ROUTE 3: NIGHT ADVENTURE TO THE WATER CATCHMENT

Our night starts with an encounter with a creepy walking stick! No mistake! It is a Stick Insect—the king of camouflage who is typically thin and brown like a twig, and has all the tricks to deceive its potential predators.

Water catchments provide ideal breeding grounds for a range of mammals, including the largest terrestrial mammal in Hong Kong—Eurasian Wild Pig. The generally secretive animal favours roaming the forest and wetlands at night. We can stay by the slow-running stream to watch the pig—sometimes with a sweet family of piglets—getting close for water and wallowing!

Navigating the woodlands at night (or otherwise), one has to watch out for the fine mesh around every corner! Giant golden orb weaver (Nephila pilipes), the largest spider commonly seen in Hong Kong's countryside, growing to the size of a human palm, is also nicknamed “Human-faced spider” because of the baby-face marking near its head and tergum. Quite unfairly to the little creatures, spiders can evoke feelings of fear, yet are actually essential parts of the food chain!

Giant golden orb weaver displays sexual dimorphism with a distinct size difference: the female—which sits patiently on the web waiting for the prey—is gigantic compared to the reddish male, which is only about one-tenth its size.

Also active at night are numerous snake species. Near the streams you may come across White-spotted Slug Snake (Pareas margaritophorus), easily identified by its greyish scales and black and white spots, preying on snails in the grasses. There is also Anderson's Stream Snake (Opisthotropis andersonii) which has a slender head and mud-yellow belly and loves to feed on small fish in the water.

The two species are particularly docile and harmless, without venom. It is still best for us to leave them in peace while walking about on the forest floor!

We have now come to the picnic area—the most popular facility among the cultural and leisure services provided in the water catchment area. At night, the area becomes a “paradise of animals”!

A special reptile is now on stage—Chinese Waterside Skink (Tropidophorus sinicus). Like the covert Ninja, the species is difficult to spot as it is very agile and alert. It dwells near the stream and often rests on the moist rocks.

Near the entrance of Tai Tam Family Walk, a stream is turned into a frogs' concert hall at night. The world of music is beyond your imagination. Gunther's Frog (Hylarana guentheri), for example, emits a loud double croak like a barking dog. Green Cascade Frog (Odorrana chloronota), on the other hand, makes calls like bird chirps.

All the different notes are for one and only one purpose: to attract significant others!

Some strange sounds are heard outside the public washroom—it is Asiatic Painted Frog (Kaloula pulchra)! The species loves the humid environment inside the drains and during the breeding season, the male will make calls resembling a bull's bellowing, confusing many to mistake it for a bull frog. The frog is cute, with a rotund body and a narrow mouth.

There is a tiny wetland at Tai Tam Barbecue Site Number 2, where two special species can be found: Hong Kong Newt (Paramesotriton hongkongensis) and Romer's Tree Frog (Liuixalus romeri). The former is the only tailed amphibian in Hong Kong, and is “fingerprinted” by its unique orange mark on the belly. Romer's Tree Frog, a tiny frog the size of the thumb, is endemic to Hong Kong.

Romer's Tree Frog is very rare in the wild. It produces a high-pitched call like a cricket. Next time you hear the call, see if you are lucky enough to find one of this extraordinary species!