A hike in unseasonably cool weather that still was warm enough to yield plenty of cool critter spottings (Photo-essay)

 Last year was the hottest May on record in Hong Kong.  And the whole summer of 2021 was so hot that I didn't feel up for going on a single hike over the course of it.  In contrast, this May might well go down in history as one of the coldest Mays on record in Hong Kong.  At the very least, Hong Kong saw its coldest May day in almost a century earlier this month -- with the Hong Kong Observatory recording a minimum temperature of 16.4 degrees Celsius in Tsim Sha Tsui!

 

With temperatures that seemed eminently suitable for hiking, I decided to go into the great outdoors for my first May hike in years.  And, of course, it helped that one doesn't need to wear masks while in country parks and/or engaged in outdoor physical exercise once more thanks to the lifting of that unscientific and frankly pretty assinine anti-pandemic restriction!

Although I did end up sweating enough to have to wipe myself a few times while hiking yesterday afternoon, the weather still was pleasant enough for me to enjoy my trek from Quarry Bay over to Tai Tam Road -- and, in fact, during certain parts of the hike, I felt like I was doing so in air conditioned comfort!  With the temperatures on the cool side, I wasn't expecting to be able to do much critter spotting.  But, as it turned out, this hike -- which once again got me thinking that Hong Kong is really beautiful and that I just really f**king love Hong Kong -- did have a fair number; including a wild boar that was on the shy side (and that I thus was unable to get a good photo of)! :)

 

My first critter spotting of the hike, which I suspect 

was a true bug (specifically from the genus dysdercus!)

 

A section of Mount Parker Road with a low wall

that I like to call the Not So Great Wall of Hong Kong ;D

 

Not your usual angle from which I've taken photos of

Dysphania militaris (false tiger moth)

 

The Tai Tam Upper Reservoir looking quite a bit fuller

than I've become used to seeing

I see egrets a lot in Hong Kong but usually others species

rather than the Eastern Cattle Egret :)

 

Hong Kong really was looking so very green yesterday

(including the waters of the reservoirs, thanks to their

reflecting the surrounding greenery)!

 

My favorite spider spotting of the hike: argiope aeheroides

(as opposed to the far more common -- in Hong Kong --

and larger Golden Orb Weavers!)

 

The masonry bridges over Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir act

as good gauges re the reservoir's water levels :)