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 quite than the drawback it was through the summer time. And Daurian Redstarts exhibiting up in Shanghai – they are going to spend the winter right here. Each the males …
… and the marginally much less spectacular females.
The Crimson-flanked Bluetail is one other fowl 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 harder to seek out.
These readers who principally scan my posts for music suggestions will probably be glad to listen to that this publish contains no less than two of them. The primary one is by the Silver Jews, “San Francisco B.C.” – an extended different bluesy rant a few housebreaking, an untrue lover, and breaking glass espresso tables, with a unbelievable instrumental guitar bit someplace within the center. Plus some nice strains:
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 pictures 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 title Urosphena squameiceps feels like an sickness urologists ought to be accustomed to (prescribe antibiotics, perhaps?), however the squameiceps simply means scaly-headed (although I do not likely see that both).
And the Urosphena combines the Greek phrases for tail and for wedge, so the one who gave the title 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 fowl. Even the sunshine blue juvenile male is enticing.
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 high-quality for me.
Eurasian Hoopoes are apparently not very picky with regard to their meals – undecided what that is but it surely jogs my memory a little bit of what I’m imagined to eat every 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 just lately (July 2024) – even the pictures 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 right this moment in Israel, the Eurasian/African Hoopoe is the nationwide fowl. Whether or not cherished or hated, the Eurasian/African Hoopoe is a mesmerizing and engaging fowl that holds a particular place in human historical past.”
The Eurasian Kestrel very not often 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 method linked to a rustic through 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, not like different species which have a reasonably common timetable, nightjars don’t appear to stay a lot to outlined seasons. The iconoclasts of fowl migration.
The scientific species title is Caprimulgus jotaka. Now, jotaka is from the Japanese phrase Yo taka, which implies night time hawk and stands for the Gray Nightjar, despite the fact that it sounds just like the title of a sinister, chain-smoking Yakuza boss in a low-budget Japanese film.
Japanese Tits are heartily bored with being the butt of sleazy jokes. As they rightly level out, they don’t solely dwell in Japan and subsequently need to be renamed as Asian Tits.
Early October was season for Oriental Scops Owls, presumably my favourite Shanghai fowl.
My impression is that in Nanhuis microforests, the place the colour of the bushes is way 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 typically appears to rely totally on camouflage – it stays comparatively open and simply assumes it is not going to be seen.
In distinction, the reddish morph both flies away or hides a lot deeper within the tree leaves.
At any time when 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 shocking – in response to Cornell/HBW, their prey is greater than 95% invertebrates and the remaining are geckos and rodents (i.e., not birds).
After I confirmed the pictures under to a good friend, he remarked “The owls are stalking you”.
Here’s a Mild-vented Bulbul not at present 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 might have mobbed – a Northern Boobook, a bit too shy to yield a completely convincing picture.
Japanese Sparrowhawk: Ditto.
A number of 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 Crimson-necked Phalarope does completely nothing to deserve its title. Like Fact Social being neither truthful nor social.
Usually talking, JD Vance would most likely not approve of Crimson-necked Phalaropes because 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 respect that that is nonetheless higher than having no youngsters in any respect (childless cat women and gents).
“Gap in My Coronary heart” by Blitz Vega feels like Graham Coxon sings it, and he might have additionally written the track – however I seemed the band up, and the members embrace ex-members of The Smiths (not Morrissey, thank god) and The Comfortable 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, track.
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 review 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 (Could to September) within the following 12 months from the Khangai Mountains of central Mongolia, 3000 km southeast of its former breeding season website. Primarily based on the mix of lack of correct areas, probably unsuitable habitat, uncommon conduct, and strange location exterior of the recognized breeding vary we take into account it most probably that the fowl died there throughout migration, whereas the transmitter continued to perform. No information on migration routes or non-breeding areas had been acquired“.
Subsequent time, purchase just a few 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? The truth is, it has not even formally been revealed but – the data solely is marked “It is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed. Information 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 remark – the Chinese language title 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 seems to be 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 title Ficedula albicilla just isn’t notably correct – albicilla means white-tailed.
I’m glad for this Oriental Magpie-robin to not personal a mirror. Molt should be hell.
On this season, the Rufous-tailed Robin not often sings, so its scientific title Larvivora sibilans (sibilans means whistling) just isn’t really easy to grasp.
The Mugimaki Flycatcher acquired its title from just a few 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 every time I see a Frequent Kingfisher on an ocean seaside, as I have a tendency to think about them as birds of lakes and rivers. However apparently, they’ll do each. Which – despite the fact that I’ve no want 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 on the lookout for Spoon-billed Sandpipers (separate publish!) and Dunlins (separate publish!), I noticed just a few different waders:
The Gray-tailed Tattler (wanting a bit sinister as typical, perhaps 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, nonetheless, imparts a quite completely different impression”) …
… Frequent Ringed Plover (about which Shanghai birders had been way more excited regardless of the “widespread” in its title and its Least Concern standing – however it’s uncommon in Shanghai) …
…. Gray Plover …
… Broad-billed Sandpiper …
… Kentish Plover …
… Crimson-necked Stint …
… Frequent Greenshank …
… Sanderling …
… Wooden Sandpiper …
… and Oriental Pratincole (already wanting a bit shabbier than in full breeding plumage, or maybe these are juveniles – you’ll be able to attempt figuring it out based mostly on the data right here).
