Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve

Hong Kong lost almost all of its original forest centuries ago, and Tai Po Kau is the closest thing to a replacement: around four hundred and sixty hectares planted from the 1920s onward with native and exotic trees, now grown into closed-canopy woodland with a genuine understorey, streams and a structure the young hillside scrub elsewhere does not have. That maturity makes it the best woodland bird site in the territory, where mixed feeding flocks move through the canopy and species that need real forest can be found. Four colour-marked trails of different lengths loop from the entrance, and barking deer, civets, porcupines and macaques all use the reserve.

History

About a hundred years ago the hillside was bare and deforested, and in 1926 the government began a plantation here, mostly of pine at first and later of Taiwan acacia, paperbark, camphor and Brisbane box. Over the decades native trees such as sweet gum and litsea took over from the planted stock, and the forest became one of the most biologically diverse in Hong Kong (Wikipedia, Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve).

What's there

• Closed-canopy woodland - the most mature forest in Hong Kong.
• Mixed feeding flocks - the bird waves that move through the canopy.
• Four colour-marked loop trails - routes of different lengths from the gate.
• Barking deer and civets - the mammals using the reserve.

When to go

October to April for birding, with winter flocks at their best; early morning is essential. Half a day. It is quiet on weekdays and busy at weekends.

What to expect

Birds are heard far more than seen and binoculars are essential; without an interest in wildlife the walk is simply pleasant woodland. Trails are steep in places and slippery when wet. Mosquitoes are heavy in summer.

Nearby

Tai Po is north; Sha Tin lies south.

Key facts