After a current longer put up specializing in Dunlins, the species simply makes a shorter look on this put up …
… regardless that I managed (a rarity for me) a half-decent flight shot.
Crimson-throated Pipits embrace people that appear solely misnamed …
… whereas others nonetheless cling to their name-giving characteristic, at the least a bit.
If you’re concerned about increasing your life checklist with out transferring your ass (you already know who you’re), here’s a paper suggesting to separate the Water Pipit into three species. You may need to assist the concept.
The American Pipit will quickly be renamed because the X Pipit, if Elon Musk will get his will.
Crested Mynas apparently use egg measurement as an indicator to detect cuckoo eggs, which they then reject. However they’re a bit sluggish on the uptake, main researchers to conclude (and I believe this sentence ought to change into part of self-help books everywhere in the world) “We advise that the periodicity of egg rejection experiments might be appropriately prolonged, particularly for species with comparatively low egg recognition capacity.”
One other paper reviews that Crested Mynas add snakeskin (which in different areas of the world, e.g., Texas, is changed into very ugly cowboy boots and thus not out there to mynas) to their nests. Nevertheless, this addition appears to be completely pointless, because the paper finds that “There have been additionally no vital variations within the variety of nestlings hatched for every nest, nestling rising and breeding success between the snake slough and the non-snake slough group”. This discovering doesn’t preserve the researchers from speculating in regards to the rationale for including the snake pores and skin: “snake slough in crested myna nests could serve to scale back nest predation, enhance the immunity of nestlings or function a post-mating sexual sign eliciting differential reproductive funding in mates”, ending with the basic “additional analysis is required”, which right here is phrased as “these speculations require additional investigation”.
Saunders’s Gull is listed as Susceptible. It’s named after a banker (actually?) who apparently was additionally a traveler, ornithologist, and an authority on the Laridae (says Cornell) – Howard Saunders (1835-1907).
So, he died when he was 72 – will need to have felt like at the least 100 years if he primarily centered on gulls …
In any case, his obituary in Nature in 1907 notes that “IT is with unfeign remorse that report the demise of Mr. Howard Saunders, after an extended and painful sickness”.
Can sexism ever by justified by info? eBird states that the male Narcissus Flycatcher has eye-catching black, orange-yellow, and white plumage, whereas the feminine is extraordinarily drab.
A bit harsh, I believe …
Then once more, when you see the male, there may be some reality to it.
Bramblings could be fairly sexist themselves – a paper analyzing the intercourse distribution in giant Brambling roosts discovered a a lot greater density of females on the periphery of the roost, a location that’s extra uncovered to predation (supply).
Perhaps it’s partly a weight concern? In a research on Noticed Redshanks, males had been discovered to be heavier and greater than females. Nevertheless, the pinnacle measurement of the males was smaller than that of the females. Not so smug now, are we, males?
(Aspect observe: that research concerned abdomen elimination of the birds for intestine evaluation – I’m not positive such research are factor).
A Gray Plover in all probability thought it was fairly secure emigrate at an altitude of about 3000 meters, at the least from marauding scientists – till it was killed at that altitude by a Peregrine Falcon, as described right here.
The scientific identify of the Taiga Bean Goose is Anser fabalis, which vaguely appears like “fabulous” however sadly is just not the rationale for the species’ identify. Apparently, fabalis means “of beans”, and Cornell at the least offers a common clarification for the “Bean” in Taiga Bean Goose: “the common look of flocks of untamed geese, which arrive each autumn …on the time of bean harvest and when the bean stubbles had been prepared for them”.
Whereas this Little Grebe seems prefer it has been overdoing its cocaine use …
… within the literature, there’s a report of a Little Grebe consuming a mammal. Perhaps a consequence of drug use?
eBird calls the Yellow-bellied Tit a “tiny luminous ball of feathers”, which sounds about proper.
For the Black-faced Bunting, eBird appears to be a bit ambiguous on whether or not this chook is a skulker or not: “A small songbird that always skulks deep in shrubbery however emerges to forage within the open greater than some buntings”. So, eBird, on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being an invisible chook and 10 one completely out within the open, the place do you find this bunting? (you may inform my background and expertise in doing administration consulting, particularly, workshops, from this query).
The Gray Heron doesn’t skulk. How might it, given its open surroundings?
It isn’t a lot a difficulty of measurement – Eurasian Bitterns (which aren’t small birds) – are a lot better at camouflage.
By the way, “Camouflage” can be the title of a music by Stan Ridgway, beforehand of Wall of Voodoo, liable for in all probability one of the best ever cowl model of “Ring of Hearth”.
On Chongming Island, the primary households of Hooded Cranes have arrived – typical Chinese language households ensuing from China’s one-chick coverage.
However some much less typical groupings are additionally doable.
Rooks are uncommon in Shanghai, so it was a shock to see a flock of them additionally on Chongming Island.
It’s in all probability no coincidence that I noticed them in the identical week that The Treatment launched a brand new album, the primary in 16 years.
In case you do a Google seek for “Rook analysis”, you get to the online web page of Rook Analysis, an organization that “makes a speciality of internet scraping and extraction of Various Knowledge.” Various knowledge sounds scarily Trumpish to me. However possibly that’s the level right here.
The scientific identify Corvus frugilegus is a bit puzzling as frugilegus means “fruit-gathering” – fruit don’t appear to be a serious part of the species’ weight loss plan.
Like people, Rooks present a rising tendency to winter in cities (supply).
And Rooks are well-studied resulting from their intelligence and social habits – for instance, they’ll remedy sure psychological duties (supply) and after conflicts appear to hunt out affirmation from different Rooks (supply).
In another methods, in addition they behave so much like people. Apparently, people eat as much as 75% extra meals when in firm with others – and Rooks additionally eat extra when along with one other Rook (supply). Weight loss program tip: eat by yourself.
(associated music lyrics: “consuming meagre meals with the curtains closed, “Ciao!” by Lush with a visitor look by Jarvis Cocker)
A part of the social exercise of the Rooks I watched was to mob a Black Kite.
An Japanese Marsh Harrier was mobbed by Oriental Magpies as an alternative.
Frequent Starlings are fairly unusual in Shanghai.
Within the USA, they’re widespread – however that is in all probability not the consequence of a Shakespeare lover releasing them, regardless that that story has made it into many chook books.
A narrative even propagated by Cornell College, the supposed authority on all issues avian.
They’re thought to be pests in lots of nations – in reality, a web site named Pestsmart has its personal Frequent Starling web page.
For shade, the November in Shanghai affords Bluethroat ….
… (properly, the feminine not a lot) …
… the primary Northern Lapwings of the season …
… and Daurian Redstart.
In case you want your birds in black and white, you may select species such because the Pied Kingfisher …
… Pied Avocet …
… and White Wagtail.
Wintering spoonbills have additionally returned – principally Eurasian Spoonbills …
… but additionally a couple of Black-faced Spoonbills.
A research analyzing historic (1894-1926) migration knowledge for Eurasian Woodcock discovered that the birds returned to their breeding grounds earlier in years with milder climate than in colder and wetter years. This appears to be aligned with research on the influence of world warming on migration – birds migrate to their breeding grounds earlier and can also keep there longer than previously. In any case, I’m glad they’re again on Chongming now.
On the one hand, Cornell describes the Frequent Pochard as “ample, with a world inhabitants estimated to #1,950,000–2,250,000 people”. Then again, it’s categorised as Susceptible, and the identical Cornell entry states “Not thought to be a species of conservation concern till 2015, when info suggesting that the inhabitants has declined quickly throughout the vast majority of its vary precipitated the species to be categorised as Susceptible.”
Many causes for the decline sound depressingly acquainted: wetland degradation and destruction resulting from agricultural growth, urbanization, local weather change, searching, and lead poisoning (supply). A considerably much less apparent purpose is the abandonment of fish farms in western Russia that had previously offered habitat for breeding birds (supply). Perhaps Russians must eat extra fish once more.
Rustic Buntings are additionally not doing properly and are additionally listed as Susceptible. My private impression is also that their quantity on Chongming Island has declined previously few years.
That makes one nearly grateful that the Black-tailed Godwit is barely listed as Close to Threatened.
Given the present weak state of China’s financial system, some Eurasian Hoopoes these days work as guards regardless of being overqualified.
And a few extra music recommendation for the month. Whilst you could not need to put on a T-shirt with the band identify “The New Pornographers”, their music “Myriad Harbour” is nice. And humorous.
Talking of which – do you suppose that now that the Japanese Tit has been lumped with the Cinereous Tit, it is going to be talked about roughly continuously in my posts?
