way out.    Someone had brought out a rice sack that was obviously far too small to put it in and none was brave enough to go near it.   I grabbed a wheel bin and laid it on its side next to the by now very pissed off poor snake's head.   Luckily it went in side and when enough of it was in I stood the bin up and the snake was safe and out of harms way.   Eventually it was carted away by the cops.   Hopefully it was released back into the wild and did not end up in some police canteen's hot pot.

Red Tide

At first I though someone had thrown a pot of paint into the sea but alas no, it is the dreaded red tide  algae bloom that apparently forms as a result of increased nutrient loading from human activities.   Must be all those so called organic farms that are sprouting up on Lantau?   More likely it is the result of China farming effluent washing down into the sea.   

A new addition to the Mui Wo herd.

Riding home this evening and had to negotiate around a rather large bull who was standing side on across the road flanked by two other slightly smaller members of the herd.   After cycling around them a smaller cow came cautiously out of the bushes followed by a wobbly calf.    I can only presume the calf is recently born as some of its coat looked wet and it was absolutely spotlessly clean.

Islands District, Inter Schools Athletics

 

Chucking the ball competition.   Gold last year, for Arthur but fourth this year thanks to the participation of the cricket fanatics no doubt!

Mui Wo Recreation Centre - An End of an Era!

The end of an era.   The most happening place in Mui Wo finally succumbs to the wrecking ball.  What will the new one look like, I wonder?

Look out Mr. Bolt

Arthur (second from right) and his school pals celebrate their win in the Island District school athletics competitions.   Well done boys.