Birding Nanhui as of late is way extra troublesome than it was, because the seawall street is blocked for vehicles. So, the intrepid fowl 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 fowl. The digital camera is precariously positioned on the bike, and off he goes. After all, this makes photographing some shy species corresponding 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 particular person however not for the fowl.
On the plus aspect, this implies fewer birders at Nanhui, and birders with the next real curiosity in birds slightly than spending a day exterior chatting with associates whereas smoking and infrequently being disturbed by a fowl. So, every part has its good and its dangerous elements, although I don’t assume this is applicable to voice messages.
For that motive, Eurasian Wrynecks by no means use voice messages. Admittedly, this can be a bit simpler for them than for people as they usually keep exterior areas with dependable cell phone alerts anyway.
Opposite to what you may assume, this Eurasian Wryneck is just not displaying me his tongue however slightly choosing 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 top 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 yr.
Just a few days later, there was a feminine.
Being a juvenile might be a lot worse – see this crappy-looking Chinese language Blackbird.
The juvenile male Blue-and-white Flycatcher is an fascinating fowl because it has fairly a distinct 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 displaying a juvenile male, I feel).
The Tiger Shrike is the nationwide fowl of Vietnam (supply), so it might be fascinating 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 challenge but.
Given the title of the Chinese language Grosbeak, its loyalties ought to be clear. The male has a black head …
… whereas the top 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 lots of of those chicks died. The authors of the examine concluded that siblicide slightly than predation is an important issue affecting the species’ nesting success.
Undecided I’ve something even vaguely fascinating to say concerning the Ashy Minivet. Whereas most minivets are fairly colourful, this species has been optimized for black-and-white TV and thus seems a bit outdated at present.
The elongated form of this minivet jogs my memory that mannerism has by no means been my favourite model of artwork.
I requested ChatGPT to attract me an image of an Ashy Minivet within the model 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, looking snipe was a well-liked pastime. A soldier who may efficiently shoot a snipe was thought-about an exceptionally expert marksman – an actual “sniper”.
If you don’t like spiders, you could be comfortable to see these images of (presumably) a Sakhalin Leaf Warbler.
The Ashy Drongo is an fascinating drongo species in that it’s not essentially black …
… and that the totally different subspecies look slightly totally different, from gentle grey to virtually commonplace drongo black. Thankfully, the subspecies migrating by 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 by Nanhuis microforests: all the time getting sticky spider webs in my face) …
… Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike …
… Brown Shrike …
… Black-crowned Evening Heron (juvenile and grownup) …
… and the dreaded Japanese Tit. I shiver any time I get a good picture of it, figuring out that I should present the fowl within the subsequent month-to-month Shanghai publish 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 fowl species Japanese Tit?”
ChatGPT: “Certain, right here’s a cheeky one associated to the Japanese Tit: Why did the birdwatcher deliver binoculars to the café? As a result of he heard they’d some Japanese Tits within the space and wished to verify he obtained a superb take a look at these positive feathers! (Typically 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 excellent 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 fowl species that primarily serves as a cue for lame jokes: the Oriental Scops Owl. Only a few images this time.
Lastly, the Fairy Pitta once more. So arduous to not present these images. The publish ends right here for these not concerned with pittas.
Curiously, all of the pittas I’ve seen this autumn have been juveniles – do the adults take a distinct route, or are they simply too intelligent to reveal themselves to me? Extra analysis wanted …
