Text and Photos: Hugo To (行後山 Backyard Walk)
Encountering My Backyard
The “Backyard” that I am talking about is at Island East, a hill on the shore of Siu Sai Wan. The hill starts from Island Resort, and stretches along the southern coast until Cape Collinson, then to Shek O Country Park. Cape Collinson Path and Leaping Dragon Walk are the main routes of my Backyard. The Leaping Dragon Walk is connected to Pottinger Peak Country Trail which leads people to Big Wave Bay in Shek O or country parks nearby.
The first time I visited the Backyard of Siu Sai Wan, I was just strolling around to explore. The hill did not seem to have characteristics, whether scenic or ecological. However, the faint but shrill squeak sound from the side of the road changed my thought. It was a wild animal that I had never seen before, the musk shrew. Later, along the trail of the Backyard, I found the tiniest plant, the Spreading Viole, and the blossoming Balloon Flower. After a year of observation and recording, a Facebook page “Backyard Walk” was established to introduce local wildlife and ecological knowledge. Its aim is to let people know that even if the trail is near the city, or is just an average morning trail, you will still find something impressive when you look into it. Hong Kong people should take the initiative to get to know our “backyard” and pay attention to the natural ecology around.
Musk Shrew
The Days and Nights of My “Backyard”
There is no challenging path or magnificent scenery, but as an ecological enthusiast, I try to explore the uniqueness in the “ordinary” and tell others that there are things worth appreciating and protecting. The Backyard is a special place for me to observe ecology.
Chinese Hwamei
A well-known caged bird but there are wild ones in Hong Kong. Their calls are powerful but they are often hidden in the bushes.
Common Emerald Dove
They look similar to the common Spotted Dove, and their green wings are eye-catching. This one was pecking at the bottom of the trees and it looked like people who passed-by did not notice it.
Hong Kong Milkwort
This flower with a special appearance is so named because its first specimen was collected in Hong Kong. It was unbelievable when I first found it in the Backyard.
Sundew
This is a coin-sized carnivorous plant; there was a small patch of them growing on an old retaining wall. I was a little surprised that they grew in such artificial places.
Firefly
I found this on the roadside together with vegetation on the retaining wall but I couldn’t find them again in the Backyard after, probably due to over pruning and the extended streetlight time.
Small Indian Civet
It was the most surprising discovery in the Backyard for me, but I was not quick enough to take some good shots.
Bamboo Snake
The most common snake in the Backyard, I almost meet them every time on my night walk.
Silver Bay and Cape Collinson
It is not easy to have such a beautiful natural coastal view in the urban area of Hong Kong.
A Milky Way at Leaping Dragon Walk
The Backyard is located at the Island East, facing the Pacific Ocean so the surroundings are darker than other urban areas. On a clear night, a camera can just about capture the Milky Way.
A Battle Field of Environmental Issues
The Backyard is the habitat of wild animals but also a leisure trail for people. As a result, there are often conflicts between humans and animals.
A Wild Boar from the Backyard
The wild boars in the Siu Sai Wan backyard are always a problem for the residents. The main reason is due to humans feeding them, which makes the wild boars unafraid to go close to humans, or attract them to the city to look for leftovers. There are people who leave bags of food leftovers on the side of the road, some even directly throw food to the wild boars at night. Perhaps because the AFCD has received too many complaints, they sterilised and relocated the wild boars, and therefore the problem is solved temporarily.
In addition, the expansion of the Kuan Yin Temple at the Backyard has also brought problems such as the occupying of public resources, air pollution and so on. The Backyard is just the epitome of Hong Kong, there are different kinds of environmental and livelihood issues waiting to be solved. We are just practicing how to be concerned about the society of Hong Kong when we are paying attention to the Backyard.
The leftovers for wild boars
The Ideal Backyard
The pandemic began to spread at the end of 2019 and as Hong Kong people are unable to travel abroad, local travelling became even more popular and the backyard trails played a key role in this. The more people visiting backyard trails, the more people became interested in learning about the natural environment in our own community. Nevertheless, with increased foot traffic came the littering problem. On my visit to the Backyard in February 2020, there was a lot of tissue paper, wet hand wipes and all kinds of wrapping paper. Some people might just like to “visit nature” but not really admire the natural scenery of the countryside.
If everyone can treat the Backyard as part of our home, perhaps people will love the Backyard from the bottom of their heart. If you love Hong Kong, how about starting from loving the Backyard?
Rubbish collected from the Leaping Dragon Walk
“Backyard” is not just Siu Sai Wan, it is actually everywhere in Hong Kong. A backyard could be a hill without a name, not only close to residentials but also convenient and easy to walk. I hope that the “Backyard” can be a symbol of our community and printed in everyone’s heart.
I love Hong Kong, but the Backyard more.
(From TrailWatch: If you love our natural environment and want to play a part to protect it, you can also take part in our waste audit!)
行後山 Backyard Walk
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