A flock of bird murals has landed in Wang Tong Village on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, transforming forgotten walls into canvases that celebrate migration. The project, called the Flock Project, was conceived by Dominic Johnson-Hill after learning from an ornithologist neighbour about the Amur falcon's epic journey from Manchuria to South Africa, with a stopover in Lantau.
Johnson-Hill commissioned British artist Rob Aspire, known as 'The Birdman', to paint the murals. The first was a red-billed blue magpie on an abandoned house next to Johnson-Hill's home. A year later, seven more murals were added, each chosen for ecological significance or visual harmony with the location.
The murals depict species such as a kingfisher near a stream where fishing is banned, and a Swinhoe's white-eye blending into walls near trees where its call is still heard. One mural, a long-tailed shrike, is painted high on Sunset Peak at 868 metres above sea level, on a 90-year-old stone house.
The project aims to highlight native and migratory birds, drawing visitors from Hong Kong's urban areas. Some bring chalk to mark trails, turning village paths into treasure maps. Johnson-Hill has created an online map and plans to continue, guided by derelict houses or conditions that suit new birds.
