Nearly yearly, Shanghai appears to have one or a number of Verditer Flycatchers. This yr, one made the error of visiting a comparatively accessible park with a slightly giant parking zone, leading to giant numbers of birders and chook photographers gathering there on the weekend.
In truth, I used to be glad to get a number of pictures inside 10 minutes or so after which have the ability to depart. It was a bit a lot for me. However hey, it’s a lovely chook.
The identical park (Baisha Park in Bao’an) additionally hosts some Sooty-headed Bulbuls that I had not recognized about earlier than. Apparently, they’re residents there (although presumably initially from captive inventory).
Some individuals most likely too delicate to offer chook physique components correct names gave it the scientific identify Pycnonotus aurigaster, with aurigaster that means golden-bellied. If these individuals ever must see a proctologist, they may have severe issues describing their medical points.
Chinese language Grosbeaks within the park made for a very good distraction for the photographers at any time when the Verditer Flycatcher was not seen.
Whereas Cornell characterizes the Lesser Coucal as non-migratory, seeing one in non-breeding plumage on December 03 at Nanhui was a primary for me. The species is certainly far more widespread in spring and summer time.
Chongming Island had a number of birds already seen final month, corresponding to
… Black-faced Spoonbill …
… Bluethroat …
… and Northern Lapwing.
For causes not even fairly clear to me, I submit lots of my chook pictures on a devoted webpage impartial of 10,000 Birds. Largely, it serves as a web-based backup – however generally I additionally direct researchers to it once they ask for pictures of particular species. The Silver-throated Bushtit – which I noticed once more this month – is one among these species, and the photographs then had been utilized in a paper on Silver-throated Bushtits and their hybrids with Lengthy-tailed Tits.
The paper describes the variations between a Northern and a Southern subspecies of the Silver-throated Bushtit – the Shanghai birds belong to the southern one.
One good friend of mine usually complains about mimicry – birds pretending to be different birds by imitating their noises – although I feel he most likely bought fairly a number of further species on his lists this manner. The nestlings of Zitting Cisticolas apparently have taken up an much more helpful mimicry – they imitate the hissing of some snakes.
In line with a current paper, this may occasionally enhance their survival price by deterring predators. Although personally, I feel that the alliteration-based title of the journal the place the paper was printed is a little bit of an overkill (“Ethology Ecology & Evolution”).
In Chinese language Penduline Tits, often, just one guardian cares for the eggs and chicks – in 71% of nests, it’s feminine care solely, in 9% male care solely, in 4% biparental care, which leaves 16% of nests/chicks to be abandoned by each mother and father (supply).
Male tits change their habits over the breeding season; they desert clutches produced early within the season however look after the late season clutches as there are fewer mating alternatives round (like a person who in his fifties changing into a devoted father after abandoning a number of pregnant girlfriends when younger).
And the species buries the eggs when it leaves the nest throughout the daytime, presumably to stop the eggs from rolling out of the nest (supply).
This Frequent Snipe appeared to suppose it may make itself invisibly by not transferring in any respect.
This isn’t the technique of the Pallas Leaf Warbler, which thinks that transferring round on a regular basis can have the identical impact.
Black-faced Buntings apparently can create fairly a bit of pleasure when being seen within the UK: “It’s changing into a record-setting autumn for Black-faced Bunting throughout Europe, together with no fewer than three British information in current weeks” (supply). However they’re quite common in Shanghai in winter.
The Falcated Duck is listed as Close to Threatened. It depends strongly on China as a wintering floor, the place greater than 85% of the inhabitants winter. Sadly, in keeping with Cornell, they’re hunted for meals and feathers in giant numbers in China.
eBird, slightly than discovering one thing optimistic to see concerning the Plain Prinia, as an alternative appears to place the species – which already suffers sufficient from its identify – additional down: “A typical prinia with drab gray-brown plumage”.
eBird might even have offended two species on the identical time if a bachelor thesis claiming that the Plain Prinia contains not less than two species (primarily based on completely different vocalization) is to be believed.
In line with Cornell, the Pale Thrush is “widespread in winter in Shanghai space (the place apparently territorial)” – I feel they’re referring to the one within the photograph right here, which is a fixture of the parking zone subsequent to the coastal resort at Nanhui.
Swinhoe’s White-eye is just not a uncommon chook in Shanghai, and apparently, it’s getting much less and fewer uncommon in Southern California, resulting in net pages with titles corresponding to “A New, Cute Little Fowl Might Quickly Present Up In Your Yard”.
The article claims that whereas their inhabitants is rising quick they aren’t thought to be invasive as they don’t have a destructive affect on native species to this point. However: “That might change at any time”.
Lastly, the (not less than to me) ever-popular Reed Parrotbill. Whereas it’s nonetheless fairly straightforward to seek out in Shanghai, local weather change might shift its vary additional north (supply).
Possibly I might want to shift my habitat additional north as nicely then.
