Birds

Birding Shanghai in September 2024

Birding Nanhui today is way extra troublesome than it was once, because the seawall highway is blocked for automobiles. So, the intrepid chook photographer parks someplace, unloads a foldable bicycle, curses the tires for being virtually flat once more, and sweats from inflating them earlier than having even seen a single chook. The digicam is precariously positioned on the bike, and off he goes. After all, this makes photographing some shy species equivalent to raptors virtually not possible – these species appear to assume that an individual on a bicycle is way more harmful than a automobile. Which might be true for the individual however not for the chook.

On the plus aspect, this implies fewer birders at Nanhui, and birders with a better real curiosity in birds moderately than spending a day exterior chatting with buddies whereas smoking and sometimes being disturbed by a chook. So, all the pieces has its good and its dangerous points, although I don’t assume this is applicable to voice messages.

For that cause, Eurasian Wrynecks by no means use voice messages. Admittedly, this can be a bit simpler for them than for people as they typically keep exterior areas with dependable cell phone alerts anyway.

Opposite to what you would possibly assume, this Eurasian Wryneck is just not exhibiting me his tongue however moderately selecting up some ants with it.

“The Eurasian Wryneck is famed for its snake mimicry. When threatened or captured, it performs stereotyped writhing and twisting of the pinnacle and neck and/or utters hissing sounds” (supply). This provides me a possibility to point out you an precise snake I noticed at Nanhui – a Castor’s Rat Snake, to be particular.

This Siberian Thrush is a juvenile male and thus not fairly as stylish-looking as an grownup male.

It should smarten up a bit extra earlier than beginning to breed subsequent 12 months.

A couple of days later, there was a feminine.

Being a juvenile could possibly be a lot worse – see this crappy-looking Chinese language Blackbird.

The juvenile male Blue-and-white Flycatcher is an attention-grabbing chook because it has fairly a unique plumage from the grownup male (gentle blue as a substitute of darkish blue), and one that’s as enticing (I feel), not only a thrift retailer model of the grownup male, as for the Siberian Thrush …

… or the Siberian Blue Robin (picture exhibiting a juvenile male, I feel).

The Tiger Shrike is the nationwide chook of Vietnam (supply), so it could be attention-grabbing to know what a person seen in Shanghai thinks concerning the Spratly Islands.

This being one other juvenile (see additionally right here), perhaps it has no opinion on this concern but.

Given the identify of the Chinese language Grosbeak, its loyalties needs to be clear. The male has a black head …

… whereas the pinnacle of the feminine is brown. So perhaps this can be a juvenile male?

There might be a sinister story behind this Gray Heron.

Aggressive conduct of Gray Heron nestlings was noticed in roughly 25% of nests at two Polish heronries. Largely, this was pecking on the youngest chick – and plenty of of those chicks died. The authors of the research concluded that siblicide moderately than predation is crucial issue affecting the species’ nesting success.

Undecided I’ve something even vaguely attention-grabbing to say concerning the Ashy Minivet. Whereas most minivets are fairly colourful, this species has been optimized for black-and-white TV and thus appears a bit outdated right now.

The elongated form of this minivet jogs my memory that mannerism has by no means been my favourite type of artwork.

I requested ChatGPT to attract me an image of an Ashy Minivet within the type of mannerism – the end result is just not too convincing, I feel …

The phrase “Sniper” (sharpshooter) is derived from the snipe household, which incorporates the Pin-tailed Snipe.

Apparently, amongst British troopers in India within the 18th century, searching snipe was a preferred pastime. A soldier who may efficiently shoot a snipe was thought of an exceptionally expert marksman – an actual “sniper”.

If you don’t like spiders, you might be comfortable to see these images of (presumably) a Sakhalin Leaf Warbler.

The Ashy Drongo is an attention-grabbing drongo species in that it isn’t essentially black …

… and that the completely different subspecies look moderately completely different, from gentle grey to virtually commonplace drongo black. Thankfully, the subspecies migrating via Shanghai is a cute one with a big white patch across the eyes …

… presumably Dicrurus leucophaeus salangensis, although I might not give a lot by myself judgement concerning subspecies.

Some extra images of birds I don’t have a lot to say about proper now: Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (male) …

… feminine …

Black-collared Starling

Eurasian Hoopoe

Black Paradise Flycatcher

Asian Stubtail

Oriental Magpie-robin (with the identical issues I’ve when strolling via Nanhuis microforests: all the time getting sticky spider webs in my face) …

Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike

Brown Shrike

Black-crowned Night time Heron (juvenile and grownup) …

… and the dreaded Japanese Tit. I shiver any time I get a good picture of it, understanding that I should present the chook within the subsequent month-to-month Shanghai put up and provide you with a semi-pornographic joke. The disgrace of it.

Thankfully, I now can ask ChatGPT to do the soiled work for me. “Are you able to inform me a barely sleazy joke associated to the chook species Japanese Tit?”

ChatGPT: “Certain, right here’s a cheeky one associated to the Japanese Tit: Why did the birdwatcher convey binoculars to the café? As a result of he heard that they had some Japanese Tits within the space and wished to verify he bought a very good have a look at these superb feathers! (Generally birdwatching comes with double meanings!)”

As Peter just lately identified someplace, ChatGPT’s humorousness nonetheless wants work. It jogs my memory of the man at work who thinks he has an awesome humorousness – he all the time says so – however everyone dreads it when he begins telling jokes.

Thankfully, on the finish of September, Nanhui has one thing a lot better than a chook species that primarily serves as a cue for lame jokes: the Oriental Scops Owl. Just some images this time.

Lastly, the Fairy Pitta once more. So arduous to not present these images. The put up ends right here for these not interested by pittas.

Curiously, all of the pittas I’ve seen this autumn had been juveniles – do the adults take a unique route, or are they simply too intelligent to show themselves to me? Extra analysis wanted …

Autor Kai Pflug

JessicaGG

Journalist specialized in online marketing as Social Media Manager. I help professionals and companies to become more Internet and online reputation, which allows to give life to the Social Media Strategies defined for the Company, and thus immortalize brands, products and services. I have participated as an exhibitor in various forums nationally and internationally, I am the author of several articles in digital magazines and Blogs.

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