There are two indicators of autumn beginning in Shanghai. My favourite cat June begins sleeping on my lap once more, the heat of my legs turning into a bonus somewhat than the drawback it was throughout the summer season. And Daurian Redstarts exhibiting up in Shanghai – they’ll spend the winter right here. Each the males …
… and the marginally much less spectacular females.
The Purple-flanked Bluetail is one other chook indicating the arrival of autumn. In winter, the females (and presumably juvenile males) are in every single place in Shanghai, whereas the grownup males are tougher to search out.
These readers who largely scan my posts for music suggestions can be glad to listen to that this put up consists of at the very least two of them. The primary one is by the Silver Jews, “San Francisco B.C.” – a protracted different bluesy rant a couple of housebreaking, an untrue lover, and breaking glass espresso tables, with a improbable instrumental guitar bit someplace within the center. Plus some nice traces:
I lived with my real love and she or he lived with me
“Romance is the douche of the bourgeoisie”
Was the very very first thing she imparted to me
We had sarcastic hair, we used lewd pseudonyms
It’s a bit uncommon to get images of the Asian Stubtail so out within the open – it tends to remain a bit extra hidden.
Good to correctly see its colours for as soon as.
Its scientific identify Urosphena squameiceps seems like an sickness urologists must be aware of (prescribe antibiotics, possibly?), however the squameiceps simply means scaly-headed (although I do probably not see that both).
And the Urosphena combines the Greek phrases for tail and for wedge, so the one that gave the identify to the species needed to each point out that the species is wedge-tailed and that he acquired an costly training which included hours and hours studying a ineffective however prestigious useless language, Greek.
A fast reminder that the Blue-and-white Flycatcher is a really nice-looking chook. Even the sunshine blue juvenile male is engaging.
No god-fearing photographer would ever present a photograph of a Brown Shrike subsequent to plastic trash. As I’m not god-fearing, it’s nice for me.
Eurasian Hoopoes are apparently not very picky with regard to their meals – unsure what that is but it surely jogs my memory a little bit of what I’m presupposed to eat each time I go to my Chinese language in-laws.
Fairly surprisingly, the Cornell/HBW entry on the Eurasian Hoopoe has been up to date very lately (July 2024) – even the images at the moment are in colour, now not in black and white.
Sadly, the introduction to the species – whereas presumably written by the 2 authors – sounds prefer it has been written by ChatGPT:
“The Eurasian/African Hoopoe, with its sun-evoking crest and boldly marked plumage, has held an essential place in human tradition for millennia, variously being despised and lauded in several cultures. In southeastern Siberia, its look signifies upcoming tragedy to conventional Buryat cultures, whereas in historical Mongolia, it was thought of a protector. In Medieval Europe, it was a sinister omen, whereas at this time in Israel, the Eurasian/African Hoopoe is the nationwide chook. Whether or not beloved or hated, the Eurasian/African Hoopoe is a mesmerizing and interesting chook that holds a particular place in human historical past.”
The Eurasian Kestrel very hardly ever travels to the US – it’s afraid of being misidentified as an American Kestrel, and it very a lot doesn’t need to be in any manner linked to a rustic by which roughly 50% of the inhabitants thinks {that a} Trump/Vance presidency is a good suggestion.
Gray Herons typically look considerably glamorous and stylish, however as this picture exhibits, they’ll additionally look fairly silly.
Seeing a Gray Nightjar at Nanhui at all times means it’s a good day. For some purpose, in contrast to different species which have a reasonably common timetable, nightjars don’t appear to stay a lot to outlined seasons. The iconoclasts of chook migration.
The scientific species identify is Caprimulgus jotaka. Now, jotaka is from the Japanese phrase Yo taka, which implies evening hawk and stands for the Gray Nightjar, although it sounds just like the identify of a sinister, chain-smoking Yakuza boss in a low-budget Japanese film.
Japanese Tits are heartily uninterested in being the butt of sleazy jokes. As they rightly level out, they don’t solely stay in Japan and due to this fact need to be renamed as Asian Tits.
Early October was a superb season for Oriental Scops Owls, probably my favourite Shanghai chook.
My impression is that in Nanhuis microforests, the place the colour of the bushes is far more like that of the grey-brown than of the reddish morph, this results in completely different conduct of the 2 morphs.
The grey-brown morph generally appears to rely totally on camouflage – it stays comparatively open and simply assumes it won’t be seen.
In distinction, the reddish morph both flies away or hides a lot deeper within the tree leaves.
Every time Lengthy-tailed Shrikes or Mild-vented Bulbuls see Oriental Scops Owls within the microforests of Nanhui, they protest towards their presence.
In a roundabout way, it is a bit stunning – in accordance with Cornell/HBW, their prey is greater than 95% invertebrates and the remaining are geckos and rodents (i.e., not birds).
After I confirmed the images under to a good friend, he remarked “The owls are stalking you”.
Here’s a Mild-vented Bulbul not at the moment mobbing an Oriental Scops Owl. Possibly this particular person is a little more clever and tolerant and doesn’t instantly suppose that immigrants eat birds, cats, or canine.
Right here is one other owl the bulbul may have mobbed – a Northern Boobook, a bit too shy to yield a completely convincing picture.
Japanese Sparrowhawk: Ditto.
Just a few days later, a Northern Boobook acted a bit extra photography-friendly. Possibly a politician.
Whereas I like snipes, I want to not ID them. My App says that it is a Pin-tailed Snipe however be happy to disagree.
Outdoors of the breeding season, the Purple-necked Phalarope does completely nothing to deserve its identify. Like Fact Social being neither truthful nor social.
Typically talking, JD Vance would most likely not approve of Purple-necked Phalaropes as a result of their reversed gender roles. Females are bigger than males and compete to win mates, and the males do all of the incubation and take care of the younger.
Nonetheless, JD ought to recognize that that is nonetheless higher than having no children in any respect (childless cat women and gents).
“Gap in My Coronary heart” by Blitz Vega seems like Graham Coxon sings it, and he may have additionally written the music – however I seemed the band up, and the members embrace ex-members of The Smiths (not Morrissey, thank god) and The Joyful Mondays (not Shaun Ryder). On Spotify, the band has about 14,000 listeners this month, so the attraction of those ex-band members could also be considerably restricted. Nonetheless, a superb music.
A latest analysis paper (2024) was revealed on White’s Thrush. It covers satellite tv for pc monitoring of a White´s Thrushes from the Ural Mountains, Russia, to central Mongolia.
The researchers used satellite tv for pc transmitters to check the migration of two White´s Thrushes (query from me: are these transmitters so costly? If not, why solely use 2?)
Sadly, the summary of the analysis outcomes appears to point that the entire train was just about in useless:
“One of many gadgets transmitted throughout spring and the breeding season (Might to September) within the following yr from the Khangai Mountains of central Mongolia, 3000 km southeast of its former breeding season website. Based mostly on the mixture of lack of correct areas, doubtlessly unsuitable habitat, uncommon conduct, and weird location outdoors of the identified breeding vary we take into account it more than likely that the chook died there throughout migration, whereas the transmitter continued to operate. No information on migration routes or non-breeding areas had been acquired“.
Subsequent time, purchase a number of extra transmitters. Possibly ask for donations on Kickstarter?
One other fascinating query: apparently, the 2 birds had been trapped in 2019, so the info assortment ought to have been completed no later than 2020. Why is that this solely revealed in 2024? In truth, it has not even formally been revealed but – the knowledge solely is marked “It is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed. Knowledge could also be preliminary.”
Whereas White’s Thrush might be named for one of many higher figures within the historical past of ornithology – Gilbert White was an English naturalist and ornithologist who burdened the significance of statement – the Chinese language identify Hu ban Di Dong – “Tiger-stripe Thrush” is healthier.
After solely seeing an immature male Siberian Thrush in September (agism?), October introduced an grownup male, which has a way more compelling design.
Some extra thrushes: Eyebrowed Thrush …
… Japanese Thrush (a bit late, my pricey, aren’t you?) …
… and the considerably undermarketed Gray-backed Thrush (gray just isn’t actually probably the most notable colour of the species).
The feminine Taiga Flycatcher appears like a male of the identical species that has been washed too typically, or at too excessive a temperature. Or is that this a sexist comment?
The scientific identify Ficedula albicilla just isn’t significantly correct – albicilla means white-tailed.
I’m comfortable for this Oriental Magpie-robin to not personal a mirror. Molt have to be hell.
On this season, the Rufous-tailed Robin hardly ever sings, so its scientific identify Larvivora sibilans (sibilans means whistling) just isn’t really easy to know.
The Mugimaki Flycatcher acquired its identify from a number of Japanese phrases – mugi means wheat or barley, maki means sowing. Apparently, in Japan, this flycatcher is seen primarily within the autumn when the farmers sow wheat and barley (supply: Cornell).
For some purpose, I’m nonetheless stunned each time I see a Frequent Kingfisher on an ocean seashore, as I have a tendency to think about them as birds of lakes and rivers. However apparently, they’ll do each. Which – although I’ve no need to ever watch the film “Blues Brothers” once more – jogs my memory of the joke in stated film: a bartender claiming that they’ve each sorts of music of their pub, “We acquired Nation and Western!”
Whereas in search of Spoon-billed Sandpipers (separate put up!) and Dunlins (separate put up!), I noticed a number of different waders:
The Gray-tailed Tattler (trying a bit sinister as normal, possibly as a result of it’s listed as Close to Threatened) …
… or as a result of it has to spend a part of its life on rubbish islands …
… the endangered Siberian Sand Plover (which Cornell appears to suppose is underrated: “The Siberian Sand Plover, noticed on its wintering grounds, is however one other plover foraging on tidal flats, undistinguished in look and conduct. A go to to its breeding grounds, nevertheless, imparts a somewhat completely different impression”) …
… Frequent Ringed Plover (about which Shanghai birders had been far more excited regardless of the “frequent” in its identify and its Least Concern standing – however it’s uncommon in Shanghai) …
…. Gray Plover …
… Broad-billed Sandpiper …
… Kentish Plover …
… Purple-necked Stint …
… Frequent Greenshank …
… Sanderling …
… Wooden Sandpiper …
… and Oriental Pratincole (already trying a bit shabbier than in full breeding plumage, or maybe these are juveniles – you possibly can attempt figuring it out based mostly on the knowledge right here).
Autor Kai Pflug
